His smile falters ever so slightly, and I hear Tracy gasp from behind him.
“She’s just like her mother. Spreading her legs for the first dick that comes at her and won’t listen to orders.”
“I found the deed.” I’ve got him talking now, and as I move close to him, it pushes him farther away from Tracy. “I saw Tracy’s name on it. Was that because of her mother?”
“She tricked me.” He scowls at me, and I watch as his fists clench. “When I found out, I ran that slut out of town and made sure she never came back.”
“What did you do to her?” Tracy asks, her voice soft and shaking.
I hate how fucking scared she is, but she deserves to know the truth.
“I promised her that if she showed up again, I’d take out the punishment on you.” The smile he gives Tracy sends chills down my back. “She knew what I was capable of, but I told her as long as she stayed away, I’d take care of you.” He rolls his eyes. “She came back begging to see you so many times it was pathetic.”
“Enough!” I bark, needing this conversation to wrap up. It’s one thing for Tracy to find out the truth, but it’s another for him to be fucking cruel. “Under the contract her mother set up, if you were convicted of a felony, the company would become solely hers.”
“Maybe.” He shrugs, pretending to not care what I’m saying.
“You kept Tracy’s name on the paperwork until you could find a buyer that was willing to take on a nearly bankrupt arena. But then you got screwed over again by her mom because you couldn’t get all the money without Tracy. That’s why you came back to get her.”
“She’s used goods now anyway, what do you care? You got the arena and her cherry. Now I’ll take her with me and make her useful.”
“Over my dead body.” My voice is ice cold as I close the distance between us and push him against the wall. “You’re not taking the woman I love away from me.”
“Love?” He laughs and then my hand goes around his neck. He begins to cough and choke, but I squeeze harder.
“I’ve met a lot of trash in my life, but nothing compares to you. You’re a human-shaped pile of garbage, and now it’s my turn to make sure you never come back.”
My fingers dig into his windpipe, and he begins to turn purple as he stops breathing. I’m going to end his life with my bare hands because I won’t give him the chance to come after Tracy. Not ever again. I have to end this, and it stops now.
“Bronco.”
Tracy says my name, but I ignore her. The only thing I can focus on is getting rid of this monster.
“Bronco,” she says again, and I feel her small hand on my back. “Don’t kill him. He’s not worth it.”
“I won’t let him hurt you.” My teeth are clenched, and Walker has gone from purple to blue.
“If you kill him, you’ll go to jail. Please don’t leave me.” Her plea fractures my anger, and it cracks right down the middle as my hands begin to loosen. “I can’t live without you, Bronco. He’s nothing to us, don’t give him that power.”
With one last look at her father, I release him, and he falls to the floor in a crumpled heap. He’s coughing and gasping for air, and part of me is disappointed that he’s still alive. Turning around, I see Tracy standing there with tears in her eyes, and I pull her into my arms.
“Come here, sweet thing. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Bronco,” she says against my neck, and I close my eyes.
“I’m sorry I ran out of here so fast this morning.” I kiss the top of her head and squeeze her tighter. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here soon enough.”
“You’re here now.” When she sniffs, I pull back to look in her eyes and wipe away the tears. “That’s all that matters.”
“You’re never leaving my side again,” I tell her, and she nods as she gives me a watery smile. “Good, glad we’re on the same page. From here on out, it’s just me and you.”
“Bullshit,” Walker barks and we turn to see him using the wall to help him stand up. “She’ll never be rid of me.”
“Bronco?” I look through the front door to see the deputy sheriff and two of his men coming through the broken frame.
“She’s mine!” Walker shouts, and before we know what’s happening, he pulls out a gun from behind his back.
It all happens so fast, but it feels like it’s playing out in slow motion. I throw myself on top of Tracy while the deputy sheriff draws his weapon. Walker raises his gun to fire at us, but the deputy gets his shot off at the same time. Walker gets hit right in the center of his chest, while his bullet goes stray and grazes my arm. Tracy cries out and clings to me as we fall to the ground and the chaos of what’s just happened settles into place.