Dorian’s voice. Not the voice that whispered my name at the lake house, but a cold, ruthless, and utterly terrifying voice.He came for me. That thought alone slices through the alcohol fog.
Leah’s arm clamps around my chest, the glass biting sharp into my skin. She’s shaking. I can actually feel her losing her control under the weight of his icy calm.
Then, the world shatters.
"POLICE! HANDS UP! DROP THE WEAPON! DROP IT NOW!"
Floodlights blaze through the open warehouse doors, blinding all of us. I see three, no, four figures in dark uniforms, weapons raised.
"DROP THE WEAPON!"
"HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!"
The cops are yelling at everyone—Leah, Dorian, David. The beams from their flashlights cut through the haze, darting all over, and I can barely tell what’s happening.
Leah’s scream rips through the chaos, pure frustration. She tightens her grip on me, but she keeps glancing at the cops, torn in two. The glass wavers, just a millimeter.
And my mind goes clear.
The memory of Andy flashes behind my eyes. Pinned down. Helpless. Waiting for someone to save me.
A new thought, hot and clean, cuts through the vodka and the fear.
Not again. I will not be that girl again.
This is my fight.
I gather up every bit of anger and panic and drive my heel straight down onto her foot. Hard.
Something snaps under me—bone, probably.
She lets out this awful scream and her grip loosens as her whole body jerks away.
That’s my shot.
I slam my head back into her jaw, and in the same breath, twist and sink my teeth into her hand—the one holding the broken glass. I bite down with all the force in my body, tasting blood and vodka.
She shrieks again, raw pain this time, and her fingers spring open. The bottle hits the concrete and skitters away.
But Leah isn't done. She's a cornered animal.
“Die, you bitch. Die!” Screaming in pure, wordless rage, she lunges at me again, her hands shaped like claws, her eyes promising murder.
This is the only movement the police need to see.
"FREEZE!" a cop roars.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The sound of gunshots is deafening, echoing in the vast metal space. The world goes silent, my ears ringing and all I see is Dorian falling as he roars my name.
Oh God, he's hit. He's falling.
The thought shatters my mind. My legs buckle, and I'm falling, shoving myself backward, away from the chaos, my throat raw from a scream that makes no sound.
A blur of motion.
"DELLA!"
