The resounding click of the striker was the only sound that filled the room, somehow managing to seem louder than an actual gunshot. I choked on a half laugh, half sob, because of course Richard had taken care of my only weapon. He wasn’t about to be taken down by the same weapon, or person, twice.
He tugged on his tie to straighten it. “I wasn’t sure if you had the balls to pull that trigger again, but you understand my hesitation to find out firsthand.”
“Go to hell. I should have known the devil couldn’t be taken down by a bullet.”
He laughed, pressing a hand to his flat stomach. He looked so handsome standing there, laughing as if everything were normal. That had always been one of his best weapons. His good looks. He used them well. “I don’t know whether to be insulted or flattered.”
“I don’t care how you feel anymore.”
“Tell me, have you been having fun, playing house with that man? What’s his name? Ah, yes, Agent Jeremy Holland.” When I stiffened, he locked eyes with me.
Shit. He knew Jeremy’s name.
“Don’t tell me you think I haven’t been watching you with him. Kissing him. Fucking him. Letting him take what’s mine.”
I stepped forward, muscles tight, fists even tighter. The second I took a step toward him, someone grabbed me from behind by both arms. Of course. Richard was too much of a coward to take me on alone. “I’m not yours. I stopped being yours the second I realized you were nothing but a scared little boy, kowtowing to the cartel so they didn’t kill you. Tell me, did you agree to be their bitch before or after you took office? I’m dying to know.”
“You little—” He lifted his hand threateningly, the backs of the knuckles facing me, and I flinched reflexively. Being backhanded hurt more than being punched with a closed fist, and he knew it. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m the one with the power. I’m the one who controls them, not the other way around. Why do you think they’re here with me, hunting down you and everyone you ever loved?”
I didn’t flinch. Just stared him in the eye. “Luckily for you, you never fell in that category.”
He snorted. “You loved me. Did you get my flowers? I left the last ones on your bed as a reminder of who you belong to.”
Knowing he’d been in my room made my stomach turn hard. “Yeah. I got them. And I threw them in the trash,” I said from between clenched teeth.
Running his hand over his jaw, he eyed me, grinning like the calm maniac he was. “I admire your spunk. It’s a shame you had to try to kill me. You would have made an excellent wife. But now I have to kill you because if you’re not an asset, then you’re a liability.”
“What makes you think my death will change anything? That I haven’t already given the feds everything?”
“I have my ways.” He shrugged casually as he rolled up his shirtsleeves. He did it calmly and without emotion, even though we both knew what was coming. I’d found out firsthand how much he liked playing with his toys before breaking them. “And your lover won’t be an issue.”
Cold fear struck my heart, sending a shaft of pain piercing through my chest. I knew better than to fall for that shit, but at the same time…this was Jeremy we were talking about. God, if he hurt him, it would be all my fault, and a world without Jeremy wasn’t a world I wanted to be in. He might have lied to me and I might be pissed as hell at him, but I loved him with all my heart. And I wanted the chance to maybe forgive him someday, after a hell of a lot of groveling on his part.
I needed him to be okay.
“You’re lying,” I said with a confidence I didn’t feel.
He shrugged again, finishing up with his sleeve. The second it was perfectly in place above his elbows, he took a step in my direction. I jerked hard, trying to break free of my captor, knowing it was pointless to do so. I caught sight of Javi’s profile over my shoulder and it was clear there’d be no escape.
“Jeremy will figure out where I hid everything. It’s in the hiding place from when we were kids,” I said in a rush, lying through my teeth in a futile attempt to buy time. “You’re too late.”
“We both know that’s not true. Let’s not diminish your spirit with useless lies and pleas for mercy. You’re a fighter, Chelsea. We both enjoy that.”
I glared at him silently, heart pounding against my ribs.
“This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you, darling,” Richard said softly, his voice like warm butter spreading on fresh-baked bread. “But I need to teach you a lesson. By the time I’m done, you’ll wish you never let another man touch what belonged to me. And maybe, if you’re lucky, I won’t kill you. Maybe I’ll take you back, if you promise to never cheat on me again.”
The crazy thing was, he meant every word. Richard honestly thought I’d want to be with him, completely ignoring the fact I’d tried to kill him. How had my life gotten to this? How did I become prey to this bastard?
The abuse had started slowly. It had been emotional at first, delivered so craftily I didn’t even notice it until it was too late. When that stopped working, he became violent. A push here, followed by an apology. A slap there, followed up with flowers and words of love.
That’s when I’d started planning my escape. I’d rediscovered my strength when I came here, to this inn. When I’d pulled that trigger and put an end to the abuse.
I’d be damned if I lost that strength again.
“I doubt I’ll go back to you,” I said sweetly. “After all, you’re nothing but a spineless, wormy coward who has no idea what it’s like to be a real man. Jeremy knows how to treat a woman, and he knows how to be a man, so I’d never regret being with him. Only you. I wish I never let you touch me, and I wish you had died when I shot you.”
Finally, for the first time ever, he lost his cool. Anger flushed his cheeks, his upper lip curled, and he growled. Hauling his fist back, he let it fly, and pain burst in my skull, making me crumble in Javi’s arms. Stars exploded into my vision.
“Drop her,” Richard said.
Javi obeyed immediately, and I hit the floor hard, banging my head. Suddenly, Richard was on top of me. “Take it back.”
Unable to speak, I did the one thing I knew would piss him off, because, God, I wanted to get under his skin…I laughed, spitting out blood with the sound.
Right in his face.
An animalistic sound escaped him, and his eyes bulged in rage as he stared down at me, unable to believe I’d disobeyed him. He lifted his hand and slapped me with his knuckles. I weakly pushed at his shoulders, but Javi pinned down my arms before I could get any leverage. I let out a loud scream, my one last attempt at freedom, but then his hand was on my throat, cutting off my air supply, and I knew with a sinking clarity that this was it.
And then the blackness took over.