“Oh, Rose,” Carolina stepped into the room suddenly, her eyes wide and her hand over her mouth. “Silas isn’t here. I don’t know what happened.”
My heart sunk into my stomach, and I turned quickly to stare at Dean. Was he behind this?
But he looked as bewildered as me, and then he shoved past Carolina, knocking her clear into a bookshelf, rattling all the trinkets decorating it as he barreled down the hallway looking for his son.
I hurried after him, my heart attempting to leap out of me as adrenaline fueled my fear. Dean confirmed he wasn’t in any of the rooms before grabbing my arm and dragging me through the house, back out to the driveway.
Throwing me to the ground, I skid along the pavement, scraping my hands and knees.
“Where is he, Abbie? Where the fuck is he?”
15
Beau
“Freeze, Dean Walsh. You’re surrounded.”I pulled back the safety on my gun, leveling it at the man’s chest who’d just thrown Rose across the ground like some ragdoll. “Are you okay, babe?” My eyes flicked away from him for a second as she pushed herself to her feet, her shocked expression landing on me before her eyes surveyed my men surrounding her ex.
“You came.” She spoke with such relief. My heart clenched; she thought I hadn’t noticed she was missing or hadn’t considered I’d come for her.
“Of course, I did. I told you, you are mine. I’m never going to let anything happen to you.”
“Silas?” she asked worriedly.
My eyes looked away from her, casting a slow gaze to the squad car down the street where my brother Deacon stood guard. “He’s safe.”
“Thank God.” She breathed a sigh of relief, hanging her head. That’s when I spotted Dipshit doing the unthinkable. He moved, reaching for his waistband and the glint of metal told me what he was going for.
“I said freeze, asshole!” My voice held a threatening edge, but it wasn’t enough. He kept going while at the same time dipping for Rose like he planned to use her as a human shield or hostage. Not a chance.
Landon let off a shot, going through Dean’s hand, and he pulled back with a yowl. The hand grasping the gun began waving around. Landon took that minute to move, rushing for Rose as he scooped her up and started to drag her to safety.
Dean caught the motion out of the corner of his eye and stabilized himself long enough to aim.
“Landon, take cover!” I shouted, pulling the trigger myself. Both shots came together, making one sound as I watched in horror as Dean’s shot went for my best friend and girlfriend, unable to tear my eyes away and see where mine landed.
When time sped up again, Dean flew back into the ground, a pool of blood forming around his head as he lay there in Carolina’s yard, dead.
Rose screamed, and I rushed for her, expecting a wound, but she was staring at Dean on the grass.
“It’s alright. You’re safe. He won’t hurt you or Silas ever again.” Landon passed her off to me with a quick nod to tell me everything was okay. Wrapping Rose in my arms, hugging her to my chest, I silently promised to never let her out of my sight again. I may have looked cool and calm amid all that danger, but the fear of losing her to that psychopath was the only thing keeping my hands steady.
“Are you okay, baby? Tell me if you’re hurt.” I stroked my hands over her cheeks and pushed her hair back off her face. “I need to know you’re okay, Rose. Talk to me.”
“I’m okay, I’m fine,” she said breathlessly, finally turning her eyes away from Dean’s body and back to mine. “He’s… dead.” She whispered the words as I nodded in confirmation.
“He can’t find you or Silas ever again. You’re safe. You’re free.” She wrapped her arms around my neck, burying her face against it as she held onto me tightly.
“Thank God.” My arms wrapped tightly around her, squeezing her. I inhaled that familiar perfume forever associated with her.
“The living room, that was you?” She pulled back suddenly to stare at me as I nodded my head.
“Carolina came up with the idea, actually. I stayed in the house to make sure Dean went along with it. If it had gone sideways, I wanted to be there to protect you. But we also wanted to be sure to get Silas out of there, so he didn’t witness anything.”
She let out a sob of relief before throwing her arms around my neck again. “Thank you so much. You’re incredible.” She pulled away again, staring at me with sparkling, tear-filled eyes before a bright smile lit her face unlike any I’d seen before. “I love you.”
My heart soared out of my chest at her words, jarring me awake after a lifetime of sleepiness. Rose was who I’d waited for. Rose was the one who set my soul on fire.
“I love you too, babe. Forever.”