Page 69 of Ever After
The air surrounding us is volatile. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention.
“It’s not over until I say it is. I’ll easily set up a rig somewhere else. That’s the beauty of being legally dead; no one can find you.” He pauses. “Do you have any idea how easy it is to kidnap girls and train them in this country?”
“No,” I deadpan. “Enlighten me.” I slowly step backward, putting more distance between us. Finley has my shirt bunched in her fists. The bottom of my shirt lifts up, and I feel cool air brush against my backside. She reaches her hand down, grasping the butt of the gun, and I reach back to grab her hand, stopping her.
Not yet.Chris seems oblivious to the silent conversation between Finley and I as he continues his rant.
“Girls are way too trusting. They think, because they live in America, nothing bad will ever happen to them. Most girls walk around with headphones in and don’t even notice the man behind them until it’s too late. After that, it’s just a matter of drugging them enough and making them believe no one is looking for them. Eventually, they give up. The fight is gone, and they accept their fate. Most of them become so starved for affection, they take anything they can get.”
“You’re horrible!” Finley screams. She steps next to me and holds the gun out in front of her, aiming it at Chris’s head.
Everything happens so fast, but at the same time in slow motion. She shoots the gun, the echo of the shot ringing around us like an explosion. She squeezes the trigger so fast, she doesn’t account for the pull of the weapon, and the bullet lands in the wall next to him, missing him by inches.
Chris takes aim, and the bullet spins directly toward her stomach. I’m quick to pull her behind me, but not before the bullet hits its mark.
Within seconds, I’m on autopilot, and I pull the gun from her grasp, aiming it to kill. Two bullets in his stomach and one in his upper chest. Chris’s face drains of color, and he stumbles to his knees, dropping his gun by his side.
He tries to speak as blood gurgles and falls from his mouth. He drops forward on his stomach as blood pools under him. I finally break my gaze when I know he won’t get up and rush to Finley’s side.
No! No! No!
She’s lying on her back, a small puddle of blood around her midsection. I lift her head into my lap and stroke her auburn hair, putting pressure on the wound. She flinches under my touch and relaxes in my arms, a quiet moan of pain leaving her.
“Stay with me, baby. You’re going to be fine.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Winston as I lift up her shirt to examine the wound.
“Grayson, it hurts,” she mumbles, her face pinching in pain.
“I know, babe. Keep your eyes open. Look at me.”
Winston finally answers. “Where are you?”
“Chris is dead, and Finley’s been shot. We’re on the west side of the building. Call an ambulance.” I hang up and look at the wound. It’s clean, in and out on the left side of her body.
I hear people running down the hallway. “We’re over here!” I yell out. Marco, Sarah, Winston, and a medic team come into view.
“Jesus. What the hell happened?” Winston asks, his gaze drawn to the pools of dark red blood surrounding Chris’s lifeless body.
“Finley tried to shoot and missed. I didn’t, though.” I look at the two medics. “She’s been shot, but it’s a clean wound.” They kneel down next to her to get a better look. The two men talk, and one of them makes a call through the walkie talkie attached to his lapel. She falls unconscious, and they strap her into the gurney. “I’m coming with you.”
“Only family allowed,” the man states.
“I’m her boyfriend.”
“Fine, keep pressure on the wound until we get to the ambulance then.” He places my hand exactly where he needs me to apply pressure.
I lean down toward her ear, unsure if she can hear me. “You’re gonna be all right, babe. Just hang in there.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Grayson
I am sitting in the waiting room, my elbows resting on my knees and my head in my hands.
Three hours.
She’s been in surgery for three hours. I keep replaying the ride to the hospital in my head. She woke up on the ride over and had a fight or flight response to the oxygen mask over her face and the IV in her arm. She tried to rip both off. The heartrate monitor ran rapid until I could calm her down. I cupped her face and made her look right into my eyes.
“I’m here, babe. You’re safe. You’re going to the hospital, and I’m right here with you. I won’t leave you. It’s over. He’s gone now. He can’t hurt you anymore.”