Hooked (TKO 2)

Without thinking, I close my eyes and pull hard on the trigger. The gunshot scares the hell out of me and the kick from the pistol shoves me back a little. I drop the gun when I see Travis hit the ground.

I shot him, and he’s not moving. I can’t tell where he was hit, and I’m not even sure if he’s alive. My hands and legs are shaking as I back away. I want to puke. I want to move so much faster than this. I need to call the cops. I make it to my bed at the same time my bedroom light turns on. I turn to see my dad standing there, staring at Travis.

“Hilary, what happened?” He wraps his arms around me, and his tight grasp is both comforting and suffocating at the same time.

“Daddy.” I burst into tears. “H-he was in my room. He was going to kill me but I-I got the gun from him.”

“Have you called the cops?”

I shake my head, and pass him the phone. I can’t right now. I listen as Dad calls and explains what happened. I can’t take my eyes off Travis. As curious as I am, I don’t want to get anywhere near him. Dad hands the phone back to me, telling me the cops are on their way. He grabs my pants for me and sets them on the bed. He holds me steady while I dress, and then I glance back toward Travis. Dad leans toward him, then steps away.

“He can’t hurt you anymore, baby girl.”

“Is he…?”

“He’s dead,” Dad answers solemnly.

A sob escapes the back of my throat. I killed him. “I’m sorry, Dad.”

“You did what you had to do, Hilary. Don’t be sorry for that.”

I grab my phone and shakily tap Lance’s name. Since it’s so late, I don’t want to call him. Instead, I text him to see if he’s awake. Not even a minute later, he replies. I’m getting ready to call him when blue lights light up the windows.

The cops are here. Numbly, I pass the phone to Dad and ask if he’ll call Lance for me. I’m the one who needs to talk to the cops. I’m the one Travis was after. I’m the one who pulled the trigger.

I’m the one who murdered him.

Chapter 28

Lance

A little after midnight, I’m lying in bed. I woke up a few minutes ago because I couldn’t sleep. I miss Hilary too much. Her text asking if I’m awake makes me smile. She must not be able to sleep either. After I reply, a few minutes pass and I assume she’s fallen back asleep. I don’t blame her. But then my phone rings and her name pops up. I tap the answer button.

“Hey, baby, you can’t sleep?”

“Lance, this is Hilary’s dad.”

The jolt surprises me enough that I sit up in bed. “Oh shit…I mean, sorry, Mr. Vaughan. Is everything okay?”

“Can you come to the house? Hilary would probably want you here. I can explain now if you want or when you get here.” He sounds tired, and the anxiousness in his voice is clear. Something is wrong.

I jump out of bed and throw on the closest pair of basketball shorts I can find. My flip-flops are by my door, so I slide my feet into them before grabbing my wallet and keys as I run out my bedroom.

“I’m on my way right now. Do you mind filling me in?”

I should have never asked him. As I drive, I nearly wreck the truck when he explains the situation.

“She’s talking to the police right now. I’ll be standing outside to meet you.”

“Okay.” I end the call and throw my phone on the floorboard. Tears sting my eyes. All I can do is thank God that Hilary is okay. I can’t believe Travis snuck into her house and held her at gunpoint. I knew the guy was fucking crazy, but I didn’t know he was psychotic. I pull up at her house and look for the best place to park. Several cop cars and an ambulance line the street. I decide to park a little farther up. My truck is barely parked when I jump out and begin jogging toward her house. Her dad is standing outside just like he said he’d be.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s inside finishing up with the police. They had a lot of questions about everything.”

The paramedics emerge with a body bag on a stretcher. I cringe and turn away. It’s hard to believe Travis is inside that bag. He’ll never be able to hurt her again. I can’t believe how brave she was to pull the trigger. I stand outside with her father for what seems like ages. The cops finally file out one by one. An officer pulls Mr. Vaughan to the side to talk to him. I take this as my chance to head inside. Hilary is sitting on the couch, spaced out, staring at the wall. Her mom hugs me close.

“I’ll step out so you can talk to her. Thank you for coming.”