Anonymous(54)

I pull the trigger.

Blood sprays in the air and his gun drops. Owen shouts in pain and grabs at his arm, turning his face to me. When his eyes meet mine, the betrayal hits harder. I’ve trusted him and looked into those eyes a million times. He had me fooled.

Jake quickly grabs Owen’s gun and runs over to me. Owen snarls and spits out a mouthful of blood when he looks at Jake.

Lips trembling, I stare at him in disgust. “How could you do this to me? You . . .” I bite my lip to keep from crying. “You killed Samantha and Kimberly. You tried to kill Jake. And you violated me!”

Jake tenses beside me. “Kimberly’s dead?” Nodding, I keep my focus on Owen. “What the fuck are you talking about, violating you?”

I don’t want to look at him when I answer. Thankfully, Bryan does it for me. “There’s a video of him taking advantage of Ellie, raping her while she’s passed out. We think Kimberly saw it and that’s why he killed her.”

A deep, guttural growl escapes his lips. “Son of a bitch!” He points Owen’s gun at him. “You’re going to fucking die for that.”

“Why did you do it, Owen?” I ask through clenched teeth.

He scoffs. “Because you were mine. You’ve always been mine. I’ve loved you since the first day I met you. Jake wasn’t supposed to have you.”

Jake tenses beside me and his hand shakes. I can’t have him pull the trigger. “You had to have drugged me,” I whisper sadly. “What kind of sick person does that and then videotapes it?”

His eyes rake down my body. “It was the only way I could have you. When I found out you were wanting to get pregnant, I had to find a way to get Jake out of the picture. With him gone, you would’ve come to me. I could’ve had you.”

“That’s never going to happen. You’re going to go on living, knowing that I’m happy with Jake and my family. I hope it torments you until your last breath.”

We can hear the police on the trail, heading toward us. I lower the gun and look up at Jake. “Jake, it’s over,” I murmur. “I know you want to kill him, but it’s not worth it. He’s nothing to us now.”

Jake looks like a stick of dynamite ready to go off. Eyes blazing, he lowers the gun and sticks it in his waistband. I grab his arm and move to his side. “Thank you. I’m ready to go home.”

The shouts of the police get louder. Jake and I turn, and when we do, Bryan’s on his feet, pointing his gun. “I have to do this, Ellie,” he says, before his gun goes off. I scream and turn into Jake’s chest.

The deep thud of Owen’s body hitting the ground makes my heart drop. As much as I hate him for what he did to me and everyone else, I can’t help but remember all the good times we shared. Even if it’s all corrupted now. I don’t even want to remember anymore.

I turn to look back, but Jake grabs my shoulders. “Don’t look, Ellie. He’s gone.”

Bryan staggers on his feet and almost falls, but Jake rushes over and steadies him. Blood still gushes out of his shoulder, and he stares down at it like it’s just a scratch. “I knew he was going to shoot. It’s a good thing I dove to the side when I did.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

He nods over at Owen’s dead body. “I had to do it. You know that, right?”

Carefully, I hug him. “I know.” A group of policemen charge toward us on the trail and I let him go. “Let’s get you to the hospital.”



* * *



Question after question after question. That’s all Jake and I have done since we were taken to the hospital. Jake had a broken nose and a bruised face, but that was it, so luckily, it wasn’t anything serious. But I have no doubt Owen would’ve killed him if I hadn’t shot him in the arm.

Jake and I have barely spoken since everything happened. As I watch him getting patched up in the hospital room, I can see the turmoil on his face. He just lost his best friend, one who’d been deceiving us for years. The doctor walks in and says something to him, but I can’t hear. Jake gets up and slowly makes his way over to me.

“You okay?” I ask.

He nods and winces at the same time. “I’m more worried about you.”

I hug him gently. “I’m fine, Jake. My heart is hurt more than anything.”

Releasing a heavy sigh, he squeezes me back. “So is mine. I’m just so angry right now. I wish I would’ve killed him.”

“Whether you shot him or not, you’d still be angry with what he did. No, Bryan needed to be the one to do it. For Samantha. He lost more than anyone.”

He lets me go and cups my cheeks. His right eye is swollen shut and his face is black and blue. “Do you want to go see him?”

“Yes,” I breathe. “More than anything.” We walk out into the hall and Detective Terry is out there, dressed in jeans and a green and blue sweater. I almost didn’t recognize him without his uniform. “What are you doing here?”

He shakes Jake’s hand. “After Bryan made all the discoveries, I knew he was going to head up this way. I figured something like this would happen. I just wanted to make sure you all were okay.”

“Thanks, Detective,” I say as he shakes my hand. “Have you seen Bryan yet?”