Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Gina groaned as she clung to her leg. “Eddie, you need to stop this. You have to let us go,” she pleaded. “You can’t keep us down here forever. People will come looking.”
Victor walked around me, side-eyeing Gina. “Think about Emily and what will happen if she loses both of us. Let me go to her, Eddie. Please.” Gina tried standing, crying out in pain as she pressed a bloody hand to the wall.
Victor stepped in front of her and pushed her back down. “Emily will be just fine with me.” He faced me, pointing the gun my way. “I’ll make it look like a suicide with you. You were angry. Hurt about what Eve did. Wanted to find her but couldn’t so you killed yourself with your own gun. I’ll put your body in the woods, set it up just right.”
No one would believe that. I wasn’t suicidal. I cared about my life.
“As for you, Gina. You either cooperate, or I’ll have to remove you too.”
Gina squeezed her eyes shut as Victor walked back to me and pointed the gun at my forehead. A strangled noise caught in my throat as he applied slight pressure to the trigger.
This was it.
I was going to die.
I couldn’t believe it.
I tried to scream behind the tape and make him stop. I could bargain with Victor, tell him that I’d let this go, that I wouldn’t say a damn thing. But someone stormed down the stairs.
James Reed appeared with his gun drawn and aimed it at Victor. He should’ve shot him. Instead of studying the damn scene, he should’ve shot Victor first and then inspected. Instead, Victor took the opportunity James hadn’t and swung his arm to shoot at him.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Though Victor had shot at the sheriff, he missed. James dodged the bullet just in time, then charged across the basement to tackle him. Both men slammed to the ground and a brawl ensued.
Another person clambered down the steps—Damian. He stopped at the last step, watching James and Victor scuffle and grunt. Then he looked at me. Then Gina.
“Get them out of here, Damian!” James shouted as he mounted Victor, reeled his arm back, and punched him in the face.
Damian hustled forward, dropping to one knee next to me to untie the rope. He breathed hard, muttering incomprehensibly. Damian was still working out the knots as Victor slammed James into the wall, making him hit the back of his head. James crumpled from the blow and while he was disoriented, Victor whacked him across the face with a solid fist.
Both guns were on the ground and not too far away from where the two men were standing.
I moaned and Damian flicked his gaze up at me. I bobbed my head and darted my eyes to the guns. He peered over his shoulder just as Victor twisted around.
“Shit.” Damian sprang across the basement for one of the guns. He grabbed James’s and tried getting mine too, but Victor was faster.
I wriggled out of the remainder of rope just as Victor aimed the gun at Damian. James reached for Victor’s ankle and gave it a hard yank, which caused him to buckle and fall to one knee. The gun went off and a bullet pierced the ceiling.
Clearly pissed, Victor threw his foot back and kicked James square in the face, knocking him unconscious. Damian slapped the gun out of Victor’s hand and while they scrambled over one another to get it, I finally freed myself and sprang out of the chair.
I pulled the tape off my mouth while running to Gina. “Hey. Gina?” She looked loopy now. She was losing too much blood.
“Gina, can you hear me?”
“Emily,” she mumbled. “Please. Get Emily.”
“I’ll take you to her. Come on. I need you to stick with me.” I helped her up and she cried out as more blood dripped down her leg and accumulated on her foot.
Damian and Victor were squaring off now, tackling each other, slamming into the kayak, punching, kicking, grunting. Damian was making sure to kick or shove the guns farther and farther away so neither of them could reach them.
I could have left Gina and saved myself, but it was unlike me. I kept thinking about their daughter, how she’d need at least one of her parents to navigate this world. And it couldn’t be Victor. I had no doubt he’d have killed everyone here and run off with Emily.
With all my strength, I lifted Gina up and threw her arm over my shoulder. We went for the stairs, her stumbling, me huffing as I held most of her weight. My face was swollen, and blood was thick around my nose. Gina was a champ. She didn’t stop, not even when we made it to the kitchen.
“Mommy!” Emily screamed.
I looked toward the hallway where Emily was standing.