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‘Go,’ Alec said to me, pushing me back toward the door.
‘I can’t leave them like this.’
My father stood holding his hands out, his breaths coming in quick puffs. ‘Everyone, calm the fuck down. Esther sit down. We’ll sort out the baby situation after the wedding. A few pills and you’ll be clear. You can’t be that far gone.’
He rounded on Alec and pointed toward the door. ‘You can get the fuck out. I’ll deal with you later.’
‘He killed my fucking men.’
‘We don’t know that,’ my dad stammered.
‘I did.’ Alec smiled darkly. ‘They are out there in a puddle of their own fucking bowels, and I’ll do it to anyone else who gets in my way. Esther is mine.’
The possessiveness should have put me off, but he was the only person who’d stood up for me, and it brought fresh tears to my eyes. The only person who loved me enough to help me.
Fuck, he loved me.
‘I’m not marrying Harold,’ I said, Alec’s resolve making me stand up for myself.
‘Yes, you are.’ Harold said, moving back to where his son was, reaching out and taking the gun from his fingers. ‘After I blow this upstart’s brains out.’
He didn’t hesitate to shoot. Alec threw me out of the door as he ducked in the other direction, the bullet piercing a hole in the dining room wall. I cried out as another shot rang out. Alec only had his knife. He couldn’t fight against a gun with that. Then I saw them, the bodies steeped in red. Harold’s men. Holding back a wave of vomit, I crawled over to the eviscerated corpses and unclipped a gun from one of their belts. Sticky blood slopped at my knees, soaking up into my dress as I checked the clip, ensuring it was loaded, and pushed the safety off. The room behind had gone dangerously quiet.
Creeping back to the doorway, I saw a standoff, my brothers pointed their guns at Harold. Katie had hidden beneath the table, while Harold’s gun was trained on Alec, but without a clear shot, my father being between them.
‘Shoot Alec,’ my dad told Logan and Ewen, and I trembled when I saw Logan waver. He never went against my father’s wishes, but they knew Alec and had accepted him like a brother.
‘Don’t,’ I said, pushing the weapon up in front of me. Harold was too swift, moving behind my dad as I tried to shoot, the gun flinching back and hitting me on the temple. A wave of red obscured one eye as I yelped.
Harold pressed the muzzle of his gun against my father’s temple, and my dad’s face darkened to a puce.
‘Get the fuck off of me.’ My father’s fury emanated from him, but Harold held firm.
‘Gun’s down, empty them and toss them or your father’s brains will be your next course.’ Harold dug the gun into Dad’s temple.
‘Don’t be stupid,’ I said as they followed his instructions.
‘You’re the one being an idiot,’ Harold said as my hands shook. ‘I would have given you anything you wanted. All you had to do was follow orders and spread your legs.’
‘Go,’ Alec mouthed at me. ‘Get out.’
I couldn’t.
‘She’s carrying my grandchild,’ my dad said, his face softening. ‘Just let her go. There’s got to be another way.’
‘There’s no other way. You cost me a woman all those years ago. You owe me one,’ Harold said.
‘I don’t owe you shit.’
Harold looked down at my father, shocked that he’d finally spoken up against him despite the barrel of his gun digging a centimetre from his brain.
‘Esther, go,’ he said. ‘Go with Alec, have the baby.’
Then the world slowed to a stop as Harold squeezed the trigger while Alec threw his knife. The blade lodged in Harold’s shoulder, but seconds too late. All hell broke loose. My father’s face went blank as blood shot from the side of his head, his body slumping. In the same moment, my dad’s men poured into the room while Alec launched at me, picking me up over his shoulders and heading for the doors. Cam dragged Harold and Katie out of the window, making a run for it across the lawn.
‘No!’ I screamed as Alec dragged me away. ‘My dad, we need to go back.’
‘We can’t baby, they’ll be back with more men. I need to get you out of here.’
