Page 119 of The Loves We Lost

Gunshots fire behind us. King obviously found trouble in the house, and it suggests my gut instinct to follow the men was the right one. I pray those bullets are currently tearing apart the unholy fucking flesh of our enemies.

Twigs snap beneath the heavy thud of my boots.

When a shot echoes through the woods and birds burst free from the leaves of the trees in fear, we home in.

“Fuck,” I gasp, but I run because my life depends on it. The life I’m supposed to have, where Vi and I get our own happy ever after with our kids, hangs in the balance.

Fear bubbles as I think of her, of Avery. How scared must my little girl be right now? Tears blur my vision and I swipe them away.

Fear needs to wait its turn.

Right now, Avery and Vi need my clarity.

When I catch sight of a white shirt dodging around a tree ahead of us, I switch direction.

I give a short whistle to Niro and gesture in the direction the man in the shirt disappeared.

Somehow, I find a burst of speed so fast, I almost lose my center of gravity. Momentarily, I stumble, reaching for a tree trunk, then a rock, as I find my feet.

Niro veers away from me a little, the two of us hunting and stalking. If the man in white hears us, he doesn’t show it. No backward glances.

We gain ground so quickly that by the time he realizes we’re behind him, it’s too late. I pull my weapon without asking any questions. If he’s innocent, so be it. One more death on my score card isn’t going to matter.

I fire.

Niro’s weapon is letting off rounds too.

And in the reverb of the shot that follows, I hear a young girl scream. “Momma.”

“Where is she?” I say to Niro. “Which way?”

We both scan the area, turning our heads to see if we can get a better trace on where the sound came from.

“The trees and the echoes make it hard to tell,” Niro says as we both gasp for breath.

“Momma!” The fear in her voice makes me want to throw up.

“Hold on, baby girl,” I mutter.

We both look in the same direction and move. My life flashes before my eyes, because I know if either of my girls is hurt or worse, it’ll be my last day on the planet.

I think of the work I’ve done. I think about the brothers I have.

I think about the man running next to me.

I even think about my parents, who I rarely speak to.

And I think about the past month with Vi and Avery in my life.

I see the two of them smiling at the clubhouse, and I feel the warmth of them when they lie on either side of me in bed in the morning.

And the rage settles, replaced with utter calm that comes from knowing I’ll end this day with them, whether it’s in this life or the next.

When we reach a clearing, I see a young man holding Avery, his elbow around her neck, but I don’t see a weapon in either hand. Avery’s face is red, but her little legs kick defiantly.

Vi is on her knees, tears streaking her face, another man looming over her, as she tries to crawl to Avery. “Get away from my daughter,” she shouts hoarsely. My beautiful, brave woman fighting for our child until the very end.

Who do I save?