Committed (Betrothed 4)

I sat in the leather chair and opened my laptop even though I had no work to do. I just played the part and did my time until Maddox appeared. I could only linger for a couple hours. Any longer than that would be suspicious.

If he didn’t show up, I would be relieved. But I would also be devastated.

But if he did come…I would be terrified. I’d never killed anyone before, never took a shot at anyone. I didn’t have any reservations about putting Maddox in a grave; I was just sick knowing I had to do it. It wasn’t just revenge for Hades and me.

It was freedom.

Two hours passed, and I resisted the urge to call Ash to check on my baby. I also thought about calling Hades, but the second I got him on the phone, I wouldn’t be able to lie about what I was doing. He would march down there and sabotage the whole thing. So I had to sit there…and wait.

This plan probably wasn’t going to work. Maddox was an asshole, but he had bigger fish to fry. I didn’t matter to him. He used me and tortured me… I was old news. The only person he really wanted was Hades, and now he had him.

He didn’t care about me.

I was about to throw in the towel when heavy footsteps sounded outside my door. They reminded me of Hades because the distinct thud sounded like it could come from his substantial size. It was like an animal coming around the corner.

I slowly rose to my feet and slid my hand into my right pocket. My heart was beating so frantically, at the speed of a hummingbird’s heartbeat. I perspired immediately, beads of sweat forming on my forehead and the back of my neck. My fingers found the handle of the gun and wrapped around the trigger. The metal felt hot in my hand, and I could hear the distant click as I let off the safety.

I was ready…but terrified.

I saw the shadow before the man. Then he stepped into the doorway, tall, muscular, and looking smitten with himself. His blue eyes locked on to mine, and he stepped into my office with a slight smile on his face. With his arms resting by his sides, he seemed pleased by the look of horror on my face.

I didn’t have to act scared or surprised. I’d hoped this would happen, but I was still sick to my stomach. I would never forget the way he held me down and forced himself between my legs. I would never forget those painful nights when I wished I were dead. It was so easy to portray myself as a terrified victim…because that was exactly what I was.

He stopped in front of my desk and tilted his head slightly. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? How are you?”

I despised his ego, despised everything about him. He assumed he’d cornered me like a brilliant villain, and he didn’t have the humility to wonder if he was wrong. Maybe he was playing me and he knew this was all a setup. But I suspected he had no idea…and he was about to pay for everything he’d done. “Things have been rough. But they’re about to get better.”

His eyebrows furrowed, and he barely had the chance to tense at my ominous threat before I squeezed that trigger as hard as I could.

The sound of the gunfire was piercing in the small room. It echoed off the walls and reverberated throughout the hotel. I could feel the gun lurch back as the bullet left the barrel. I couldn’t see my gun, so I couldn’t aim. I just had to hope I was pointing in the right direction.

And I was.

The bullet hit him right in the gut, making his body jolt when the momentum struck him in the center. He staggered back slightly, and as if he didn’t know what had just transpired, he moved his hand over his stomach and let the blood drench his skin. He looked down at his palm and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, feeling the blood against his fingertips. He slowly looked up again, his reaction sluggish because he couldn’t process his own demise, the realization that death was slowly creeping in.

I didn’t pull the trigger again because I wanted to relish this moment. I wanted revenge for what he had done to me, but what I wanted most of all was revenge for what he had done to Hades. He’d been controlling him for months now, making him miserable. That was the inspiration for my blood lust and violence. I cared more about Hades than I cared about myself.

I pulled the trigger again.

Like last time, he staggered with the hit, moving back slightly, growing weaker by the second. When he couldn’t keep himself upright any longer, he moved to his knees on the floor and pressed his hand into his abdomen to stop the bleeding. He was in such shock, he didn’t know what to say. His sick and witty comebacks were no more.