The Heir She Loved (Shadows of Sin #4)

11 Olivia

July 4th, 2022

“It’s your mother,”

Everett told me as I sat at my island, watching Lucy, wondering how she was going to deal with the fireworks tonight.

I was sure everyone would have a heyday out here in the ‘burbs. Letting off fireworks until late at night, laughing, partying the way people in this part of The Springs did.

“Hmm,”

I replied, studying her eyes. “You’ve traveled everywhere, are fireworks in neighborhoods like mine truly that bad? Should I get a hotel tonight?”

It wasn’t like I didn’t care, although I didn’t, it just wasn’t that alarming. It was plotting 101. The bad guys always went after the family first, so I supposed part of me kind of expected it. Although maybe I should care a little more. But I was honestly more concerned for Lucy’s mental state than I was my mother’s well-being.

“Your neighbors are all in their late 40’s and up, except for Wade Perkins, who is 36. Grown children, possibly visitors.”

I straightened, hearing the bit of disdain in his voice at the mention of Wade. “So, you did look into them,”

I stated evenly. “Evie said you didn’t.”

It made me a little happy that Everett didn’t like the guy. Whether it was because he was a cop or because he asked me out for a drink, that didn’t matter to me, it still made me smile.

“We didn’t before you moved in. Did you hear what I said?”

But now they did because Everett was worried. It made my stomach fill with butterflies. “Yep,”

I nodded and slid off the stool. “Oh no, how awful. The Russians have my narcistic, mentally abusive, ‘can’t live without my injected plastics’ mother. What ever shall I do?”

I hummed, heading for the fridge.

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t care, let them deal with her. She killed my dad, among other horrible things. I would have ordered you to kill her anyway had I had the chance to ask before you drugged me.”

Drugged me and fucked me into a mini coma.

I started to ask when he would be back but thought better of it. What they were doing was important, and I had work to do anyway. I couldn’t have him distracting me, however welcome that distraction would be.

“You would have ordered me?”

he asked, amusement in his voice.

I pulled an iced coffee out and nodded, feeling a smile touch my lips. “I would have, and you would have done it too.”

“You seem certain of that.”

“I sure am. You didn’t seem to have any problem breaking that man’s hand when I ordered you to. This seems exactly like that situation, except what my mother did was far worse.”

“And you seem to have forgotten who I am over these last couple of days.”

I leaned over the counter, my smile falling. “Yeah.”

I chewed on my bottom lip, twisting the bottle around, my heart picking up. But I was weak-willed and I missed him far too much. “Maybe…”

My cheeks warmed and I immediately covered my eyes with my hand. “Maybe you could come remind me,”

I said and then immediately straightened, turning away from the counter and leaning back against it. What the fuck was that? I could have said that a thousand different ways. Sultry, seductive, low and husky, a taunt, a tease. How I said it made it sound like I was taking his order at a fast-food restaurant.

I didn’t do dirty talk well, if that could even be considered dirty talk. It would take some practice, but I was willing if it got me back on his wall.

He was quiet for 12 seconds too long. “Do you know why I left, Olivia?”

I dropped my hand, sucking in my lips. Oh my God, it was so bad, he wasn’t even going to address it. “You and Evelyn had an assignment,”

I muttered, looking towards my dog. “What the Hell have I done?”

I mouthed at her.

She cocked her head to one side, watching me.

“Yes,”

he answered evenly, his voice low and dark, “an assignment regarding you, but one that didn’t need both of us.”

I frowned, reaching up for the chess piece hanging from my collar. “Oh,”

I said, unsure how else to respond to that. How did he expect me to respond to that?

“I needed to get away from you because you needed the rest,”

he went on, causing me to still. “If we weren’t so…human, with needs like eating, sleeping, shitting, I might have kept you in that chair for a few days, using you as I saw fit.”

My thighs tightened, my skin breaking out in a cold sweat. “Oh?”

was all I managed to get out.

“Hmm-mm. I would have used you in every creative way you have ever come up with, maybe some you didn’t even think of. I would have fucked you until every ounce of cum I had was stuffed into that pretty little cunt of yours, and then I would have kept going,”

he went on, his voice taking on a kind of animalistic growl. “I’d keep fucking you until you begged me to stop, but I wouldn’t. Not until I was satisfied, and Olivia?”

