A Vow Of Hate by Lylah James

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

 

Killian

 

I saw the flash of platinum blonde hair as Julianna stumbled in front of me. It happened too quickly for me to make sense of it. There was a gunshot and my whole body flinched. I expected pain, but it was only cold dread filling my chest.

A mean fist gripped my heart as Julianna crumpled to the ground, listlessly.

No. My heart stammered.

With a roar, I turned on Simon, aiming for his head. I didn’t think twice before I pulled the trigger.

One single shot. Right between his fucking brows.

Simon’s lips parted with a quiet gasp and he stumbled back before his body fell backward. My attention flew back to Julianna and I fell to my knees, beside her limp body.

Terror seized me. My stomach twisted painfully at the sight of blood soaking through the top of her dress. I couldn’t tell exactly where she got shot because there was just so much blood.

“Jules,” I said, my voice cracking. It felt like every part of me was breaking.

No. This couldn’t be happening.

I tried to tell myself that she might be fine, that she would survive this… maybe the wound was superficial. But my mind wasn’t working right. I couldn’t think because all I could focus on was how much she was bleeding. There was too much blood, it had to be a fatal wound.

A small guttural cry escaped my throat. In the end, I couldn’t protect her. I failed her. My Julianna. My wife. I had been careless and she paid the price.

But why… why the fuck did she get in the middle of Simon and me? Why did she jump in front of me…?

Julianna took the bullet that was meant for me.

The realization of that crushed my soul and my heart bled.

Raw sounds of anguish tore through me as I gathered Julianna in my arms and pulled her close to my chest. Her breathing was too shallow, almost like she was taking her last breath. “Julianna? Open your eyes, Princess.”

My hands shook, cold blood flowing through my veins. I wouldn’t survive this. I lost her once, I couldn’t lose her again. Not when we just found each other after so much suffering.

Julianna wanted to re-write our story. She wanted a happy ending, and just this morning, I was thinking of how to make her dreams come true. How to give her our own version of happily ever after.

I didn’t want to live if she died. I couldn’t bear the loss of her again.

I can’t…

“Why?” My voice quivered. “Why, Julianna? Please, wake up. Open your eyes, show me those gorgeous grey eyes of yours, Princess.”

Somewhere in the house, there were more gunshots and I brought Julianna closer to me, her blood soaking through my own shirt. My mind wasn’t processing the situation the way it should be.

I heard voices. Familiar voices.

My vision was blurred and I couldn’t seem to focus on anything other than my wife in my arms, her body cold and limp. I wanted to prolong this moment with Julianna, if it was to be our final one.

Someone called out loudly and more voices joined in. I didn’t realize they were speaking to me until someone nudged my shoulders, shaking me.

My eyes darted to Samuel, not really seeing him. He watched me grimly. My chest filled with a stark desolation that made it hard for me to breathe.

Samuel reached for Julianna and that was when I went absolutely ballistic. I lost my mind, fighting him while I clutched my wife to my chest.

I wasn’t going to let him take her away from me. I couldn’t.

“We have to get her to the hospital, ASAP,” he said, almost frantic.

My brain stuttered. “W-what?”

He made an impatient sound in the back of his throat. “She’s bleeding a lot, but her chance of survival depends on how fast we can get her help.”

My mind was slow at trying to make sense of his words. It felt like there was a hand digging into my chest, a heavy fist closing around my heart. Squeezing.

Samuel was talking about bringing her to the hospital. He said survival, which meant…

They weren’t taking her away from me because she was dead. He was trying to help her. Help me.

Samuel took Julianna from me, gathering her in his arms, and he stood up. He was already stalking away before I could fully process his words. My heart hammered in my chest like a wild thing. Julianna was alive and fighting for her life.

I clung, almost desperately, to the sliver of hope that seemed to burrow itself into the marrow of my being. I got to my feet, staggering after Samuel.

I barely focused on the bodies lying around the house or the others outside in the front yard. Swallowing the acidic bile in my mouth, I got in the car and Samuel relinquished his hold on Julianna. He placed her on my lap and my wife was my sole focus.

