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Scott was leading Abby away from Stella’s body. She was shaking so hard she could barely walk, her eyes were dark pools against the deathly pale of her face. Blood and brain matter speckled her hair and cheek. As she got to the door, she stopped. Her distant gaze finally locked onto Zep.
“Oh my God.” Her hand flew to her mouth as she sank to her knees. Frantic eyes scanned his body, as if searching for a way to help.
“Abby.” Zep smiled. Amidst all this destruction and death, she was beautiful.
“I’ll check on the ambulance,” said Scott.
“It’s okay, help is coming.” Abby nodded, her mouth trying to form a smile.
In his pocket, Zep’s phone vibrated. He tried to pull it out and failed.
“Let me help.” Abby gently slid her hand beneath the towels, finding the phone protruding from his front pocket and tugged it free. She handed it to him and the face ID unlocked it. There was a message from Tosh.
Peter Isobel is dead.
Zep dropped the phone. “It’s over.” Abby was safe. There was no one left to kill.
“I can hear the siren,” said Abby. “The ambulance is close.”
Zep reached out and took her hand. She didn’t pull away. “It doesn’t matter.”
“No, don’t say that.”
He shook his head. “When you live the kind of life I’ve lived, you get used to the violence. Come to expect it.” The pressure on his chest was making it hard to breathe, and to talk. “But it’s not something I ever wanted for you, or your mother.”
“I know,” she whispered, wrapping her other hand around his.
“Your mum got to live the life she deserved, and I have no regrets about the way I lived mine. And you, Abby, you’re the product of two people who loved each other enough to let them go.”
The hot, metallic taste of death filled his mouth. “But that’s not the life for you. Scott’s a good man, Abby. You deserve to be happy.”
The pain had disappeared, the noise outside faded.
A single tear trickled down Abby’s face.
“Don’t cry for me. I’m going home to Becca.”
Chapter 31
His hand went limp in hers as the light faded from his eyes.
“Zep?” Abby squeezed his hand, and got no response. She let it drop, and cupped his face in her hands. “Zep!”
The hard lines and ferocious countenance had slipped from his face, as if the devil had taken back what was his, leaving the man behind.
Pain skewered her chest, as though someone had a hold of her heart and was crushing it. Exhaustion wrapped itself around her. Abby wanted to lay down beside Zep, and sleep. She leaned her head until it rested on his shoulder.
Bruce crawled up between them and nuzzled at her face. Abby pulled the dog against her. Voices sounded, but made no sense.
Gentle hands lifted her. “Abby, come on, baby.”
The dog wriggled free.
“Come on.”
Scott…
She leaned against him as he lifted her to her feet. There was a stretcher in the hallway. Scott placed his arm under knees and held her tight. A second later, she was sat on the stretcher, the back angled up so she didn’t have to lie down.
