Toby’s eyes grow glassy, and I swallow hard just as movement from behind him snags my attention for a split second. That second is all I need for my whole body to tense, tightening like it never has before when I spy Baxter walking as silent as the dead, sneaking closer to Toby.
My pulse starts hammering violently, and I tear my eyes away from him so I don’t give him away. Instead, I take another careful step toward Toby, distracting him. I’ll keep him talking. Softening my voice, I ask, “You brought a gun to propose to me?”
His eyes turn glassy, and he gives me an apologetic smile that seems watery around the edges. He doesn’t acknowledge the question, instead uttering, “I’ve changed, Madison. I swear I’ve changed. I’ll do better. Just… give me a second chance. Please.”
Slowly, I shake my head, holding my hands out to him. The box is still clutched against my right palm, but I ignore it, carefully saying, “I’m willing to talk to you, Toby. That’s all this was supposed to be. I’m hearing you out.”
Toby frowns. “It wasn’t supposed to go like this.”
I nod. “Then how about you lower the gun, huh? You’re putting a lot of people on edge right now, and I know you don’t want to hurt someone. Think about your mother, Toby. What will she do if you do something stupid, hm?”
The look that crosses his eyes is a mixture of fear, anger, and something volatile that scares me. He shakes his head once before he says, “I can’t.”
“Why not?” I push, careful to keep my tone neutral.
A load of good that does, because Toby suddenly stabs his gun toward me and yells, “Because they’ll take you away from me! I’m not fucking stupid, Madison. I know this thing is the only thing keeping you here with me.”
My heart is pounding so hard I can barely hear myself think, my ears still ringing loud enough that they do their best to drown everything around me out. My eyes dart to where I saw Baxter last, and I find him closer now. He takes another step, and another.
And then I hear the horrifying sound of Bax’s boot gently scuffing the road, and I damn near have fucking heart failure.
“Toby,” I mutter quickly, drawing Toby’s attention back to me just as it was almost diverted. Trying to soften my voice to avoid revealing my panic, I tell him, “You need help.”
Something in his face cracks like a broken porcelain bowl, and his words strike something in me that feels a whole lot like pity. “I just want you to choose me.”
Then everything happens at once.
Bax lunges from behind Toby suddenly, barreling into his back with all the force of an oncoming Mack truck.
Toby shouts haggardly, voice echoing down the entire block.
Rayne grabs me around the waist roughly.
A gunshot explodes through the street.
People scream.
The world suddenly tilts sideways as Rayne yanks me onto the sidewalk just as a burning pain stabs sharply through my upper arm. Time stands still for what feels like an eternity, and for a horrifying second I think…
No.
No, no, no.
I vaguely catch the sight of Bax shoving himself on top of Toby, pounding his fist into his face only once before Toby falls unconscious against the pavement. Some people scatter from the scene, others are still recording, and some are screaming into their phones.
“Maddie!”
That’s… Rayne? That’s Rayne’s voice. I think? It sounds close, panicked, and I blink hard. The world swims around me, my arm burns, and I feel the sticky wet heat of blood as it slides down my skin.
Oh. Okay, cool. I’m alive. That’s good. That’s really good.
“I’m not dead,” I whisper, head rolling on the concrete as I fight against the fog that has suddenly filled my mind.
Thankfully, the world around me comes into focus after that revelation, and I blink up at a terrified Rayne as he stares down at me like he’s a mere second away from cardiac arrest. I stare up at him for a long moment before looking him over slowly, only to stop on the blood pooling against the material of his gray hoodie.
“You got shot,” I gasp, the sound coming out a little weakly as my head begins to grow fuzzy once more.
“It’s a graze, mayhem. Nothing more,” he says quickly, breathing hard. “Stay with me, though, okay? Stay awake for me, Maddie.”