I watched her chest, slowly moving up and down, as she breathed faintly. Her face was too pale, her scars looking more pronounced against her clammy skin. The drive to the nearest hospital lasted an eternity. But I made sure to put pressure on her wound, trying to stop it from bleeding.

Once we reached the hospital, I carried her inside. Everything happened quickly then.

The nurses loaded her onto a stretcher and I watched, helplessly, as they took my wife away from me. I felt almost disconnected from reality. Maybe it was from the shock… I didn’t know. I just couldn’t seem to think straight.

But I knew one thing for sure.

I didn’t want a life where there was no Julianna.

Julianna

I jerked awake, almost like I had been dragged from a nightmare. But I couldn’t… remember what my nightmare was about. My brain was fuzzy and eerily quiet.

My eyes darted around the strange room and I realized that I was in a hospital.

Why…?

When my gaze finally landed on Killian’s grief-stricken face, the memories came flooding back to me.

The kidnapping.

The truth about my father…

And Simon’s gun pointed at Killian.

My chest burned fiercely and I winced. “Killian…?” I whimpered. My tongue felt swollen and sore in my throat. It actually hurt.

His eyes were bloodshot, agony written all over his weary face. His hand gripped mine tighter and his chest rattled with a sharp inhale – as if he could finally breathe.

He blinked once then twice, before swallowing hard. “You scared me, Princess,” he said, his raspy voice cracking. “You scared the life out of me. Don’t do that… ever again. Please.”

“You protect me,” I croaked. “I protect you. That’s how a relationship works, right?”

Killian’s jaw locked and he shook his head sharply. “No, Julianna. You can’t. I fucking died a thousand deaths watching you lay so helplessly in this bed for the last five days, not knowing if you were going to make it or not.”

“I’m alive,” I breathed, trying to pacify my husband.

“Barely,” he gritted out. “While the bullet missed your heart, it punctured a lung. You barely survived that wound, Princess.” Killian squeezed his eyes shut, before scrubbing a hand over his face. “I almost lost you. Again.”

I laced my fingers through his, firmly squeezing his hand. “I’m sorry I made you go through that. But I’m not sorry for taking that bullet. My chest hurts, but I’m fine.”

Even as I said the words, my other hand cupped my still-flat stomach. For a moment, panic and horror washed through me. Tears welled up in my eyes. My baby.

Oh God.

Killian’s hand slid over mine. My chin trembled as I choked back a cry. But it was the look of tenderness on my husband’s face that kept me from panicking even more.

“You were showing early signs of a miscarriage after your surgery, but our baby is fine now. Nestled safely inside your womb,” Killian confirmed.

He said our baby.

I could see the look of pure relief on his face as he spoke those words, as if he hadn’t only been worrying about me – but he also feared losing our baby.

“You knew?”

He nodded. “I found the pregnancy test on the bathroom counter.”

“I never even got a chance to look at it before Simon…” I snapped my jaw shut and swallowed down a cry. “What happened to Simon?”

“He’s dead,” Killian deadpanned.

I nodded, figuring as much, without him having to tell me. But I wanted to hear the words. My heart pained for Simon; he was just another casualty in Bishop Romano’s scheme.

“Killian, there’s something I need to tell you about my father.”

His eyes darkened and he worked his jaw back and forth, grounding his teeth together. But he, otherwise, stayed quiet as I began to tell him what Bishop revealed to me.

I didn’t spare any details. I told my husband everything, including Bishop’s illegal business. “Now that I know his truth, he won’t let me live. I will always be in danger unless–”

A dangerous sound rumbled through Killian’s chest. “He will never harm you again.”

“But–”

“The world knows his truth now,” Killian said.

I blinked, confused. “What do you mean?”

His hand squeezed mine. “Though you didn’t get a chance to tell me the truth before, you did say that your father wanted you dead. I was able to investigate further, to dig deeper into Bishop’s life. I found the truth two days ago.”