My hand had fallen from that charm to the hem of my dress, slowly working up my thigh at his words, my pussy throbbing in need. “Hmm?”

“I’m insatiable.”

I closed my eyes, feeling my hand drift up between my legs, teasing my panties. “Then come show me,”

I half-whined. A few days was too long. I hated that he kept having to go out on assignments, which I understood was part of the job, but when would I get to join? I could learn how to fight. My stamina was amazing, and I was getting more comfortable with a gun. I could join them. I could learn to be like them. Then we could fuck, kill, and repeat every day.

“Jace.”

My eyes opened at the sound of the woman’s voice, my hand falling from my panties. I wrapped it around my stomach and leaned back against the counter. Tonight, like every other night, would be spent with a glass of wine and my favorite toy.

Second favorite. Everett would always be my number one.

“It’s done, we gotta go.”

Seconds ticked by before Everett spoke again. “Azrael is heading back to Washington,”

he told me, shuffling sounding in the background.

He must have been keeping an eye on his brother too after the last thing Azrael told me. I couldn’t blame him for that one. Azrael seemed to be playing a long game. One that has been going on for years. The frustration Everett felt towards the man was absolutely clear. “Do none of the Initiates know your real name?”

I asked, turning back to the coffee. It was late, but I wasn’t ready to go to bed. I didn’t want to just lie there and stare, lost in my own thoughts, and anyway, I had Lucy. She might need me.

“They all think they do,”

he answered. “But in a few years time, they will.”

I picked at a loose thread. “What was that other name you signed, I never asked.”

He was quiet for a long time. “It’s the name they gave me. Hades is what they called me for reasons I never asked about.”

He paused again, and when he spoke, his voice was low. “It’s that marking around my eye, written out in Greek. ‘Hades, Conqueror of All’.”

They. The ones in the woods. The ones without a face, without a name or title, just ‘them’. I wanted to know more about what happened in those woods, but remembering the look on his face, I would never ask. Ever. That curiosity would remain buried within me. If he eventually wanted to tell me, fine, but there was no reason he should have to. I didn’t need to know about his past to solidify any feelings I felt now. He was who he was, and that’s who I cared about.

“Are you going to be back soon now that you know they have my mother? How do you know that, by the way?”

“She’s missing,”

he answered. “Missing since she dropped off the paperwork.”

I glanced over at my empty living room. Evelyn had people come pick up everything and take it to the office she had found in the city. An office I had yet to visit, which was what I was going to do tomorrow if he didn’t return.

“She shouldn’t have come to flaunt,”

I commented, returning my attention to the coffee. “That’s on her.”

Everett was quiet a few seconds. “The cleaning crew is on their way. I’ll be back in the morning, get some rest. When I get back, I had better find that you ate enough food and drank enough water,”

he warned.

I glanced at the fridge, which I hadn’t touched since he left. Take out and coffee had been my go-to, but the excitement I felt at his return outweighed everything else. Shit.

I straightened, my heart picking up. Might as well have fun with it. I felt a smile spread across my face. “I’ve only had coffee and take out and I reveled in it.”

The other end of the line went eerily quiet. “Good, that gives me a valid reason to punish you.”

Not that he needed one. “Perfect,”

I popped just as a knock sounded at my door.

Lucy jumped up, snarling viciously. “Olivia,”

he said evenly.

But my eyes were trained on the door, my heart skipping a beat. Who was at my door this late at night?

“Olivia?”

he asked, his voice changing ever so slightly.

I slowly pushed away from my counter. “There’s someone at my door,”

I whispered, walking towards the kitchen entryway slowly.

I made it to the hall before Everett spoke again. “It’s Wade. There’s a party happening outside,”

he paused. “I need to go, and remember, little writer, everything you do has consequences. Put your earpiece in just in case we need to reach you regarding your mother.”

I didn’t care what else they found, honestly, but I also didn’t want to miss the chance at talking to him again, so I would do what he said without question.

He hung up as I straightened. I frowned at the phone before turning to the door. A party?

I glanced at Lucy and back. I hadn’t gotten to know any of the neighbors at all. It was getting pretty rude of me at this point, but a party?

