I found him.
Well, more like the mound of white and gray on the ground by the stairs to the deck.
Why hadn’t herun?How the hell had they taken him down? Had they shot him too?
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw feet. One pair of black boots after another surrounded me, coming so close I thought for sure I was going to get stepped on if I could care about anything other than The Defender.
They couldn’t take him.
No,no, no. “Run,” I tried to say, even though I didn’t actually hear my words because my ears were ringing. “Don’t let them take you,” my lips moved.
Something wet slipped down my cheek as more boots came forward. My back hurt so bad. All I could do was watch the figure on the ground get surrounded by those men wearing black too.
Tears poured down my cheeks, and I whimpered, at least it felt like I did it and—
My ears throbbed harder, and I slapped a palm over the one aching the worst, but I couldn’t think.
I couldn’t even see The Defender anymore, but I hoped more than anything he had managed to get away. He could, I knew he could. Lifting my gaze, I realized I was in the middle of what had to be… twenty… thirty men dressed in paramilitary-type outfits, holding guns all aimed at me.
I had to… I had to do… something….
I couldn’t let them hurt him. How had they found me? I’d been so careful.
I struggled up to my least painful hand and balanced on my other forearm, trying to sit up. “He has nothing to do with this,” I tried to say. “Leave him alone.” I tasted even more blood. Why did my teeth hurt? “Let him go. I won’t fight you. Please. I’ll go with you.”
I would. I’d go with them. Promise.
Everything hurt, everything hurt.
But I had to… I had to…
The sound of a gunshot cracked across the air at the same time something hit my back so hard, I screamed.
Had they shot me? Was I about to fuckingdie?
Sheer fear wrapped me up entirely at not knowing what was going on.
At failing him.
Failing myself.
My grandparents.
I felt the absolute terror of thinking this was going to be the end. After everything. Here. In the driveway, alone.
I had missed out on so much… and maybe that thought hurt more than the physical pain.
All I’d ever wanted was to be myself. To have a choice. To be valued. And now?
Then there was another crack, and I had to close my eyes.
CHAPTEREIGHT
It wasthe pounding in my head that woke me up.
Or maybe the fact that the pain coming from my back was almost unbearable.
The terrible taste in my mouthmighthave also been a factor.
