Haven Bound

48. Chelsea

48

Chelsea

A massive weight was lifted from my shoulders the second that Austin stepped into the room, Zack and Hailey not far behind him. Seeing my best friend aim a gun at my ex-boyfriend was a little startling, and yet I feel like after twelve years of friendship, I’m finally being introduced to who she truly is. I’m finally being introduced to the real Anders family, and I’ve never been more grateful to be part of their inner circle.

“Put down your weapon,” Zack snaps. The deep timbre of his voice would frighten me if I didn’t know that it was being directed at someone else. He looks very much like a police officer right now, his entire body honed in on Jason.

“Damn, sweetheart. I didn’t realize you had your own little entourage of security,” Jason quips. His fingers widen as his grip on his gun loosens, and he begins to slowly lower the weapon. His eyes flick between the three people who are watching his every move.

“Get Chelsea out of here,” Austin snaps, his words directed at Hailey. She’s at my side and cutting the plastic ties from my wrists before I have a chance to respond. Zack and Austin move in sync across the room, each of them taking slow, measured steps toward Jason.

“Aus—” I start to say, desperately wanting to stay with him .

“Go, baby. I need to know that you’re safe before I end this fucker’s life.” His tone softens towards me, but his eyes remain hard and trained on Jason. Hailey steps around to help me stand from the couch, the adrenaline coursing through my body making my legs unsteady beneath me.

The sinister gleam in Jason’s eyes doesn’t fade when Zack moves swiftly, taking the gun from his hand. It doesn’t fade when Austin presses the Glock’s muzzle to his forehead, and it doesn’t fade when Zack steps behind him, securing his wrists behind his back in a pair of metal handcuffs.

I know that Austin won’t allow Jason to live to see another day. I know that witnessing Jason’s life come to an end is something that will likely stay with me forever. Still, I can’t bring myself to tear my eyes away from him. I can’t seem to make my feet move.

“Chels, c’mon. We don’t need to be here for this,” Hailey says from beside me, her hand grasping mine as she tries to tug me away. But she’s wrong. I do need to be here for this. I need to see this man who has haunted me for far too long be brought to his end. I promised myself I would prove that I could handle this part of Austin’s life.

“I’m not leaving,” I say firmly, pulling my hand away from hers and crossing my arms over my chest. Austin’s head dips slightly, a heavy breath expelling from his lungs. He waits for Zack to step around Jason, the muzzle of his gun firmly pressing between Jason’s eyes before Austin steps away.

He rests his hands on either side of my face, leaning down to rest his forehead against mine. Inhaling deeply, Austin breathes me in before he takes a small step back, his deep blue eyes meeting mine. “You’re sure? I won’t make you leave if you don’t want to. But, Chelsea, I can’t let him live. He doesn’t deserve the comfort of prison.”

“I understand that, but I’m not leaving.”

He heaves a sigh and shakes his head, warring with his own emotions. He’s trying to protect me from witnessing this side of him, but it’s not something that I need protection from.

“I love you,” I tell him, his eyes lifting to meet mine as the words leave my lips. “I love every part of you, Austin. Even the parts that you think are too dark. Let me join you in the shadows. Just this once.”

He nods and presses a soft kiss to my lips, his nose rubbing gently against mine. “I love you, too. I always have.” He spins around and crosses the room once more to Jason. Zack steps away to stand beside Hailey and I, their bodies placed slightly in front of me to act as a barrier. Jason’s eyes have completely clouded over in a lifeless haze, all emotion completely drained away. Strands of blond hair hang down over one eye as he leans into the gun currently being pressed to his forehead, taunting Austin.

I’ve never considered what it would be like to watch someone die. I’ve never put much thought into the way their body would jerk from the impact of a bullet flying through their skull or the way their blood would splatter from the force. Austin’s arm is still held outright, his finger resting on the trigger, as Jason’s lifeless body drops to the floor. An eerie silence fills the room once the loud bang of the gun has dissipated, our combined breaths the only sound.

Austin turns away from the body and disappears down the small hallway, my eyes tracking him as he walks away. The sound of water running reaches me a moment later .

“He’s just washing away any traces of blood from his skin so that you don’t have to see it,” Zack says, answering a question I didn’t even voice. He moves to grab a throw blanket off of the back of one of the worn-down beige couches and uses it to cover Jason’s lifeless form. Austin’s back was facing me when he fired the gun, and I hadn’t even thought about the possibility of Jason’s blood being sprayed across his body.

Hailey steps in front of me, her hands resting on my shoulders. “Are you okay?” Her blue eyes search mine, so similar and yet so different from her brother's.

Why is she asking if I’m okay?

It takes me a moment to realize that I haven’t moved or spoken. I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from the covered body on the floor or the dark red splatter decorating the window. Goosebumps have erupted along my skin, my breaths coming in rapid heaving gasps, my mind spinning while my head feels like it’s buried among the clouds. Their voices are starting to sound muffled. Like I’m drowning in the waves while they’re all safe on shore.

“Chelsea?” Hailey.

“I’ve got her.” Austin.

His hands rest on either side of my face just like before, his ocean blue eyes searching mine. His gaze trails over my body, examining me as though he’s looking for some kind of wound that I don’t have. “Sunflower, you’re okay. We’re okay. I’ve got you. He’s never going to hurt you ever again. Nobody will ever fucking hurt you again.”

My eyes sink closed as I fight to even out my breaths. I can feel Austin’s arms wrapping around my body, my chest pressed against his, and his lips against my temple. I can hear his heart thumping in his chest, the sound of footsteps moving around the cabin, and the sound of a liquid being poured. I can smell kerosene, Austin’s citrus and sandalwood cologne, and a hint of decay from the old cabin.

Pressing my face into his chest, my arms circle around Austin’s waist as I inhale deeply, focusing only on the comforting smell of his cologne. Of him. The erratic beating of my heart starts to calm, my labored breaths coming easier as their voices suddenly become clearer.

“Ready when you are. As soon as we’re out, we’ll burn this place to the ground. Our contact at the Sutton Ridge Fire Department is on standby, ready to head this way and make sure the fire doesn’t spread. The local PD is all set to write this one off as another accidental house fire.” Zack sounds like he’s checking items off of a list. Like he’s completely unaffected by all of this. Which I guess he would be. Even before joining the Phoenix Legion, he saw stuff like this every day.

“Sunflower,” Austin says softly, his hand wrapping around the base of my neck and tangling in my hair.

“I’m okay,” I tell him, leaning back so that my eyes can meet his. A hesitant smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

“Let’s get out of here.” He takes my hand in his, leading me out of the cabin. Hailey follows us out first with Zack behind her, leaving a trail of kerosene as they step outside. Zack reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pack of matches, lighting one after another and tossing them into the flammable liquid.

We all stand and watch as the cabin burns, black smoke billowing out and up into the sky. The sound of sirens reaches us as we climb into the blacked-out SUV, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I can finally breathe.