I pressed my lips into a line. I wasn’t going to sleep anyway, and I didn’t want to be the sad, lonely girl sitting in her dark house listening to everyone have fun while I just sit around and miss my partner.

With a huff, I waved Lucy off and headed for the door.

I pulled it open, finding Wade standing on the front porch with a smile on his face, casual attire, all of the neighbors out and the whole street lit up in Fourth of July colors.

“Hey, neighbor.”

I gave him a pressed smile. “Hey, you really are sticking with that, aren’t you?”

He laughed nervously. “It’s become an endearing term, yeah.”

He gestured to the street, to the tables being set up with homemade food, people talking. “Come join,”

he offered. “The whole block is invited.”

I watched as people took tinfoil off the trays of meat and potatoes, the vegetables. “Um,”

I said, leaning back on one foot, Lucy pressed against me, her head low. Shit, I wanted to go, but I was a little nervous. “I’m not really a crowd person.”

“Ah, come on,”

he pushed. “Just an hour. Get to know them, they’re good people. And they love dogs. Families are here, kids, everyone. We’ll have fun.”

I looked back to the street again, hearing the laughter fill the air, the chatter. It did look nice, and it was a beautiful night.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Can Lucy be off leash?”

I asked, turning back to him. “She loves kids, but she’s going to be wary of adults,”

I explained, gesturing to my face.

Wade nodded. “Of course. People here respect the warning growls of all animals. Come on, it’ll be fun. Fireworks will start soon, just small ones at first, the big ones will be later. Does Lucy have any issues with loud sounds?”

I glanced her way, studying her. “Um…”

She had done fine when Everett and I fired our guns in the house. “Maybe?”

I answered nervously. “I’m not quite sure.”

“Well, we’ll keep an eye on her then,”

he smiled. “Are you ready? I can finally introduce you to everyone.”

I glanced down at my bare feet. I certainly wasn’t going out like this. “Just let me put my shoes on and I’ll be out.”

“Alrighty,”

he nodded and headed back down the porch.

I studied the street for another few seconds before stepping back into the house and closing the door. “Okay then,”

I released a breath, finding her eyes. “We need to meet our neighbors.”

It would be fun. I would have fun. Besides, it was rude of me not to have introduced myself to them yet, and if I was going to keep living here, then I had to make friends.

She folded one ear back and sat down, clearly unhappy.

“There are more Baily’s out there,”

I told her.

Her ears immediately perked at the name, and I couldn’t help but smile. I should invite them over tomorrow, it would do everyone some good, I was sure.

My heart skipped a beat. Not tomorrow, but definitely the next day. After Everett had his way with me, then I would invite Stella and Baily over for some lemonade and maybe a good lunch.

I put on some white tennis shoes and grabbed the thigh holster Evelyn had left for me on my table before she left.

I had worn it all day two days ago, getting used to the feeling of it, practicing drawing my gun from it. I wasn’t great yet, but I was getting better. Tonight would be the perfect night to test it out in the wild, not that I expected anything to happen on a street filled with older people and children, but nobody ever knew, right?

Once the gun was strapped in tight, I grabbed the near invisible headphone they left for me to use if I ever wanted to talk without carrying my phone around, and slid it in. I couldn’t call out with it, but if they called me, I could answer and talk to them. Evelyn had taken advantage of it just a day ago, talking to me about the clothes I had decided to wear and how jealous of Everett she really was while she did whatever it was she had been doing. Stalking someone, it had sounded like, but I didn’t ask too many questions.

At this point, I was sure she didn’t mean anything by all the flirting, but it was a nice boost to my ego that someone as beautiful as her thought of me in the same light.

I finally fixed my dress and put a collar on Lucy, before heading out, running my fingers through my hair as I walked down the porch.

I hoped I wouldn’t scare the children with my scars. I hoped nobody asked too many questions. I hoped Lucy would be okay. Tonight could be a really good start to actually having a life out here if I did it right.

Even so, Lucy stuck to me like glue as we made our way down the sidewalk, people everywhere, talking, laughing, having fun. Everyone knew everyone else here. It was strange. In the city, you could disappear in a crowd without a problem. Here, if you were a stranger, you were the odd man out.

“Hey!”

I heard Wade call, causing me to freeze.

