I mean to listen to him, but my eyes stay open as we enter the shootout scene. The truck is gone, but there are at least four bodies on the ground that aren’t moving. My heart races, and all I can hear is my blood pumping through my ears.
My mind instantly goes to the worst: Taylor, Benson, John, and Roman are dead.
Gale swerves close enough that someone’s motionless body is only a few feet away from us. He throws the car into ?Park and jumps out. He pulls another handgun from a strappedvest under his jacket.Good God, they really are prepared for anything.
I watch as Gale moves from body to body before he whips out his cell phone and calls someone.
My attention shifts back to the body closest to me. The deep red of the blood that’s soaked into the ground around the man makes me nauseous.
That’s when I notice movement to my left. I look up and spot someone moving out of the cornstalks. My lips part to shout and warn Gale, but I think twice about it since it might cause panic, so I lift the gun, aiming it at the man approaching us.
I take a deep breath and aim at the man’s legs. There’s no fucking way I can aim anywhere else on him without feeling sick to my stomach.
My eyes flick to his face for a split second, and instantly I wish I hadn’t looked. I can never forget his face—dark locks of chocolate-colored hair that make his skin look so pale. The sharp angles of his brows; the soullessness in his brown eyes. A beautiful killer.
Callum?
The blood drains from my face, and I drop the gun. What the fuck is he doing here? Why is he in Bane Falls?
I duck so he can’t see me. Even though the windows are blacked out, I won’t risk the chance of him spotting me. I crawl over the center console and slam on the horn.
Gale’s head is up in a heartbeat, and he aims his gun at Callum. I shut my eyes and brace for the gunshots, but there’s only one, and it comes from Callum’s direction.
I’m looking out the window in the next moment? and let out a strangled sound as I watch Gale fall to his knees. He’s clutching his side, and red spills from his sweatshirt.
No.My hands are shaking so badly that I can hardly hold the gun, but I can’t let Gale die like this. Callum is stalking closer to Gale as I exit the car and shout, “Drop your gun!”
Callum freezes.
I wonder if it’s from the shock of hearing my voice because he thought I was dead or because he didn’t expect someone to sneak up on him.
I refuse to believe that he never had feelings for me. I could see it in his eyes that night that he didn’t want to bury me—I only wish that it had been enough to stop him.
He stops walking toward Gale but doesn’t turn to look at me.
“You…really are alive,” Callum says slowly, voice devoid of emotion. He makes it sound like someone has told him but he didn’t believe it.
I have the gun pointed right at his back this time, finger caressing the trigger, but I can’t find the strength to pull it.
His head starts to turn my way, but I’m suddenly scooped up into someone’s arms. Gunshots tear through the air once more, and I catch the faint sight of Callum taking off back into the field as a few guys chase after him.
I look up at whoever is holding me and meet Roman’s gaze. He’s covered in dust; dried blood is all over his face and neck. His hazel eyes are bright and only spare me a moment of attention before shifting back up to the SUV. He carries me there and plops me in the back row.
“Stay.” His voice is low and demanding.
I nod absently and shrink into the seat, covering my ears with my hands in an attempt to calm my breathing. It must be at least a few minutes before Roman returns to the car.
He gets in the driver’s seat just as the back doors open. Relief floods me as Gale gets in and sits beside me. His hand is pressed to his side, but it looks like the bleeding has stopped for the most part.
Taylor, Bensen, and John are nowhere to be seen. Are they in pursuit of Callum? Or are they… My eyes lower to the bodies on the ground. My mouth dries, and I feel a little nauseous thinking about it.
“Are you okay?” I sound so small compared to the loud rumble of the car.
Roman drives us in the direction John told me the auto shop was in this morning. I notice that he’s driving with only one hand on the steering wheel while the other is still clutching his gun.
My mind can’t even begin to process what just happened. I can only focus on breathing and the very imminent threat of Callum being in Bane Falls.
Gale groans and offers me a light nod as he pulls a bottle of pills from his pocket. “Yeah. I’m okay. Thanks for helping me back there,” he rasps as he throws back three capsules. “What did you say to that guy to get him to stop?”
