Chapter 41 | Preston
FORTY-ONE | PRESTON
Another gunshot rings, the shock through the air shaking the concrete, making my pace quicken as dark park buildings pass me by in a blur of gray and black.
The tech and security room, located beneath the park, is situated at the opposite end of the park. When we finally located Kate and Lex on the monitors, they were in the center of the walkway between the maze ride and the carousel.
Then the park was shrouded in darkness.
I was running to her before the cameras switched to night vision, which instantly happens when all the lights are shut off.
Locating the nearest secret exit, I flew up the stairs as the first gunshot rang out through the park, followed by four more that had my knees damn near gravitating to the ground.
I didn’t let them.
I couldn’t trust myself to navigate the maze of tunnels when my heart was somehow sucked into my head. Her name has been a constant, roaring pulse against my skull, making me wonder if I’m losing her.
If I’ve already lost her.
I urged myself through the crippling panic and fear, hoping that my other men, positioned around the park's perimeters, would reach her first.
I’ll lay my life down at Lex’s feet with no hesitation if it saves her soul. Every fiber of my being wants to save her, but that’s of no importance.
All that matters is that someone gets to her.
Anyone.
Briny sea air floods my lungs like poison, its vigorous fingers piercing through my ribs and chest like it's reaching out for any sign that Kate’s still alive.
The soft hum of music from the carousel glides through the pounding of blood in my ringing ears.
I pump my legs faster, my suit clinging to my sweaty frame.
Rainbow lights start to spill across the concrete, my eyes drawn to a figure in the distance, sprinting toward me.
For a brief second, through the panic and blurry vision, it feels like I’m somehow peering through a mirror, watching myself run to her.
But it's not me.
And I’m too far to recognize who it is, but the uniform tells me it's one of my men.
The figure stops in the center of the walkway, their arms lifting to raise the gun. They hesitate momentarily, but their aim is steady.
Fuck, why are they hesitating?
The blast cracks through the air. The shot wasn’t aimed at me, but for some reason, it feels like it is.
Because Kate is a part of me now in ways I’ll never comprehend, and I know damn well that shot was aimed at her, but meant for the man trying to steal what’s mine.
Eerie silence consumes the park, but it can’t drown out the cacophony of sounds as my body threatens to break.
“Kate,” I bellow.
The face comes into focus now. Vincent doesn’t waste a second to pay me any mind as he takes off running toward the twirling carousel. He must have had to wait to get a shot. I didn’t think I was capable of running any faster, but I prove myself wrong.
For an older man, Vincent launches himself onto the rotating platform with the fucking agility of a ninja.
I’m right behind him. The metallic stench of the bloodbath is overpowering now.
The colorful lights are damn near blinding me as I follow him, frantically weaving through the benches and animals.
My world shakes when my eyes land on the bloody pile of entangled limbs on the floor.
But it's the squirming of the body underneath in a pool of pink fabric tainted with scarlet that has Vincent and me lunging for the mass of carnage on top of Kate.
Vincent manages to get Alexander rolled over onto the ground, his eyes now a void while his blood continues to pool below him.
A dead look I should be savoring.
But my focus is entirely transfixed on the frantic green ones, rimmed with red, darting around the space.
They have me sinking to my knees. It takes a moment, but Kate releases a sob that should have rage injecting into my veins, yet it's a sign of life that has my fingertips gently reaching for her.
One stroke of my thumb against her reddened cheeks, flushed from crying, has the crimson splatter streaking across her face. I pray to God it isn’t hers.
Her eyes magnetize to mine, the recognition appearing through the shock. My name is a breath. “Preston?”
Kate scrambles, her arms weaving around my neck as I timidly pull her flush against my large frame and rest against the center of the ride—the reflective wall at my back.
“I’m right here, baby,” I croon, cupping her sweaty face with my hand.
Vincent’s commanding tone adds to the strain in my muscles, his voice ordering someone on the phone to get here immediately. It must be Imogen on the other end.
A rapid breath escapes her lungs in a whoosh, my gaze dropping to the pool of dark blood soaking her dress near her abdomen. Dropping my hand from her face, I scan her body desperately with frantic fingers.
Kate shakes her head, her voice hoarse from the purple and pink bruises already painting her neck. “That blood isn’t mine,” she tries to assure me.