He was waving at me from half a block away. “Olivia! Everyone, this is Olivia,”

he introduced, pushing his way towards me. “She lives in the Lancaster’s old place.”

Many people looked over, smiling, waving.

I lifted a nervous hand just as a few kids finally noticed Lucy, gasping at her presence.

Lucy lifted her head, ears perked before lowering it, showing them that she wasn’t a threat, her tail wagging.

A whole gaggle ran up on her, eyes wide in joy. “Can we please pet your dog?”

a little girl asked, barely offering me a glance.

I nodded, returning a soft smile as I ran a hand over Lucy’s head. “Sure, just be careful, it’s her first Fourth in the suburbs.”

They hesitantly walked up to her, letting her sniff their hands before they started petting her, growing more relaxed as the seconds ticked by. “Whoa,”

they all said, cooing and humming at her. “What’s her name?”

a little boy asked.

I crouched down, Lucy glancing my way, her eyes saying so much. She had always loved kids. “Lucy,”

I answered, scratching behind her ear. “She loves kids.”

She deserved some kids of her own. Someone to look after besides me.

“What happened to your face?”

another kid asked, scratching Lucy’s nose.

“Oh, um…”

I straightened. I hadn’t thought of a good story yet. Shit, I should have thought of something before coming out here.

“Now, now, Malik, don’t be asking such personal questions, especially if you weren’t polite enough to ask for her name yet,”

she said in an accusatory yet playful tone.

I looked up, a beautiful dark-skinned woman, about my mom’s age, walking up to me, a drink in either hand. “It’s okay,”

I assured her.

She handed me a glass, a knowing look in her beautiful brown eyes. “Now, I know that look. You haven’t come up with a story yet, have you?”

My cheeks warmed. “Um…no,”

I said on a breath. “No, I’m sorry, I should have covered it up.”

“Don’t be apologizing now, sweet girl. I’ve seen you going in and out of that house. So much make up on, I was shocked the day you came out without it. Confidence takes a lot to build, but it is well-earned. You should be proud.”

My brows furrowed, caught off-guard at her admission. “You’ve been watching me?”

“Ms. Berry,”

she beamed. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Ms. Berry. “Oh, how is your cat doing?”

I asked her, turning to face her head on.

She chuckled. “Now I know you heard that from dear Mr. Wade. He’s a gossiper. Ruben is doing just fine, thank you. Never getting into my dolls again, I’ll tell you what.”

I laughed lightly. “Yeah, Lucy liked to chew up socks too when she was a pup. Better now,”

I nodded, turning back to my dog, who was currently on her back, her belly exposed, her tongue out as an entire group of kids took advantage.

“I can see that,”

she chuckled. “Now, what was your name again? I fear my memory isn’t as good as yours.”

“Olivia,”

I greeted, taking her hand. “Olivia Rose.”

“Ms. Olivia,”

she said, causing my heart to flutter in joy. “What a beautiful name. Come, there is more than enough food on this block for everyone. Let me introduce you to the rest of my kids and grandkids, there is a lot of them,”

she chuckled.

I felt my smile widen. “I would…I would absolutely love that, thank you.”

I laughed, the joke Colten telling everyone making the entire block erupt.

This was fun.

More than fun, I really enjoyed this. Spending time with these people, just a normal, regular time. No Steven begging silently to go home, no people with guns or dead bodies falling or gunshots in the distance.

Nobody hunting me or being my shadow, although I did wish Everett and Evelyn were here. I had my doubts that they would enjoy it, but it would have been nice.

“Alright everyone,”

Wade said, appearing behind me. “Fireworks are starting in just a few minutes!”

Everyone clapped their hands and started pushing up from the table, abandoning their plates and drinks to head for the spot in the street that had been cleared for the regular fireworks, the conversations hardly slowing.

I slowly followed the crowd, Lucy finally joining my side after spending the last two hours with the kids. She had on a little party hat now, and a red, white, and blue scarf tied around her neck.

I couldn’t help but laugh as I scratched behind her ear. “Don’t you look festive,” I hummed.

She looked happier than I had ever seen her. She really did love kids, and all I could think about was what Everett had said just a few days before when he had me pinned to his wall like his own personal trophy.

