Camden's Redemption (Gloves Off #4)(56)

GABE WAS ON his knees, holding his hand over the wound I’d just inflicted. It was a fatal blow and as I stood there with the gun in my hand, I realized I was watching him die.

A red soaked hand came down on mine and lowered my hand, gently prying the gun away. Tears blurred my vision and I felt numb as Camden turned me to face him. He was pale and wobbly on his feet. “Brooklyn, it’s okay.”

Seeing the way he looked, it didn’t take me long to realize what had happened; he had been shot too. “Oh my God, Camden, you’re really hurt.” He pulled me over to the couch and leaned against it, his face scrunched in agony. Rushing to the kitchen, I grabbed a clean dishtowel and hurried back. He hissed when I pressed it down on his shoulder.

“It’s not that bad, buttercup. Now I know how it felt when he shot you,” he said, glaring over to Gabe who fell back on the floor with a loud thud. “Goddamn . . . that was like out of a movie? or some shit.”

I wiped away my tears and helped Camden slide to the floor. He was about to lose consciousness. “Stay with me,” I commanded. “Keep your eyes open. Help’s on the way.” I leaned over to kiss him, my body shaking as I glanced at Gabe’s still form.

“Go, baby. I . . . I know this . . . isn’t easy on you.” Breathing hard, he closed his eyes and kept his hand over his wound, hissing in pain.

“It’s not easy on you either,” I whispered. “Hang tight. I love you.”

Judging by the pool of blood on the floor, Gabe didn’t have much longer. His body jerked and his chest rose and fell with his rapid, gurgling breaths. Slowly, I approached him and when his dark eyes fell on mine, I broke down and fell to my knees. I hated him for betraying me, but for years he had been my friend, always there for me when I needed him. He never once led me to believe he was a killer; he’d fooled us all.

“You’re a liar,” I cried, hissing the words. “I cared about you.”

“I . . . never wanted . . . to hurt you,” he gasped. “Sorry.” Stretching out his hand on the floor, he wanted me to take it but I couldn’t.

I shook my head and backed away. He might not have wanted to hurt me, but he did. There was no forgiveness for his betrayal. I had no clue what despicable things he had done in secret for Scar, of all of the people he probably killed. Sitting there with tears streaming down my cheeks, the last breath left his lips and the light died in his eyes. It was over. I reached down for a pulse and felt nothing.

The backup I’d called for came bursting through the door, guns drawn. I held up my hands and got to my feet. “I’m Brooklyn Avery, the one who called. We have one injured and one dead.” I rushed back over to Camden while they called for an ambulance. He looked even paler than before. “Baby, open your eyes,” I pleaded.

He opened one slightly and smiled. “I’m still here, my love. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” Luckily, the wound was away from any major organs. I was, however, afraid for his fighting career. If the bullet damaged crucial nerves and ligaments, it could impact the way he used his arm and hand.

“Holy f*ck,” Mason called out incredulously. Over my shoulder, I watched as he looked on in horror at Gabe’s body.

“Mason, over here.” When he saw me, I waved him over. He glanced down at Gabe one more time and I could see the emotions warring deep within. Camden had my gun beside him and for once in my life I didn’t want to touch it.

Mason rushed over and immediately pulled the towel away from Camden’s wound to inspect it. “Motherf*cker,” he growled. “What happened?”

“I had a visitor.” Camden groaned. “I guess he didn’t care for my company.”

“Leave it to you to joke about something like this.” Rolling my eyes, I reluctantly glanced at Gabe’s motionless body. “I don’t know what all happened, but when I showed up Camden had already been shot and the house was a wreck. When I saw Gabe pointing the gun at him, his finger was on the trigger. So I shot him.”

Mason found my gun beside Camden and lifted his brows. “Are you sure that’s what happened?”

“Yes,” I snapped quickly. “After I . . .” Swallowing hard, I took a deep breath and tried to get the words out, but couldn’t. I’d always known that taking a life could be part of the job, but I never thought the first person I would kill would’ve been someone so close to me. My eyes started to burn and I let the tears fall. Those were my silent words.

Mason sighed and put his arm around me. “Fuck, B, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I remember how hard it was when I had to kill my first, and he wasn’t a friend.”

“I just don’t understand. How could we not see it? Especially you,” I cried.

“He was an expert. I’m pretty sure Gabe wasn’t even his real name. Once this goes under investigation, we’ll find out all the answers. Right now, let’s just get through the night and get Jameson to the hospital.”

Camden snorted. “Sounds good to me.”





IT’D BEEN THREE hours and still no word. Camden had stayed alert through the whole ambulance ride which completely shocked me. It was probably because Mason teased him the whole way, calling him a * if he passed out. I was glad Mason was there; he kept Camden in good spirits when I knew I couldn’t do it. The weight of Gabe’s death hung heavy on my soul.