Page 87

“Tell who, baby?”

Her eyes look over at us, just now seeing all of us and she gasps, closing her eyes and crouching down against the wall where she pulls her knees up to her chest and holds the gun loosely in her hand.

“Him,” she croaks. “I shouldn’t have gone; I knew something would happen.”

She carries on rambling and I’m not able to make any sense of what she’s saying.

Her head whips up when I step closer and she points the gun straight at me. Daley grabs my arm and pulls me back.

It kills me that I can’t be what she needs right now.

“Then he was on top of me,” she sobs, the sound so heart-breaking that I rub my chest where it starts to hurt. “He pulled my jeans down...”

I clench my hands into fists at my sides having a feeling that I know wh

ere this is going.

“Ava? Put the gun down.” I turn to Daley as he steps forward, wondering what the hell he’s doing. If she won’t let me come closer, then she won’t let him.

“He did it again, the scars we’re enough but now this?” She looks up at me, her eyes red and swollen from how much she’s crying.

My nostrils flare as I realize who she’s on about. That motherfucker should be in jail.

She keeps her eyes on me, the gun shaking in her hand. I can’t bear the look in her eyes, it rips me apart.

“I’m tainted,” she sobs. “He... he tainted me. I’m no good.”

“No, baby,” I manage to croak out, trying to keep my emotions in check but it’s so goddamn hard. “You’re not tainted, you’re perfect.”

“No!” she shouts, covering her ears with her hands, the gun now pointed at the ceiling.

I hold my breath as Daley steps even closer, he’s almost within reaching distance now and I can see Chad has his gun trained on her. Catching his eyes, I shake my head and tell him silently that he’s not to shoot. If he does, I’ll fucking kill him.

Daley takes the last step towards her and she brings her head up, her eyes connecting with his and I’m not sure what she sees but it doesn’t alarm her.

He whispers something to her and she shakes her head, bringing her hand down and staring at the gun.

I don’t know what I’m doing but all I can see is his face everywhere I look. The one that’s choking on blood. I can’t get the image out of my head. I keep having glimpses of being in the bar and Corey being here and then back in the alley.

It’s all a dream, I know this because Corey isn’t back yet so it must mean that I’m still there... with him.

I look up when I hear someone close to me and my eyes clash with familiar ones. I don’t know where I remember them from though but I see the pain reflected in his, the same sort of pain that I see every time I look in the mirror.

“Ava? You’ve got everyone on edge right now... can you give me the gun darlin’?”

“Gun?” I whisper.

“Yeah, the one in your hand,” he says, tilting his head at me.

I bring my hand down, staring at the gun with wide eyes. It’s covered in blood, so much blood.

“I... I...”

“It’s okay.” He crouches down, not coming any closer and extends his hand out to me. “If you give it me, I can get rid of it.”

I study him for several seconds, not sure I’m doing the right thing. He keeps his eyes connected to mine.

“O... okay,” I whisper, extending the gun out to him.