I slid my hand over my stomach, a flutter erupting in my chest. A kid? Me? Could I really be a good mom? The right mom for Evertt’s child?

I knew Lucy would be overjoyed, and that little boy or girl would never be more protected, but even so, that wasn’t a good reason to have a child. What if I turned out like my mom? What if I ruined her like mom tried to ruin me?

“Hey, Liv,”

Wade smiled, joining my side. “How are you enjoying your night so far?”

I smiled, dropping my hand. “Good. Ms. Berry is going to teach me her berry cobbler recipe,”

I bragged. I had never gotten into cooking, but it was about time I started learning how to do it on my own. Maybe I could impress Everett with my cooking skills.

“Oh? Now you’re in real danger,”

he teased, bumping my elbow. “Once you get her cooking, there is no stopping her.”

I laughed lightly and shrugged, glancing over to her family. It was so big. She had three boys and two girls, each of them having spouses, three of them having their own kids. You could see the love surrounding that family. Feel it. “I don’t mind,”

I finally said, turning back to him. If I did have a child with him, would it be anything like that?

I suppose I didn’t really care, so long as it was me and Everett in the end, I didn’t care. Not to mention picturing Everett as a dad? God, that did something illegal to me. Imagining him bottle-feeding our baby, rocking him to sleep, humming? My skin was breaking out in a cool sweat just thinking about it.

His eyes softened. “Good, I’m glad. Looks like Lucy is having fun.”

I nodded, scratching her head again. “She loves this. She’s a real people-oriented dog, so long as they don’t set off any alarms in her head.”

“I’m glad you’re having fun,”

he said again, squeezing my arm. “I’m going to head over and help them set everything up, settle in, it’s going to be a really good show. Maybe afterwards we can finally get that drink.”

Before I could respond, he was already gone, heading over to help with the setup. Dammit. How many times would I have to tell him that I wasn’t interested before he got the hint?

I rolled my eyes and shook the thoughts away. I was looking forward to it. The only fireworks I ever participated in were the ones we watched from our living room window when I was a kid. Mom never wanted to go out just in case some embers landed in her hair. When I got older, I realized she just didn’t want to bother going out into a crowd without a perfect script to follow. Too many opportunities to get a bad picture, I guess.

This would be fun. Chaotic and messy and filled with laughter. I was excited to see the kind of fireworks people let off on the streets.

I stood in the crowd and watched as everyone piled up their fireworks on one side of the street, chairs being set up in yards, kids getting sparklers. It had to be nearing midnight, but it didn’t seem like there was any slowing down, and I loved that. I really felt like this was a place I could stay now. A place where I could have a home. A place, perhaps, that I could eventually raise a couple of kids.

Those kids would be so welcomed, so loved, by everyone here, I was sure of it.

I kept my hand on Lucy, gently scratching her when Mr. Furough lit off the first fireworks.

She flinched, her ears perking, but after a few more fireworks, she started to relax, watching as the lights lit up the whole block, her tongue hanging out.

God, this was amazing. Everywhere I looked there were happy people, good people. This is what I’ve been missing my entire life. Community. I had been surrounded by people my entire life, but this? I had never known this—

A light ringing sounded in my ear, and I couldn’t help but smile. I tapped it gently. “Hey,”

I said, turning away from the fireworks and slowly working my way back through the crowd towards the houses to get away from the noise. Besides, if Everett wanted to talk, I was sure the conversation wouldn’t be suitable for anyone’s ears.

But it wasn’t Everett’s voice that came through the earpiece, it was panicked breathing. “Baily’s missing,”

Stella gasped, her panic filling my head.

My smile immediately fell, my heart slamming to a halt. I shoved through the crowd, more deliberate now, trying to wave my apologies as my own panic grew. “What are you talking about?”

I asked, breaking through into one of the yards.

Stella was sobbing, panting, things crashing in the background. “She’s not in her room and I can’t find her shoes, but her stuffed giraffe is here on the ground, and I think Steven took her,”

she gasped, the sobs cracking through her. “I think he stole my baby! I’m going to kill him, Olivia, I’ll fucking kill him.”

I closed my eyes. Fuck! I glanced back towards the crowd, everyone’s eyes on the fireworks. “Stella, that’s impossible.”

