My eyes dart around, looking for a way to beat him. The only thing will be to turn around and try to jump him when he doesn’t expect it. More than risky, since he’s clearly going to be on hisguard for the next ten seconds. And after that, it will be too late.
But I don’t have a choice. If I die like a fucking coward with a gun to the back of my head, Seraphina doesn’t stand a chance. If I turn around, he’ll kill me too. But the element of surprise might just cause him to aim wrong, not at my head but at my chest, for instance, giving me a moment, just before I die, to grab the gun from him and shoot him.
That way, at least, my girl will be safe.
There’s no other way out of this. It’s a long shot, but it’s the only shot I have.
“Ten… nine… eight… come on,pet, don’t be shy!”
“Stay where you are!” I call, deciding that there’s no point anymore to pretend she isn’t here. Clearly, he sees right through my bullshit.
“Seven… six… five… up to you, pet! Either way, you’re dead! But you might just save your boyfriend… four… three… two…”
“I’m here!” cries a thin, trembling voice.
Fuck.
Seraphina emerges from her hiding place and walks slowly toward us. She keeps her eyes down, hardly daring to meet my glowering stare.
She disobeyed me. What the fuck?
Even though I know how she must feel to see the gun at the back of my head, somehow, I thought she would listen to me. I guess today’s the day I get everything wrong.
She stops in front of Noel, her chin jutting out, glaring at him fiercely.
Sometimes I forget how brave she is.
“Stop pointing that gun at him,” she lashes out harshly. “You promised.”
“I did, didn’t I?” sniggers Noel. “And you believed me?”
But he does lift his gun—just for a second. A second that might have given me a chance—but somehow, I’m just failingmiserably at everything today. The second passes before I’ve even moved, and then the gun comes barreling down on the back of my head, knocking me out cold.
The last thing I hear is her scream.
__
I don’t know how long I’m out, but it’s clearly not too long. Even though, by all rights, I should have stayed unconscious for a much longer time, given the blow I just got, I guess my body is on high alert. I jump up and see that Noel’s car is still there, and he’s forcing Seraphina into the backseat.
She’s not dead yet. I still have a shot.
I nearly fall in my haste to reach them, grabbing my gun from my back pocket as I make my way outside.
“Stop!” I shout. “Stop right now!”
He whirls around, his gun planted on her head.
Fuck.
“Stay back, or she’s dead,” he warns.
I pause, my gun still cocked at him. “I suppose she’ll die anyway,” I say slowly, trying and failing to keep from slurring my words. I’m still in a state of fogginess from the blow to my head.
I can tell he notices. His lips quirk into a slight smile.
“Well, yes, but not yet. I have plans for her.” His one hand holds the gun steadily pointed at her head as the other one inches toward her breast before cupping it. He leers at me.
Meanwhile, she closes her eyes, as if willing her mind to drift off toward some place where this assault doesn’t affect her.