My voice struggles to emerge through the fear clogging my throat. “Are you sure?” I rush out, still touching her as she rests against my chest while I search for proof.
The crimson trailing down her calf in stripes has me opening the slit in her dress. In the leg opposite her sheath, the torn muscle in her thigh spills fresh, bright-red blood.
Acid sears my throat. “Shit,” I hiss. My shaky hands hover above the wound. She’s caked in blood from head to toe.
Hers.
His.
I’ve seen every type of wound imaginable, and just like seeing those hearts in that box, I want to release everything in my stomach.
Tears fall from her bottom lashes. Besides the blood, her mascara is streaked all over her overly pigmented cheeks.
“Baby, I need you to tell me everywhere he hurt you.” I swallow, tears burning the corners of my eyes.
Her arms drop from my neck, one of her palms resting over my thundering, rapid heartbeat, as if it will bring her some comfort. “Just my neck and my leg.”
“I need you to be okay,” I mumble, my sweaty forehead falling against hers.
She lifts her hand, her soft touch stroking warmth over my skin as she says the exact words I said to her earlier tonight. Her voice is raspy and broken from him choking her. “I will be. I’ve got you now.”
Vincent hastily steps toward us. “Imogen will be here in five. Hang in there, Kate.”
Her head lifts from mine, those watery eyes landing on Vincent in astonishment.
I give him a curt nod, meaning every word. “Thank you. I owe you one.” If it wasn’t for him, Kate might be dead.
He places his phone into his pocket, scrubbing a hand over his jaw.
“I got a shot off the same moment I watched her slit his throat.” My brows furrow, following his eyes as they gravitate to the motionless body near us.
The gnarly gash across his neck is dripping dark blood, her knife lying off to the side, coated in a thick sheen of crimson.
“She might not have needed me. We’ll never know if it was that or the bullet that killed him first.” His gaze finds Kate, and his mouth lifts into a grin.
I don’t see it often, but when I do, it means he’s proud.
“You’ve got a fighter there. Should’ve known you’d be nosy enough to find your way into the tunnels. ”
She lets out a breathy chuckle, the sound quickly shifting into a groan of pain. Her head lolls against my chest. “I should’ve known that you weren’t just a cleaning man.”
He smirks, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I’ll go wait for Imogen and call our team to come get this cleaned up.” Then, he leaves us.
My heart still won't slow. Not until I know she’s going to be okay. It feels like the weight of my entire life is sitting heavily on my chest, but then I realize, it is.
Gently, I press my thumb into her chin, lifting those beautiful, glassy eyes to mine. “I should’ve said something to you earlier, but I was too afraid to. But nothing scares me more than seeing you like this, so I need to tell you now.”
“Preston, I’m going to be fine—”
“I love you.” She inhales a sharp breath at my words, swallowing. “I’m so helplessly, fucking in love with you, Kate. I have been for a while.”
Her eyes bounce between mine.
“I’m not saying this to convince you to say, because that’s still your decision, and I can’t always promise you a safe life with me,” my jaw flexes, “but I can’t go another moment without saying it.
” Not when tonight could’ve ended differently.
“I’ll regret it for the rest of my life if I don’t, and you never get the chance to hear how much you’ve changed my perspective on life since you’ve flooded my house with your warmth.
Your kindness. Granted, I forced you to stay, but whether you decided to stay with me or leave,” I shake my head.
“I just need you to know that I love you,” I whisper.
Another tear falls from her bottom lashes, and I catch it with my thumb.
She licks her tear-soaked lips. “I’m not going anywhere, Preston.
” Those irises hold mine as she says six words that obliterate the breath from my lungs.
“I’m in love with you, too. Making sure you heard those words was what kept me fighting.
I know you can’t promise me a safe life, I don’t expect you to.
But I’d rather love you for as long as life lets me than never having had a piece of you at all. ”
I angle her face up to mine tenderly, trying to be cautious about her neck, but not caring about the crimson splattering her face. “Are you saying you’ll stay?” I breathe across her lips.
There’s zero hesitation as she draws her mouth to mine in answer, letting me claim her lips with a gentle intensity that has my future sparking before my eyes. Her soft tongue brushes against mine, her fingers drifting across the nape of my neck and threading into my hair, deepening the kiss.
I lay there with my legs spread out, the girl who’s my world braced against me like she’s my stability.
My anchor.
And I’m starting to think I’m hers.