Page 68 of Ever After

He’s in front of me again, his face in my direct line of sight, and his hands cup my cheeks. “Baby, I need you to breathe with me.” He leads me to the dresser, keeping my eyes averted from the dead man on the floor. “Keep your eyes on me. Don’t turn around.”

He digs through the drawers until he finds a men’s t-shirt and a pair of panties.

“This is probably going to be one of the only things that isn’t a corset.” He hands it to me, and I throw it over my head. I kick my heels off. I’d rather be barefoot than try to walk in those damned things. He takes my hand and leads me to the door, keeping me tucked behind his large frame as he sticks his head out, looking up and down the hall. “All clear. Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“To hide until all of this is done.”

I bite my lip, worry creasing my brow. “How long?”

He lifts one shoulder to his ear. “Until it’s safe.”

We hear an explosion of gun shots in the distance, and he pushes me against the wall, shielding me from view. He looks around again, and when he sees no one, we run to the closest door. He pushes me in and closes the door behind him. It’s a small closet with cleaning supplies on the shelves behind us. I hear men yelling and more gunshots going off around us. I jump and try to scream, but Grayson covers my mouth with his hand. He pulls my body flush with his, holding me tight.

“You have to stay quiet,” he whispers, his warm breath tickling my ear.

I wrap my arms around his waist, and he wraps his around my shoulders, pressing my head into his chest. He covers my other ear so the main sound I hear is the steady rhythm of his heart. Every time another gunshot is fired, he holds me a little tighter as I flinch in his arms.Please let this be over now. Please let us be safe.

It sounds like a war zone outside the doors. There are people yelling, shots being fired, and people running around. Most of the fighting seems to be centralized to the main staging area, not these back rooms, but it is still loud enough to hear. Grayson pulls his phone out of his pocket and texts someone, I assume Winston, but I’m too scared to move my head and lose the constant beat of his heart. I close my eyes and concentrate.Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

The number of gunshots dies down, and I look up and see he’s watching me. His features are soft, and he offers a small smile, trying to reassure me.

“Is it over?” I whisper.

“I don’t know.” He puts his ear to the door, listening for anything. “I think it might be, but let me make a call.” He places his phone to his ear, listening as it rings. “Hey, Winston. Is it clear?” He’s quiet for a beat as Winston talks. “What do you mean, you can’t find him? Shit. Yeah, all right. See you in a few minutes.” He hangs up and takes my hand. “I want you to stay behind me. Donotlet go of my hand.”

“Where’s Chris?” I whisper.

“I’m not sure. They lost him in all the gunfire. Marco and Sarah are working on finding him now.” My face falls. It’s not over, not until Chris is out of the equation. “Baby, right now, I need you to be strong for me. Just one more time. Can you do that?” He wipes the moisture from under my eyes, and I nod.

“I’m trying. I just want this to be over,” I whisper. I blink back the rest of my tears and take a deep, shaky breath, getting a hold of my emotions. I push a deep breath out and repeat it two more times. “I’m ready.”

“Stay behind me. It’s going to be fine.”

When I nod, he slowly opens the door, light flooding the small dark closet.

Grayson

I poke my head out and look around us then give her hand a squeeze before I step out, pulling her gently behind me. I hear a commotion to the right, down the hallway. She wraps her tiny hands around my waist and presses her body close to mine, squeezing me lightly.

I hear a gun cock behind me and spin us around, facing Chris head on. We stare at one another, his green eyes boring into mine as he grinds his teeth, his gun aimed toward the center of my chest.

“How the fuck did you pull this off?” he sneers.

“Guess your luck is running out.” I look down at the gun and back up at his face. “Put the gun down, Chris. No one has to get hurt.” I raise my hands up in front of me, surrendering.

He cocks his head to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of Finley, who’s pressed against my backside. “Crimson, come here.” He points to the spot in front of him.

“No,” she says quietly from behind me.

I start reaching my hand toward my pocket, and Chris fixes his aim. “Don’t even think about it. Give me the gun.”

“I don’t have one,” I lie.

He takes a step closer to me, his gun now at point blank range. “Give me whatever weapon you have. Throw it over here.” I know, if he shoots me now, there’s no way to survive. I humor him by reaching my hand into my pocket and tossing a knife away from me. I know I have to end this, but I don’t want Finley caught up in the crossfire. I won’t be able to live with myself if something happens to her.

“Chris, give up. It’s over.”