“You were able to find evidence about his illegal businesses?” I gasped. “How?”

His lips twitched. “You seem to forget that my father used to be the President of the United States. The Spencer family has a lot of connections, Princess,” Killian said. “My father was able to pull a few strings and we enlisted all the help at our disposal to get Bishop’s truth out in front of the world.”

“What does that mean for Bishop? Has he been arrested?” I asked, scared to be hopeful.

“An arrest warrant has been issued for Bishop Romano,” Killian confirmed, his voice growing rough. “But he went into hiding. He’s one of the most wanted fugitives in America right now. The FBI is on him and it doesn’t matter where he hides, the whole country is looking for him.”

I nodded slowly, trying to process all of what he just told me.

Though my wound burned fiercely, my chest ached for a whole other reason. I thought of the cruel death that my mother and sister suffered… only because Bishop’s ego had been bruised. My mother might have cheated, but the penalty of that should have never been death.

I licked my dry lips, focusing on Killian again. “If Bishop isn’t my father…then who is?” I questioned hoarsely. “He said that my mother had an affair with her bodyguard, but where will I find him? I don’t know if he is even alive. Knowing Bishop now for who he truly is, he would have already hunted my real father down.”

Killian leaned forward, brushing his lips over my furrowed brow. He kissed my forehead with such tenderness that it brought tears to my eyes. “He was closer than you would think. Always has been,” he muttered. “Your father is here, waiting for you to wake up.”

“What?” I breathed shakily. “You found my father?”

“Well, not exactly. He found you, Princess.”

“You’re not making any sense,” I whispered, my heart pounding and blood rushing between my ears.

Instead of responding, Killian quickly sent out a text.

A moment later, the door to my hospital room opened. A man walked in, dressed in a suit. Tall, strong hands and a familiar face, eyes that I recognized and a smile I knew so well.

“Gideon?” I gulped and practically choked out his name.

“Hello, Julianna,” he said, taking a step closer. His voice was calm and smooth, but thick with emotion.

My eyes darted to Killian, looking at him for confirmation, and he gave me a single nod. My stomach twisted, fluttering with disbelief. “How?” I questioned softly.

Gideon took a seat next to my hospital bed, his fists clenched atop his knees. Almost like he was trying to stop himself from reaching out to me.

His kind eyes roved my face. “I had been in hiding ever since Bishop…” he swallowed, wincing. “Ever since he killed Eliza.”

My breath hitched, a lonely tear sliding down my cheek.

“Bishop never loved your mother. It was obsession and that only lasted for the first year of their marriage,” Gideon lamented. “Eliza was merely a trophy wife. She felt suffocated and I saw how much she hated Bishop. We grew closer and it just happened. You don’t choose who you love…”

He broke off, his expression growing bleak.

I figured as much – that while my mother might have had an affair, there had to be some kind of reason behind it. I knew it wasn’t a love marriage and though, I wasn’t condoning cheating… I didn’t blame my mother for wanting to have love, to find peace in another man’s embrace.

Especially now that I knew the type of man Bishop Romano was, I could only imagine how he was as a husband.

Shaking his head, Gideon ran a hand over his face, his body shaking. With anger and deep sorrow. “When I found out that you were supposed to marry Killian, I got a job as the stableman on Isle Rosa-Maria, with the hope of finally seeing you again. I just wanted to see my daughter, in person, instead of photos I saw online and from the media.”

“You never said anything to me,” I whispered.

A wave of pain crossed his face before he gave me a bittersweet smile. “I couldn’t. It would have been too dangerous and I had to thread carefully. In order to keep you safe. Anyway, I don’t think you would have believed me then, without proof, and sadly, I didn’t have any.”

I reached out for him and Gideon quickly grasped my hand in his, squeezing as if his life depended on it. His chest rattled with a relieved sigh.

I swallowed past the ball of heavy emotion in my throat and blinked the tears away. “Can you tell me a little bit more about my mother?”

Gideon smiled, real and kind. The type of fatherly smile I had craved for the longest time.

“Of course,” my father said.