His eye twitches, and the moment he takes a step, his head snaps violently to the side. Something bursts from his temple, too fast for me to process.
And then he’s falling. Tumbling into the lake. The splash is swallowed by utter silence.
I swear I can hear my heart pounding outside my body.
Keo’s hand finds my cheek, dragging gently before lifting my face back to his.
“A-Are you okay?” he asks, frantic.
Does he not care he almost got shot?
“Ayden, please, say something.”
“I…”
Suddenly, I hear a dual set of footsteps. Keoni wraps his arms around me possessively and pivots, angling so he can see whoever is coming toward us.
Please let them be friendly…
“What the…” he mutters.
He slowly releases me, and I turn my head to see… What the hell? Levi? Evelyn?
And not only are they here, but Levi has a goddamn sniper rifle slung over his shoulder. Just who are these two?
“Fucking messy…” Evelyn mutters, almost too low for me to hear.
I’m not surprised Levi’s grinning. “No comment on the shot? Please, wife, I do like a little praise.” He’s… so nonchalant about taking a life. A shitty life, sure, but still…someone’slife.
She just grunts. It’s now I catch the absolute rage in her eyes as she glares in our direction. “Get him inside, Keoni. We’ll clean up this mess. If you called anyone, tell them you’re fine.”
My mouth opens, ready to protest. But before I can, I’m lifted off the ground.
Keo cradles me in his arms and rushes us toward the cabin. Levi’s voice begins to fade behind us on the patio: “That was strike two…”
Evelyn sighs. “Yeah… Do you think it was worth it?”
“Yes,” Levi replies without hesitation. “I think they are.”
“I agree with you—for once.”
55
Keoni bursts through the front door, and the moment my body feels the warmer room, I nearly go into shock.
It’s as if I’m thawing out all at once, every part of me screaming into overdrive. My heart pounds in my ears, my breathing refuses to steady, and random twitches ripple through my muscles, making Keo hold me tighter with every step.
He drops to his knees in front of the fire and sets me gently on the floor. My ankles feel tethered to something—I’m not sure what—but I’m grateful when he reaches down to free me. Flames flicker beside us, and I see him toss a coil of rope over the logs, steam rising from its damp surface.
“Where’s your phone?” he asks.
“Coffee table,” I stammer.
Without standing, he crawls across the floor, snatches it in seconds, and is back by my side. A few swipes later, the phone rests on the floor beside my head.
It begins to ring just as Keo drapes a piece of fabric over me,and I exhale in relief.
“Hello?! Ayden?” Britt’s voice is frantic, echoing the panic I’ve felt all night.
