Adrian's Wrath(39)

A gasp left her and she whirled around, fearing that Cameron would be standing right in front of her. But when she turned around he wasn’t there, just a group of nameless strangers, laughing and smiling because it wasn’t their life that they were trying to run from.

Searching the crowd proved that her imagination had a hold of her. Cameron wasn’t here. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This wasn’t going to work. None of this was going to work. Being with Adrian was going to end up costing both of them their lives if she let it go any further. A half hour was left of her shift, and she knew she needed to stay away from him until that time. Once she was home she could really think about what she was going to do. If she saw him before her shift was up she wouldn’t be strong enough to stay away, at least not tonight. What she needed to do was get to the shooting range, fire off a few bullets and relieve some of her tension. The practice would also do her sanity some good. It was that or her nightmares were going to consume her whole.





Chapter Nineteen




The protective glasses that were required for all shooters to wear were securely on the bridge of Brea’s nose. The Colt .45 in her hand felt good. Damn good, and when she took her spot and lifted her arms, aiming the barrel at the black paper body, she pictured Cameron staring back at her. Anger was an emotion she was familiar with, harbored and stored away until she needed to channel it toward the one person that had ruined everything. She was sick of being a victim, sick of letting everything he had done ruin what she could have.

After her shift ended last night she had gotten out of there as fast as she could. She hadn’t been home more than five minutes and Adrian had tried to call her repeatedly. It was bad enough she had just ditched him, but having him call her solidified what a fucked-up person she really was.

At first she hadn’t answered, because honestly she didn’t know what to say to him. If he told her he was worried, that he was going to come over and make sure she was okay, she knew she couldn’t just blow him off. There had been plenty she had told Adrian, and she should be thankful he wanted to make sure she was okay. Wasn’t this what she wanted? To have someone who actually cared for her?

She had typed out a quick text, telling him she was sorry about running out but she wasn’t feeling well and had just wanted to go to sleep. At first she didn’t think he would reply since she hadn’t gotten a response right away, but then he had texted back, asking her to call him so he could hear her voice and know for sure she was okay. Of course she had called him because Adrian did care for her and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him or make him worry needlessly. That little thought made her realize she was going to do just that eventually. She knew she wasn’t going to stay in this town, with Adrian, yet she was allowing herself to grow attached to him. Was she leading him on? She didn’t think she was, but if she stepped back and really looked at what she was doing, that was what was going on. She was a shitty-ass person and she knew she had to put an end to it.

Her tips were adding up nicely, and with making double her wages working the underground, she was only a few days shy of having the amount she needed to leave. Finger curved around the trigger, she closed one eye and kept her arm steady. When she pulled the trigger that was the thought that played through her mind.

It was almost time to leave Adrian behind. It made her feel shitty, but it was for the best. At least that was what she kept telling herself as she continued to pull the trigger, over and over and over again. When her barrel was empty she brought her target forward, the paper sliding on the mechanical track. When it was right in front of her she set her pistol down and removed her glasses. Five bullet holes were centered in the chest and the sixth was right between the eyes. A satisfied grin had her lips curling up. This always made her feel better, even if everything else in her life was fucked up beyond repair.

Duffle bag slung over her shoulder, Brea made her way toward her car. Some of her tension was gone from shooting, but there was always that sliver that hung on, refusing to let go. Keys in hand because she never walked to her car without the teeth of each key between her fingers, she scanned the parking lot. Every move she made had her watching over her shoulder, making sure she wasn’t being watched, followed, or finding Cameron right behind her. The only time she didn’t feel like she had to always be on high alert was when she was with Adrian. She really needed to quit thinking those things because in the end she would be gone.

The parking lot was pretty much deserted given the fact it was early in the morning on a weekday, but she was always cautious. A black nondescript car was parked several spaces down from her and although it wasn’t something that should have set off warning bells, it did. The windows were tinted, even the windshield illegally so. The sound of the engine was rough, like a wild animal growling. She couldn’t see the driver, but she had the eerie feeling that whoever was behind that wheel was staring right at her.