“He ghosted me for weeks and then he came back for my daughter! I don’t know what to do. Have you heard from him? Have you heard anything at all? Seen him? Maybe you can talk to him. Maybe he’ll tell you where Baily is.”

I shook my head, walking between two houses, trying to get further away from the noise so I could think. Fuck, I forgot to tell her about him. I hadn’t even thought about it in days. “Stella, Steven is dead, it wasn’t him. Did you check the bathroom? Under the bed? Is she scared of fireworks?”

“Dead?”

Stella breathed out, her voice thick with tears. “What do you mean ‘he’s dead’? What does that mean?”

“I mean he’s dead,”

I said carefully, keeping my voice low. “Is she scared of fireworks?”

She had to have been hiding. The sound of the fireworks forcing her into a closet or under the bed. She had to be there.

“I’ve already checked the entire house!”

she shouted, the tears clear. “She’s not here! Olivia, if Steven didn’t take her, where is she? Where is my daughter?”

I walked out into the yards of the houses behind the ones on my street, this street silent, not a person in sight. “I don’t know, I don’t…”

I slowed, my eyes widening, my heart skipping a beat as a sick realization slammed into me unforgivingly.

“Olivia?”

she asked when I didn’t continue. “Olivia!”

“No,”

I said, my stomach twisting in horror. “Oh my God,”

I whispered, covering my eyes. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t happening.

“What? What is it? What happened?”

I slid my thumbnail between my teeth, taking in the quiet street. I left my phone at my house. I couldn’t call Everett. I couldn’t tell him anything.

I looked down the street. How had I gotten so far away from my house? Fuck! “Stella, you need to hang up on me right now and call the police,”

I told her, praying I wouldn’t regret it. “Call them right now.”

Everett and Evelyn would deal with that but telling her not to call them wasn’t an option, not with Baily’s life on the line.

“They’re already on their way.”

I turned in the direction of my house and started jogging down the street, through the yards, trying to find the house that was behind mine. “Then hang up and call Evelyn. Her number is…”

I shook my head. Think, think!

I gasped and rattled off her number. “Call her right now. You call her right now.”

“What? Why?”

“I’m going to fix this,”

I promised her, my heart racing as the dread grew like a stone in my gut. I had to fix this. It was my fault. My fault that they took Baily. I didn’t even think she would be on their radar. I met her once. One time. Everett had even listed her as a possibly target and I brushed it off like some naive idiot! Why didn’t I take it more seriously?

“Fix it—what do you mean, Liv? What do you mean? What did you do!”

she shouted in angry desperation.

Steven was right. I talked a big game through my writing, through my fantasies, but I wasn’t Everett. I should have taken this seriously. I never should have moved on from that conversation. I should have made sure.

But…but Everett had looked into it. He knew it was mom, he was sure.

We were missing something. We had to be missing something. “Stella, I’m going to fix this, I’ll save her. I promise, I swear on my life, but you need to get off the phone and call Evelyn. Call Evelyn right now!”

She was quiet for a long time. “Okay.” Click.

Fuck! My heart slammed in my chest as I forced myself to run faster, sprinting towards my house. But everything looked the same here. It all looked exactly the fucking same!

I had to fix this. I would fix this. I could do it. I could fix this—

Headlights appeared at the end of the street, momentarily blinding me, forcing me to slow and shield my eyes. I tried to blink the spots away as the engine revved. After a few seconds, I forced my hand down, picking up my pace again. I had to get to my phone, I had to—

The black van screeched to a halt in the middle of the street, forcing me to stop, my eyes widening.

Panic slammed through me.

I took several steps back, the door opening, that woman from weeks ago jumping out.

“Shit,”

I spun around, ready to run, only to freeze in my tracks, Lucy’s snarling filling the air.

Horror filled me.

Wade smiled. “Hey, Liv. You should have just accepted my offer.”

“Attack,”

I ordered without a second thought. Why didn’t I bring my phone? I should have brought my goddamn phone!

Lucy lunged for him, and I turned, his screams filling the air, my eyes locking on the woman’s as she stood by the van, a male walking towards me, a smile on her face.

“So sad, you’re such a pretty young thing,”

she cooed.

