Page 54 of Fatally Yours
He shook his locks from his face and raised his arm, putting his hand to where the projectile embedded itself into his body. With bated breath, I watched wide-eyed as his fingers entered the dry wound, pulling open his skin and prying the bullet from the hole he created in his body and flicking it away. Like before, there was no splash of color. Nothing but the shade of death.
Through the glow of the flickering lamp and the shifting of the screen, I could see Randy’s puckered face pale as he lowered the gun. I kept my hands on him, not wanting to relive that fateful day, even if death was nothing more than a status instead of a result.
“Y-you’re that kid,” Randy stuttered. His voice trembled slightly, breaking his rugged facade. “I killed you, man. It was an accident, but you’re dead.”
“Yeah, I am.” August lifted his head and stuck out his hand, wrenching the gun from his quivering grasp without moving. Randy let out a small gasp as the weapon clattered to the ground, sliding across the floor and to our feet. Just as August bent over to pick it up, there was the distinct sound of someone sticking their keys in the front door echoing through the air. My heart could’ve stopped in my chest right then and there.
He picked up the gun and held it in his hands, giving me a look that I couldn’t quite read. The only emotion I got out of his expression was confidence. It was a good look on him, and I was jealous I couldn’t feel the same when such a conflict was tossed into our plans.
“Now, who could that be?” August said, turning to Randy and holding the weapon in his grasp. Whatever happened now, there was no going back. Innocent or not, this was an event set in motion that not even death could stop.
XXVI
The barrel of the gun was aimed directly at Randy’s heart as August stood strong and fearless. My hands trembled against my chest, unsure how this all would go down. We were here to kill Randy and Randy only, not whoever was visiting tonight. Of course, after everything went so smoothly, the universe was going to fuck everything up. Just like when August died. It was sickeningly ironic.
“If you don’t want me to shoot them, I suggest you comply,” he said. Randy’s hands were held up beside his head—a pose he was surely experienced with holding. His face flashed a slight concern, and I saw the tendons in his jaw clench beneath the scruff dotting hischin.
“Fine,” he snarled.
“Sit down.” August motioned with the gun to the couch, and Randy placed himself on it. Then he looked at me, and I felt my chest tighten. “Find something to tie him up with.” I nodded and took a step toward the kitchen before he added, “Don’t go in the foyer.” Before I made my way to the other room, I eyed Randy. His face was contorted with a gentle frustration as if he still thought he would get out of this. If only he knew we had spent the entirety of our afterlife waiting for this moment.
A spark of anger flared in my chest again as I headed into the kitchen, ripping the phone from the cradle and yanking the cord from the wall. I figured it was better if there was no way to call for help. The thought of a true criminal. Only, this wasn’t malicious and against an innocent person. This was revenge—fair and just after the wickedness bestowed upon us. His reckless disregard for life would cost him his own.
I took the phone cord back to the living room, all while light footsteps wandered around the far room, making me experience the illusion of sweat along my skin. Still, August stood composed as he took the knife and sliced the cord in half, binding Randy’s limbs while he grumbled curses under his breath. Every noise from the other end of the house made me think my hair was standing on end.
Once he was finished tying him up, he gave me a look and headed to the front. Slipping my lip between my teeth, I trailed behind him. When he walked into the foyer, I peeked around the room. My nails were practically shattering against the wall as my grasp tightened on it, trying to stop the anxiety filling my stomach.
A thin, red-haired woman no older than us was bending over and placing a pile of bags on the ground. When her eye caught August, she raised her hands and turned to him. Her expression was blank, and tears never formed in her eyes despite the muzzle of a gun inches from her face. She was doing better than I would’ve in such a horrid situation. The thought made me frown. She must’ve gone through a lot in life to be so stoic.
“I don’t have any money,” she said flatly.
“I’m not interested in money,” August said. Her eyes widened briefly untilthey flicked to me and returned to normal. He jerked his head to the side. “Come join your friend.” Without another word, the woman kept her hands up and followed us back to the living room. She and Randy shared a puzzled glance, but she mostly kept her eyes on the ground. August motioned to the couch, and she placed herself beside him without resistance.
“The fuck did you do this time?” she muttered under her breath.
“You don’t want to get involved.”
“God dammit…” Her lips thinned. August’s eyes were steely and determined as he kept the gun aimed at the two. I had a feeling the woman was smarter than trying to escape. The buzz of anxiety was coursing through my veins as I stood beside him, waiting for his next command.
“Expecting anyone else?” he questioned, cocking a brow.
“No,” Randy grumbled. “This is it.” August’s wicked gaze fell on the woman. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, but her expression was as if this were nothing more than a typical evening. I was sure being around Randy Clark would do that to you.
“What’s your name?”
“Desi,” she said. Even after witnessing her acquaintance bound and having a gun pointed at her, she was absent of tears. She wasn’t pleading for her life like Kelsey did. No, there was an acceptance. I hoped this would be a wake-up call if she made it out of this. Only if we decided to allow her that freedom.
“How close are you with Mr. Clark here?” he asked.
“I don’t mean anything to him,” she said quickly. Somehow, I had a feeling that was true. He didn’t strike me as the type of person to care about people, especially after what he did to us and so many others.
“Desi…” Randy’s shoulders drooped as he tried to catch her gaze, but she avoided him.
“That’s the truth,” she said. “He pays me. I’m an accessory, an escort. I babysit.” August and I shared a brief, confused look.
Babysit?
It must’ve been some new euphemism that the two of us were unfamiliar with. Sure, August had his fair share of minor arrests, but he wasn’t evenclose to being comfortable with the terms and inner workings of the criminal underbelly. Clearly, Desi thought we were. She probably thought this was revenge for a deal gone wrong, not that Clark was a murdering bastard.
