Motherfucker—
The iron tang of blood touches my tongue. I brace my hands on the ground, hearing him get up behind me. My leg thrusts out to kick him. It sends him flying into the hallway wall, grunt echoing in the place.
I look up to find Bonnie staring wide-eyed at me with the gun in her hand.
“Run,” I tell her. “Run, Bonnie.”
“No, I’m not leaving you,” she argues. “You think I took all of those lessons for giggles—”
“No, Bonnie—”
“Gemma!”
Something hard strikes the back of my head. My knees hit the floor. I can’t see. Stars and lights blind my eyes. I glimpse Bonnie’s pink-streaked hair flying by me. There’s a noise, the sound of her scream, her yell, her cursing. Rad shouts.
I have to get to her. I have to get to Bonnie.
Reality slowly unravels as I force my feet flat on the ground. I pivot, and as I grab onto the table to steady myself, Bonnie falls into my arms.
Blood.
There’s blood on her mouth, her nose.
He hurt…
He hurt heragain…
And something within me snaps.
“Run,” I whisper. “Run.”
I practically toss her toward the door, attention entirely on the bastard who just won’t fucking stop. God, I wish I wasn’t so wobbly. What thehelldid he hit me with?!
My eyes fix on him. I swing, lunging in his direction. Everything is a blur around me. I can feel his face, his stomach, his ribs—all coming into contact with my fist. My headthrobs. Shit, if he hadn’t got that cheap shot off, this would be over. He’d be on the ground dead. She would be safe.
Instead, I’m struggling.
Arms wrap around my waist. Blood flies from my mouth. I’m suddenly off the floor. Bonnie’s shrill scream curdles my blood. I see her move, watch her run at him, but he kicks her away.
And suddenly, I’m thrown into the windows.
“Gemma!”
My entire body collides with the wall. The blinds skew and rip. I roll downward, body hitting the table and then the floor. I fall flat on my face, and as darkness tries to overtake me, I glimpse Bonnie on Rad’s back, trying to strangle him. I flop the second I get my hand under me, unable to pull myself up.
Bonnie…
I have to get to her.
The floor vibrates with the noise of her crashing to the ground. Another voice joins the commotion. Her scream seizes my insides. One last breath leaves me. Darkness swarms.
“Bonnie…”
And somewhere in the distance, the piercing blow of a gun sounds off.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
BONNIE
