Chapter 28 #2
Ryan’s eyes darted between Georgia and me.
His panic was plain as day. When he finally settled his gaze on her, he pleaded, “Don’t do this.
You’re better than this. And Tessa has made it clear she’s moved on.
I’ve made the decision to respect that and allow her to have the happiness I should’ve given her from the start. ”
As relieved as I was to hear that, it was such a shame it had taken him until now, until this dreadful moment, to figure that out. Especially considering it was unlikely I’d be able to enjoy the happiness I’d found if Georgia got her way.
Georgia shook her head and moved to the man with the gun. She took it from him and positioned her body between me and Ryan. “As long as she’s alive, you’re always going to want her. And that’s a risk I’m not willing to take.”
“Georgia,” Ryan called, a warning in his tone as he took a hesitant step in my direction.
“Don’t move,” Georgia ordered.
He halted, holding his hands up. “Okay. Okay. Just relax. Think about this. If you put the gun down, we can walk out of here together. Forget this happened.”
My insides were trembling. Thoughts of my family, friends, and Ace randomly popped into my head, and all I wanted to do was focus solely on them.
But I couldn’t. Because a lunatic of a woman wanted to kill me, and it seemed my ex-boyfriend had some small shred of decency in trying to prevent that from being my fate.
Georgia narrowed her eyes on Ryan and lifted the gun in my direction. Tears spilled down my cheeks.
“Georgia, don’t,” Ryan warned her.
“Please,” I begged.
“Shut up,” she demanded.
I couldn’t sit here and die like this. Forcing myself to my feet, I said, “Georgia, please don’t do this.”
Ryan attempted to reassure her. “Just put the gun down. I’ll walk out of here with you. We’ll leave together.”
“Shut up!” she shouted. “Both of you. Just shut up!”
There was a loud crash off to my left, but before I could see what it was, my body was flung back onto the couch, Ryan’s body colliding with mine as he grunted, and a gunshot rang out.
I screamed as Ryan’s eyes locked onto mine. He looked pained and remorseful, his thumb stroking my cheek. “I’m so sorry, Tessa.”
No words came out. I was attempting to process what was happening, and one moment, Ryan was there. The next, he was gone.
“Tessa?” Ace was towering over me, fear and relief and something else written all over his face. He scanned my body for signs of injury. “Are you hurt?”
Tears spilled down my cheeks, but I shook my head and rasped, “No.”
Ace tore his attention away from me, his eyes cutting to Ryan, who was on the floor, wincing in pain.
“Yeah, Ryder, I need backup and units sent to Tessa Stone’s place. We’ve got a situation, and we’re going to need an ambulance.”
Blinking away tears, I lifted my gaze and saw Kash Cunningham standing with the gun that had been pointed at me only moments ago. He had it pointed at both Georgia and the man who’d kidnapped me.
“All threats have been neutralized,” Kash said. “See you soon.”
While Kash shoved his phone into his pocket, he asked, “What the hell happened here?”
Ryan groaned, my eyes dropping to him again, and that’s when I noticed blood was pouring out of him.
“She shot him,” I said. “She was going to shoot me, but he jumped in front of me.”
“Fuck,” Ace clipped, dragging his fingers through his hair.
“Help him,” I begged as my wrists strained against the bonds. “Ace, please help him.”
Something flashed in his eyes, but no sooner did I see it, it was gone. He reached out, grabbed a blanket off the couch, and applied it to the gunshot wound in Ryan’s back. If Ryan hadn’t done what he did, the bullet would’ve pierced my chest.
“It was all her, Ace,” I shared. “She’s his ex, and she was the one who hired that man to run me off the road and kidnap me today. She’s responsible for the gas situation here at my place. It was her. She wanted me dead, so he’d stop wanting to be with me.”
“Tessa,” Ryan groaned, his breathing labored. “I’m sorry for everything.”
Though I’d never be able to look at him like I once did, I certainly didn’t want the man to die. I dropped to my knees and shimmied the best I could to where he was. My eyes met Ace’s, and I turned slightly to show him my bound hands. “Do you have your pocketknife on you?”
He hesitated for a beat, reached into his pocket for his knife while using one hand to continue to apply pressure to Ryan’s wound, and cut off the zip tie. I shook out my hands, rolling my wrists, and ultimately reached for Ryan’s hand. “The ambulance is on the way.”
“I’m so sorry, Tessa,” he whispered. “I fucked up.”
I nodded, tears filling my eyes again. Was this man going to die because he’d taken a bullet meant for me? “It’s okay.”
“You were the best thing that ever happened to me, babe.” He took several more labored breaths. “I should’ve taken better care of you.”
“Shhh. It’s… Don’t worry about that now. Just… Just keep breathing and stay awake.”
“I love you, Tessa. I always will.”
I attempted to swallow past the boulder in my throat, the only relief I felt when I heard the sirens in the distance. “They’re almost here, Ryan. Just hang on a bit longer.”
His eyes drifted shut. “It’s not so bad.”
“What isn’t?”
“Your face being the last I see before…” he trailed off.
I squeezed his hand and gave him a slight shake. “Ryan? Ryan, wake up.”
“This is all your fault, Tessa,” Georgia snapped from the opposite side of the room. “If he dies, it’ll be on you.”
“You shot him, you crazy bitch! You shot him because you wanted to kill me. If he dies, you’re going to go to jail for murder.”
I had a matter of seconds to take in the horrified look on her face before the police swarmed the place. Fortunately, given the close working relationship the police department had with Cunningham Security, Kash was able to identify himself and give them a quick rundown of the situation.
Once the police confirmed the home was secured, the paramedics came in to work on Ryan. Ace moved out of the way before reaching for me and urging me to do the same.
I tipped my chin up, took one look at him, and burst into tears.