I hardened my eyes. Focus. Focus. I had no delusions that I would win this, that I would get away, but I wasn’t going to just give up. Not with Baily’s life on the line.

I watched his steps, searching his hips, his thighs. No gun that I could see, unless he had it tucked in the back of his pants. If that were the case, I had seconds.

“Where’s Baily?”

I asked, remaining as still and calm as I could. “Come on, Everett, call me. Please, call me,”

I begged, praying he would read my mind like he always did.

She only smiled, that man getting closer.

Baily had to be alive. She would be alive. Whatever it cost me, whatever sanity, however much blood, I would get her back to Stella alive. I had to.

“You’re not even going to run?”

she asked from the van when I didn’t respond, Lucy’s snarls and Wade’s screams drowned out by the sound of the fireworks and cheering.

I flexed my hands, trying to slow my breathing, hoping beyond all hope that Stella had called Evelyn, that she and Everett were already on their way here, that they would intercept this van before I got to wherever they were going to take me.

“That’s pretty damn pathetic of you.”

Slow and steady, but quick pulls. Slow the world down, give them evidence to find. A trail. Something to go off of. Don’t just disappear into oblivion, give them some breadcrumbs.

I released a slow breath and finally ripped out my gun, firing off a shot, watching as his shoulder ripped back, blood spilling down his jacket.

He snarled. “You fucking bitch!”

he roared, and lunged.

I pulled the trigger again and again and again, the guy slowing, stumbling, but still coming for me. Adrenaline. I never accounted for adrenaline. I never thought to. This was only the second time in my life I had actually shot a person, adrenaline never crossed my mind.

I pulled it again, blood spreading across his sweater, his eyes wild.

He grabbed the muzzle and ripped it out of my hands before grabbing my neck and jerking me forward. “You’ll fucking pay for that,”

he snarled, my oxygen completely cut off.

I gasped for air, digging my nails into his arm, tearing them down, trying to draw as much blood as possible, filling my nails with his skin. Evidence. I needed evidence.

The woman appeared in my peripheral vision, smiling. “Well,”

she said, taking in her friend, “I’ll give you props for that one.”

Spots danced in my eyes, my heart pounding against my ribs. I couldn’t pass out. I wouldn’t. I had to stay awake, I had to…

The man started to sway, his face paling, his teeth bared at me, his grip failing him.

The woman rolled her eyes and grabbed a chunk of my hair just as the man collapsed to his knees, nearly causing me to fall.

I gasped, coughing, sparks jumping through my mind as I fought to maintain consciousness. “You’re going to regret this,”

I rasped as she forced me to my knees.

She smiled and pulled out a needle. “No, I don’t think I will.”

She slammed the needle into my neck and shoved the plunger down.

She dropped me to the ground a second later. “Okay, come and get her!”

she called, stepping back.

I collapsed onto my back, the damp grass seeping into my clothes, my heart slowing, my head falling to one side as the drugs quickly took effect. I could see Lucy gnawing on Wade’s neck, his body unmoving, blood covering both of them.

She was such a good dog.

“Dumb bitch,”

I heard the woman say distantly.

I forced my head up, my heart pounding painfully. She was holding a gun now and she was pointing it directly at my dog.

My eyes widened, the panic filling me, having nowhere to go. I tried to scream, swinging my too heavy arm out, hitting the back of her knee just as the trigger went off.

Lucy yelped and then the world fell silent.

The panic and pain that filled me was indescribable. Everything was going numb, and I couldn’t even run to her. I could barely think. All I could do was scream, and the sound wasn’t even human, it was something other.

I screamed and I screamed and I screamed.

Not my dog.

Not Lucy.

She was everything to me.

She was all I had.

I couldn’t lose her.

Not my dog!

Another sharp pain pinched my thigh, my heavy eyes finding another male standing above me, dispensing another round of drugs into me.

“That should shut her up,”

the woman said. “Come on, we need to get out of here before anyone else shows up.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

A pair of strong arms wrapped around me, flinging me over his shoulder before he turned back towards the van.

It took every ounce of strength I had to look up to where Wade and Lucy were. “Lucy,”

I tried to say, but the words came out in a garbled mess. I collapsed into him, unable to move, my heart pounding.

She wasn’t moving.

She should have been moving.

Why wasn’t she moving?