Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 115964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Damn.
Just damn.
Blinding pain sliced through my chest and I blinked back sudden tears because damn again.
I was too far in, too far gone.
I was in.
I loved him.
I chose this world because subconsciously I chose him.
When I made this decision, I didn’t know, but I made it. I was cementing it right now. I was choosing. Raize. It was Raize. It had always been Raize.
It was first about a girl given the name Brooke, then it became about Raize.
I took a breath because my chest was so tight right now.
I was so far in that I knew if I looked behind me, I couldn’t see the starting line.
A shout sounded from inside the house, followed by a gunshot.
More gunshots.
Gunfire.
More shouting.
A guy broke out from the house, running to the garage.
He was directly in my line of fire, and this was the line.
I couldn’t let him get free.
He was trying to get away. Maybe he didn’t have a phone and he was going in search of one. Maybe he was going to the car. Whatever it was, he couldn’t get away. I had to stop him.
I raised my gun.
I aimed.
I shot.
Yes. There were no more lines here. None whatsoever.
I missed the first shot, and he kept going. He didn’t know that shot was for him. He didn’t know he should duck or hide or shoot back.
I aimed. I shot again.
I got him, hitting him in the shoulder.
Abram crashed out the door, running after him.
The guy started to go down, but Abram had his gun up.
I turned, knowing I was also choosing not to see another man die in front of my eyes.
Was that a cowardly thing to do?
I knew he would go down and I knew Abram would make the killing shot, and I still couldn’t breathe any easier. I didn’t know. I didn’t care at this moment.
I looked back.
Abram was staring right at me, waiting. His hand holding his gun was still half-raised.
He started toward me, but then Raize yelled from the house and he turned, going back.
I stood there, not knowing what to do. But, I guess, there was nothing else to do. So I stayed and I waited, and I had my gun ready in case anyone else got free.
That was when my phone buzzed.
Raize: Come in.
I took off running, my chest still so tight until I heard Gus barking.
I hit the door and raced inside, and then I could breathe.
Cavers and Jake were both peeling tape from their mouths.
Raize came out from a back room, saw me, and let Gus dart around him. He came right for me, his collar and leash still attached. As soon as I had my wiggling pup in my arms, I burst into tears.
“Take him for a walk.”
I nodded, my throat swelling up and I’d walk Gus for an entire day if that’s how long they needed. I didn’t see the men, but I knew they were in there and they were dead.
We went outside. I felt like my lungs could expand again, but everything was swirling inside of me. Emotions. Sensations. Thoughts. Memories. All of it was compounding me.
Because of that, I wasn’t watching where I was going with Gus.
I wasn’t thinking.
I was assuming we were safe.
I let Gus choose what direction we took.
So because of all of that, we were away from the house, down a walking path. I had no idea what direction we’d taken.
I had no idea how long we were gone.
All I knew is that we got to a clearing.
There was a car.
Gus burst forward, smelling something, and I heard the sound of a gun’s safety being taken off.
“Nice to see you again, Miss Marakov.”
“I wanted you to have a friend, my sweet little girl.”
63
Not Miss Marakov
“Miss Marakov.” Marco was leaning against the side of one of the SUVs, and he looked down, his shoulders shaking. A dry chuckle came from him. He had his hands folded over one another in front of him, the bottom hand holding a gun, but the safety was on. “I am assuming that your presence here,” he motioned to Gus with his gun before his other hand folded over it, returning back in front of him, “is an indication that my men are dead inside.”
His whole stance was casual. He wasn’t alarmed. Scared.
Nothing.
The corner of his mouth lifted up and he nodded to himself. “Right. Of course they’re dead, because they’re not my best men. My top man was Clay. My second was Abram, and I have myself to blame for neither of them being my men anymore.” He pushed up, but he stood there. He made no move to advance toward me.
I was holding Gus back, whose tail was wagging at first. That was when he caught Marco’s scent, or I was assuming for the reason he pulled me here. Now, seeing a man, Gus was growling and straining to get free.