“No!” Lizzie screamed as Fallon moved in at my side.
“I know she’s just as guilty,” I said, nodding toward the woman who was literally pulling at her hair. “But I can’t shoot a woman,” I told him.
It was clear from the unsettled look on Fallon’s face that he was dealing with the same uncertainty.
Before either of us could figure out the next move, though, it was Voss who moved in at my side and lifted his arm. “Luckily, I don’t have those reservations. Nighty-night, psycho bitch,” he said, and before we could even draw a breath, Voss was putting a bullet in Lizzie’s forehead, making her body fall back onto the bed.
“Jesus Christ,” Fallon mumbled, looking over at Voss as he tucked his gun away again.
“A crazy rapist is a crazy rapist, don’t matter if it’s a dude or a chick in my book. Only one way to handle that. They gotta be put down.” With that, he turned around and walked back out of the room.
“I don’t disagree with him,” Fallon said, brows pinched. “But I’m not sure how I feel about how casually he just handled that. Gotta have a full file on him as soon as possible,” he added, speaking mostly to himself. Because I was already making my way out of the room, walking through the house, then out the front door, and down the steps.
It was right then that Billie flew out of nowhere, charging at me, and throwing her arms around me. I fumbled to tuck my gun away so my arms could wrap her up as well, the rush of relief so strong I nearly sagged under the weight of it.
“I knew you would come. I don’t know how, but I knew you would,” she said, squeezing me tighter.
Then, just as suddenly as the hug started, it ended, and Billie’s hands were reaching for the sides of my face, she was leaning up, and her lips were sealing over mine.
I just stood there in stunned non-reaction for a long moment.
I couldn’t kiss her.
Least of all in front of all of the very same people who would never approve of me putting my hands on her.
But there was no stopping my lips from taking over, from doing what I’d dreamt of doing a million times in the past.
Her lips were pliant under mine for a long moment before they got harder, more demanding. Her teeth nipped my lower lip. Her tongue teased the seam of my lips, looking for a way in.
And I had every intention of letting her.
“Not to be a buzzkill here, but, ah, Sugar is making his way up the street,” Fallon announced, making my lips rip from Billie’s.
“I don’t care,” Billie insisted, looking up at me with hazy eyes.
“He can’t… he can’t find out like this, babe,” I said, voice low enough for only her to hear.
Billie let out a grumble, but went down on the flats of her feet and moved out of my arms just in time for her father to come into sight.
There was undiluted fear in his eyes until his gaze landed on his daughter.
He flew forward, sweeping her off her feet, and crushing her in a hug until she started making gasping sounds from the lack of air.
“Where is he?” Sugar asked, looking at Fallon.
“Rowe took care of him,” Fallon told Sugar. “And Voss took care of the wife.”
Billie made a pained noise, making her father look down at her. “They had to go, baby,” he told her, shaking his head. “I know you don’t like that, but they couldn’t walk away from this. They would have just found another victim. One who didn’t have loved ones who could know how to find them. How did you know how to find them?” Sugar asked, looking at me.
“One of the pictures,” I told him. “But it was Sway who suggested it was a woman who’d drawn them.”
“Yeah, but it was you who came up with the name of Reggie,” Slash said. “Take the credit where it is due.”
“I owe you,” Sugar said, nodding.
“No, you don’t,” I said, shaking my head. “We all wanted to find her,” I added.
Fallon murmured under his breath Well, some of us more than others.
“What?” Sugar asked.
“Nothing. We need to get the hell out of here. The neighbors are going to suspect something,” he insisted.
“We need to clean up,” Slash said, jerking his head toward the house.
“We usually handle our dirty work. But I think just this once, we might need to contract out. This is the ‘burbs. The nosy neighbors are going to suspect something if they catch sight of any of us. Someone get Quinton Baird’s office on the phone. Tell him we need a full clean-up. Give him the address,” he added as Brooks reached for his phone.
With that, we all headed back out.