Chapter 44

CHAPTER

FORTY-FOUR

EDMUND

With Harper’s hand back in mine, I’ve been resting my head on the mattress beside her as I try unsuccessfully to garner a few hours of sleep.

Her fingers twitch in mine, and my head snaps to find her eyelids fluttering. Squeezing her hand, I breathe, “Little rose.”

“Eh…Eddie.” Her voice is raspy and pained.

“It’s me.” I pull her hand to my face and place a chaste kiss against her knuckles. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Michales?” His name trembles from her lips.

“You don’t need to worry about him.” I run my fingers along her jaw, swiping away a rogue tear with the pad of my thumb. “He’ll never lay a hand on you again.”

Tears well in her eyes, and her voice cracks when she asks, “They caught him?”

“He’ll never lay a hand on you again,” I repeat .

“Eddie…”

“There are things you don’t know about me, little rose,.” I squeeze her hand a little tighter, expecting her to recoil from me. “Things you won’t like.”

“Did you kill him?” she poses her question in a faint whisper.

“Yes,” I answer, short and truthfully.

And I’d end his life a thousand more times if I could.

Harper sucks in a sob, and tears begin to trickle silently down her cheeks. Climbing onto the bed, being careful not to hurt her, I cup her face and kiss away the tears. As my lips dust over her face, I confess, “I had to. He almost took you away from me. I couldn’t let him?—”

“I’m not crying because you killed him,” she asserts as she interrupts me. “I’m happy he’s fucking dead.”

“There’s more.” I bury my face into the crook of her neck and tenderly kiss her. “So much more you don’t know.”

“Are you ever going to hurt me?” She presses her hand to my jaw, drawing my eyes up to hers.

“No, little rose,” I answer. She would be the first in decades. The first since I learned what I was capable of or how easily I could cover my tracks. Yet, I am nearly certain in my answer.

I could never hurt her.

But I will happily hurt for her.

“Is it over?” she inquires. “Whatever happened in your life before me, is it over?”

“Yes.” I nod, never breaking eye contact with her. “It’s over.”

Is Michales going to be the last man I kill?

Probably not.

A day will come when someone will stand in the way of something I want or have the audacity to put Harper in harm’s way, and I will deal with it the only way I know how.

Swiftly.

Painfully.

Lethally.

But the string of disposable women buried throughout town—they are over.

The letter sent supposedly written by Detective Asshole made its way to the Adelaide Police Department a few hours ago. The entire department has been abuzz since. According to Will’s inside guy, they are scrambling to ensure their asses are covered before this makes its way to the press within the hour.

Once that happens, all of us are in the clear of nearly every wrongdoing we’ve committed in this town.

“Then it doesn’t matter, Eddie,” she groans as she stretches forward to place a kiss against my lips. “It doesn’t matter because I love you.”

She lays back into her pillow, and while I know I should be gentle with her, my lips crash against hers. Slipping my tongue into her mouth, I kiss her deeply. Claiming her breaths and whimpers, inhaling her, and knowing I’ll never get enough of her.

She’s fucking ruined me.

Pulling back, my lips linger against hers, and I relish in the feel of her soft, warm breaths blowing against them.

“I love you, little rose.” My lips vibrate against hers when I whisper, “And I will never be fucking done with you.”