My stalker laughed and dropped the gasoline.
“If you want her so bad, why don’t you come and try to take her?”
I knew this was a trap. This guy had to know that Porter could easily overpower him and would no way let him close enough to do so.
“Don’t, Porter!” I shouted.
“Quiet, bitch!” my stalker hollered, backhanding me.
It was then that Porter lost his cool and began to charge at the man. But he had planned for this. That slap had been nothing more than the thing he needed to goad Porter into action, falling right into his trap.
The man reached back and brandished a gun from his pants, raising it up and pointing it directly at Porter. Porter saw this and immediately stopped a yard or two away from us, his hands raised in surrender and his jaw clenched tightly.
“You thought it’d be that easy? How stupid are you?” the man asked him, taking a few steps forward so I was behind him and Porter couldn’t see me.
Suddenly, I felt a presence at my back and hands grasp onto my wrists.
“Shh, it’s me,” I heard Darren whisper. “I’m getting you out of here.”
My eyes widened as I felt him begin hacking away at the ropes tied to my arms. I watched completely panicked as Porter and the man faced off, the latter not noticing I was currently being rescued and that Porter was clearly the diversion.
I hated this plan, but somehow it was working. The man’s attention was solely focused on Porter and quicker than I thought was possible, Darren had undone my restraints.
Unfortunately, that was the moment when Porter’s eyes accidentally flicked over the man’s shoulder to us, locking on mine. The man turned, seeing me untied and Darren at my back.
“You!” he shouted, turning to aim the gun at us.
Porter charged him, tackling the man as Darren grabbed me in a fireman’s hold and ran me to the opposite side of the room where I saw Alden ducked behind one of the machines.
“Get her out of here! I have to go help Porter!” Darren ordered, practically tossing me into Alden’s arms before turning and rushing back to help Porter who was currently wrestling the man on the ground for the gun.
Alden tried to pull me away, but I wouldn’t budge.
“We need to get you out of here now, Sophia,” he told me vehemently, but I yanked myself out of his grasp.
“I won’t leave them,” I replied with resolve, glaring at him.
That’s when two loud shots rang out.
Snapping my head in the direction of Porter and the man, I saw Porter fall as the man shoved him back. Darren had halted seeing Porter go down to his knees, two very visible gunshot wounds in his stomach and chest. He glanced at me, wincing a bit, then fell forward. He didn’t move again.
“NO!” I screamed as agony ripped through me. He couldn’t be dead. Not Porter.
The man laughed darkly and staggered back away from Porter.
Alden grabbed me again and turned me into him, but I struggled in his arms.
“You can’t Sophia. You have to stay here,” Alden tried to tell me, his eyes glazing over like mine were.
It was then I noticed the gun in his waistband. Something inside of me snapped. I was done running. I was done letting this man take everything away from me. I was done letting him breathe another breath after what he’d just done.
I snatched the gun from his waist and jabbed him hard in the ribs with my elbow, causing him to release me from the surprise attack. I was running before he could catch me, fear no longer an emotion in my system.
All I felt was rage.
I flew past Darren who now had his hands up as my stalker kept the gun pointed at him, then planted myself in front of him, stopping a yard or so away from the man.
“Sophia, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Darren roared at me.
