Chapter 23. #3
In my mind, suddenly, it’s Reuben’s face I see—his bones mangled and his body crushed beneath the weight of the truck. It’s Gabriel’s and Tobias’ faces, torn up by glass as they rest their heads against a broken car window. Eyes open. Lifeless.
Their bodies are cold to the touch.
Just like the Adler Squad.
My knee is bouncing fiercely. Terror and dread and worry are rushing blood to my ears, screaming my thoughts into loud caverns where I can’t hear myself think.
And this time, Reuben’s not here to squeeze my hand.
He’s not here to look me in the eyes and tell me he’s okay, and everything will be alright.
We’d successfully hijacked the truck and resumed our chase after Philip and Evie. But Philip would’ve had ample time to pull off onto any of the intersections.
“The harbour is the only place he could’ve gone to try and escape.” Xavier’s voice is a hammer to all the chaotic thoughts—splintering them apart into quieter fragments as I zone back into the present.
“It’s close by.” His expression is dark, his grip on the wheel so tight, his knuckles are turning white. “If he escapes there, we won’t be able to follow him.”
Meaning if he escapes there, Evie will die.
“The harbour it is then.” My voice is steady, but beneath it, something trembles. A fragile illusion, stretched thin over the chaos beneath my skin.
The only thing I can do is stay focused. Focus on Evie. Assume everyone else is safe.
Evie is the only one who can’t protect herself.
Still, it doesn’t stop the wild bouncing of my leg.
It doesn’t stop the hammering of my heart in my chest.
Xavier and I are both too consumed by our thoughts to say anything more. The chase is silent, but words are screaming between us. Panic. Worry. Dread. All possibilities we refuse to put into words.
The harbour Xavier pointed out is perched on the shores of an inlet—a vast river that flows south—and I know it will inevitably meet up with the sea. Know that that’s where Philip will escape to if we don’t find them soon.
We park the truck at the side of the road before jumping out, armed with enough weapons to take down a cavalry.
“Split up,” Xavier orders sharply. “If you find them, scream for me.”
I nod once before we’re both taking off in opposite directions.
The harbour is a long strip, built into tightly packed stones. Stone bridges lead out into the river with scores of boats and yachts of all shapes and sizes—their sails tied tightly to the masts.
I don’t know how long I run for, but I know my lungs are pumping all the air they possibly can. My throat is parched as I scan for any kind of movement, search every bridge, cast my eyes over every stretch.
The harbour is all flat land, but it’s so ominously empty and quiet, it’ll take nothing at all for them to spot and shoot me.
And I know they’re here, simply because the quiet is unnatural.
The bruises pulsing across my body had all stiffened into something unbearable during the drive, but all the running keeps me warm. My muscles aren’t as tight, so I can at least continue to move my body the way I need to.
Faraway voices filter in on the wind, and my head snaps towards them—my feet take me there on instinct.
When I see the boat leaving the dock, it is like being yanked out of a dream and into a nightmare.
The world is turning on its head, making me stumble, when I see a white yacht pulling away from the harbour.
No…
My heart rages in my chest as I sprint across the stone bridge, towards them.
But I’m not fast enough. It feels like my legs and my lungs are on fire… yet still I’m not fast enough.
I pull my gun out and aim, but there are at least six of them on the deck, including Philip.
No, please…
I can’t hear around the deafening sound of my pulse, but I know I fire four shots—perfect headshots that take four lives and break whatever fucking conversation they could possibly be having while taking an innocent girl away.
“Evelyn!” I scream for her, a tortured cry on the wind, and her eyes snap to mine.
She screams for me, a plea that sounds almost like the shattering of my own heart, as I try to close the distance between us. She rips free from Philip’s grip, and even at this distance, I can see the fear in her eyes as she dashes for the edge of the boat.
Philip grabs her by her hair to pull her back, sneering at me, and it’s like an injection of raw hatred into my blood.
But more of his men flood the deck from below, four of them coming up to take the place of their dead, training their guns on me.
I can’t care. I fire three more shots. Three more lives taken.
Philip pulls Evie in front of him like a true coward, grinning at me and licking her face with sick enjoyment.
A bullet clips my leg and the pain is striking. It makes me fall to my knees.
Still, I can’t falter.
There, on my knees on the stone bridge, I fire two more shots.
But for fuck’s sake there’s always more! More men keep coming up from the floors below.
How many of them are on the fucking boat?!
I aim again, screaming my frustration, my hatred.
“Shoot me!”
At first, I’m not sure whose voice it is.
At first, it is all my nightmares tangling together.
“Christian, shoot me!” Evelyn screams in Philip’s grip, tears coming to her eyes.
Even from this distance, I can see the necklace around her neck—
The gift I gave to her, back at the estate that day.
And like some sick twist of fate, I’m down to two fucking bullets.
One for Evie.
And one for Philip.
My blood is running cold beneath my skin. But Evie is screaming. She’s begging.
How many times in this life do I have to point my gun at you?
When you’re such a good fucking kid.
I know Philip sees his death in my eyes. Because his face pales as I raise my gun for the last time.
One for Evie.
One for Philip.
But before I can pull the trigger, something strikes me at the back of the head.
A blow I couldn't sense coming over the sound of my heart breaking—
One that knocks me to the floor instantly.
The darkness sweeps in so quickly, there isn’t time for regret.
Or hatred.
Or loathing.
There’s only a crippling agony.
Because somehow, I know it’s the last time I’ll ever see Evelyn again.
And I am the reason why she’s going to die.