SCRAMBLING OUT OF my seatbelt, I track Damon’s movements as he moves away from the ditch and up towards the highway. He has a look of determination on his face, like he’s so confident this is his fight to win…but I’m scared.
I’m scared for his life. For my life. For what’s going to happen to him, to us.
Coughing from the smoke and dust particles in the air, I wince in pain. My chest feels sore and bruised from the seatbelt pressing up against me during the crash. But that’s the least of my worries at this moment. I need to make sure Damon is all right.
As I open the door, a few gunshots ring out, and then there is silence. Tears fill my eyes, my vision blurring as I wonder who made it out alive. I search the car for a weapon, but I come up empty. I know Damon took his gun, so he’s my only protection from the Farrell gang…if he’s even still alive.
No, I tell myself, shaking my head. I can’t think like that. Not yet. Damon is still alive.
Getting out of the car, I have to climb out of the ditch. When I emerge from the dirt heap, I see a pair of shoes. When I look up, I see the devil himself standing there – Brody Farrell.
“Hello, Victoria. I’ve missed you,” he says with an evil sneer.
I scream as he snatches my hair with his hand and hauls me up to face him. “It seems your knight in shinin’ armor has killed all my men. So, it’s lucky that I have you for collateral.”
He turns me around and hauls my back up against his chest before pressing his gun to my temple.
Seconds later, Damon appears at the top of the hill before his eyes lock onto mine. I can’t help the jubilation running through me at seeing him. “Damon!” I cry out, which earns me a smack to the side of my head with the butt of his gun.
Anger flashes over Damon’s face as he makes his way towards us. When he’s standing several feet away, he yells, “Let her go!”
Brody scoffs at his request. “You killed my men. She is my insurance policy that I make it out of this alive.”
“You won’t make it out of this alive either way. I just won’t take my time killing you and letting you suffer if you let her go now.”
“Hmm, decisions, decisions,” Brody mocks. “I’m taking this little lass with me. We’re gonna get in my car and drive away. And if ya try to stop me, I’ll paint the grass with her pretty brains.”
My entire body trembles as Brody begins forcing me towards the highway. Damon stands back, watching us, and for a moment I think he’s going to let Brody take me. But then I see the determined look in his eyes as he mouths to me,Remember your training.
Remember my training? Sure, Damon and I have run through this scenario plenty of times. But that was with a fake gun and with a man I knew for certain wasn’t going to harm me. This is a completely different scenario. This isreal.
But I know if I have any chance of saving myself, I need to fight back.
Dropping my body weight, I wrestle out of Brody’s hold, catching him off-guard. A shot rings out as I turn quickly and bring the heel of my hand up to his face straight into his nose. The blow is effective and has him crying out in pain.
Everything happens so fast after that. Damon moves between us, wrestles Brody for the gun. I hear a bone snap as the gun from Brody’s hand falls to the ground with a soft thud. And then another shot rings out before Brody’s lifeless body slumps against Damon.
I stare into Brody’s dead eyes as Damon finally releases him to fall to the ground in a heap.
Panting, Damon puts his gun away and turns to me, checking me all over. “I’m fine,” I reassure him. Noticing the sweat beading on his brow and the disoriented look in his green eyes, I realize that Damon isn’t fine, however. “Are you hurt?” I ask him as he stumbles before righting himself again.
Peeling back his black leather jacket, a red stain is blossoming on the bottom right of his white tee. “Fucker shot me,” he grits out before collapsing to his knees.
“We have to get you out of here,” I tell him before helping him stand once more. With most of his weight on me, I help him up the small hill to where the SUV is still parked on the berm of the highway.
Damon climbs into the passenger’s seat as I shut the rear doors before climbing into the driver’s seat. The keys are still in the ignition, so I crank the engine. “Keep pressure on it,” I tell him as I put the vehicle in drive and speed down the highway.
Minutes later, Damon slips into an unconscious state, slumping down in the passenger seat as I drive to the nearest hospital using the GPS system installed in the SUV.
“Damon? Damon!” I call out, crying. When he doesn’t answer me, my heart drops.
The tires on the SUV screech as I pull erratically in front of the emergency room and slam it into park. Scrambling out of the vehicle, I run inside the hospital and scream for help. It doesn’t take long before two nurses are helping me get Damon onto a gurney.
And as I watch them wheel the love of my life back to the OR, all I can think of is that I can’t lose him. I refuse to lose him.
Not again.
Not now.
