Oakley.
“Angela, put down your gun, and I will put down this one.” I signal to the gun.
“Mom, do as he says,” Eva pushes, which only seems to enrage her mother.
“You worthless little brat.” She slaps Eva across the face with her free hand, setting my blood on fire.
“Don’t touch my wife,” I growl, glaring at her. “Do you want me to shoot your husband?”
Eva backs away from her mother, hatred sparking in her eyes. “You are a pathetic excuse for a mother,” she murmurs.
Angela glares at her. “You are the worst daughter I could have asked for.” She points her finger at her. “I wish you had died in place of your brother.”
Eva’s face twists in anguish. She may hate her parents, but they can still hurt her, still twist the knife in her gut. Tears form in her eyes.
“Angela, I said put the gun down,” I repeat, keeping my voice calm. “Let’s talk about this like grown adults.”
“Grown adults!” she shrieks, clearly hysterical. “You are thirty-two years old, and you just married an eighteen-year-old.” Her eyes narrow. “You’re a sick fucking pervert who needs to be stopped in his tracks.”
“Shut up, mother,” Eva snarls, stepping toward her. “Put the gun down and stop being a fucking bitch.”
“How dare you speak to me like that?” She turns and aims the gun at Eva instead of me, making me see red. “I brought you into this fucking world, so I’ll be damned if I can’t take you out of it.” Her finger hovers over the trigger, the entire gun shaking in her hand.
“Angela, don’t be so foolish,” Jamie says, genuine fear in his eyes.
I can spot a loose cannon from a mile away, and Angela has it in her to kill her daughter, I’m sure of it. Before she has a chance, I rush for her, drawing her attention back to me. “I’ll die before you shoot my wife,” I growl.
A gunshot echoes as she pulls the trigger, aiming it back at me. Pain tears through my left shoulder as I fall to the floor in agony.
Two rounds go off a moment later, but I don’t know who shot them.
“Oak,” Eva calls, rushing to my side.
I sit up. “I’m okay.” I glance to see Angela is lying in a pool of her blood, a shot right through the center of her forehead. “Who shot your mom?”
“Archer,” she says, nodding toward my best friend, who’s holding his gun.
His eyes widen when he sees us staring at him, and he rushes over to help. “Oak, I’m sorry, I just.” He shakes. “I reacted on instinct.”
My brow furrows. “What are you apologizing for?”
He glances at Angela’s dead body. “I’ve never killed someone before.”
“You have an excellent shot, though,” Eva says.
He nods. “I like to attend target practice.”
“She shot me, Arch. I would expect nothing less from you, but maybe you should apologize to Eva. It was her Mom she shot dead.”
Arch’s eyes widen. “Angela Carmichael?” he confirms, turning as white as a sheet.
“Don’t apologize to me,” Eva says. “I was ready to shoot her myself after she shot you.” She squeezes my hand. “Are you sure you are okay?” Her eyes move to the gunshot wound again, leaning over me.
“My mother is a bitch for shooting you,” Eva says, glaring at her father, who is crying over her body, but I doubt his tears are genuine.
Archer rips open my shirt and checks the wound, making me wince. “Is Elaine back from break yet?”
I shrug, wincing from the movement. “I don’t know. Call her.”
Archer digs his cell phone out of his pocket and rings her number. “Hey, Elaine. Are you back at the academy, by any chance?” He nods. “Perfect, well, Oak has had a bit of an accident. Can you meet us at his cottage?” There’s a few moments of silence on his end. “Excellent, see you in a moment.”
He meets my gaze. “She’s on her way. Five minutes.”
I grunt and move to glance at Eva’s dad. “Get security to remove him from the premises.”
Jamie jumps to his feet, fisting his hands by his side. “Have some respect. Your monkey just murdered my wife.”
Archer growls and squares up to him. “Who are you calling a monkey?”
“Dad, just leave,” Eva says, glaring at him. “Take mom’s body but just go.”
He looks into her eyes, and I can see a hint of regret in them as he looks at her. “Fine, know that I wanted none of this, Eva. I wanted you to be successful, married to a man that could run our empire.”
“That’s not what I wanted. That’s all that matters since it’s my life.”
He sighs and pulls out his cell phone, no doubt ringing someone in the car to come and help him move my mother’s body from Oak’s living room floor. One of his guys appears a moment later, eyes wide as he takes in the chaotic scene in front of him.
“Help me move her,” Jamie orders.
He does as he says, getting her legs as Jamie gets her arms and then ungracefully carries her out of the cottage toward the car.
Nurse Jasper appears a few moments later, a little out of breath. “Oh dear, what happened here?”
“Oak’s been shot in the shoulder,” Archer says, shaking his head. “I don’t think it’s too serious.”
Archer and Eva get out of her way so she can check my wound. Elaine pokes at it, moving my arm around painfully.
“Oak will be fine,” Nurse Jasper announces. “We will get him to the infirmary for some stitches, but the bullet exited, so he will just need some aspirin and a sling to rest it.” She gives him a pointed look. “You are very lucky, though.” Her brow furrows. “What are you doing here, Eva?”
I clear my throat. “Eva and I were married this afternoon.”
Elaine’s eyes widen, and she scoffs. “Excuse me?”
“Yes, we got married,” Eva reiterates. “That’s not important right now.” She walks over and helps me to my feet, supporting me. “We need to get my husband patched up.” She gives Elaine a pointed look, and she nods frantically.
“Of course, follow me.”
I clutch onto Eva for support, and Archer offers me his arm, too, as we make our way to the main school building.
This isn’t how I pictured our wedding day ending, but all I can say is that I’m thankful that we’re both alive and Jamie has conceded. The fact he left with his wife’s body suggests he has no intention of fighting this.
Eva is finally free, and I can protect her from the world she wants no part in.