Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Holt
Sleep never came last night.
I was too restless, feeling as if I was on pins and needles waiting for our big move.
Everyone sits quietly around the table drinking coffee, lost in thought.
Kane enters the room. “We have movement. Are you ready?” he asks, looking at me.
Standing up, I nod. “Let’s go.”
The girls all stand as well.
“I think it’s best if just Holt and Jace go with me,” Kane says.
“The hell you do,” Rylie exclaims. “If you think I’m going to sit here and wait, you have another thing coming. That’s my sister. My blood and my ride or die,” she states as she walks past us to the door.
Maddie follows behind her. “Ride or die.”
“Y’all already know I’m ride or die,” Brynn adds, flipping the bird at Kane as she walks by.
Kane just shakes his head.
I can’t help but smile. These women love my girl. Raelyn has one hell of a pack in her corner.
Raelyn
I barely slept last night. I tossed and turned throughout the night. All I could think about was my plan to escape.
Now, I sit patiently waiting. “I can do this. I can do this.” I keep chanting to myself while rocking back and forth on the cold ground. My body is jittery with anticipation.
I figure my best chance at taking her down is her neck—her carotid artery.
My mind goes to Holt and my family. What I wouldn’t give to see their smiling faces again. I close my eyes. “Dear Lord, please give me the strength to fight this battle.”
I hear the familiar sound of her approaching car.
My heart instantly starts pounding. Retrieving my weapon, I wait inside the bathroom. It feels like eternity until I hear the lock turn and the door open. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath.
“Raelyn,” she calls out.
I silently wait, baiting my prey.
“Raelyn,” I hear her say again, sounding agitated, as her footsteps draw closer.
Adrenaline starts pumping through my veins.
Her body fills the door and I attack. Rushing her, I bring the weapon down as hard as I can into her neck.
She screams out in shock and pain, clutching her throat as she staggers and slumps to the floor.
I see blood start seeping out under her hands.
“You stupid little bitch!” she screams.
I run as fast as I can for the door.
A shot rings out as I sling the door open making my escape. Shit, she’s shooting at me. I feel pain radiating down my leg. To my horror, I look down and see blood seeping through my pants. No, no, no, this wasn’t supposed to happen.
She shot me.
I keep moving as fast as my leg will allow me, but the injury is slowing me down.
Busting through the door, I inhale the fresh air while shielding my eyes from the bright sunlight.
I stop for a minute to scan the area. I was right, it was an old warehouse type building.
Spotting her car, I make a run for it, praying the keys are inside. I jerk the door open, feeling for the keys while looking around. No luck. “Ugh!” I scream, hitting the steering wheel as anger courses through me.
Off in the distance, my eyes land on a big barn. Maybe there’ll be something to help me inside.
I make my way to the barn as fast as I can, but my leg is starting to give out as the pain radiates through it.
Once my fingers touch the rough, old barn wood, I glance at the warehouse building to see if she’s following me. To my relief, I don’t see any movement.
Sitting down, I assess my leg for a minute. I’m losing too much blood. I need to apply pressure and fast. I dig my fingers into the hole the bullet left in my pants and rip. Using the tattered fabric, I form a tourniquet, tying it tightly above my wound.
I take a deep breath.
Now what? Think, Raelyn. Think.
Holt
“Looks like the tracker has stopped at an abandoned warehouse,” Kane says, studying the tablet. “According to the maps, it’s in a remote location off the road. The perfect spot to hide someone. We’re ten minutes out.”
“Make it five. Get me to my girl,” I state, staring at the road ahead.
Once we get close to the location, Kane pulls off the road. “We’ll travel on foot now,” he says. “We don’t need to spook her. We need to take her by surprise. Rylie, Maddie, and Brynn y’all will stay in this car. That’s an order. Rylie, you get in the driver’s seat and be alert. I think she’s working alone, but I want to use all precautions. If you hear or see any commotion, call the cops,” Kane says.
The girls all nod. We exit the vehicle, slipping into the thick brush along the road.
“If we end up face to face with Jessica in a situation, let me talk,” Jace says.
I nod. We come to a stop to stay hidden as the woods open to a clearing. When I scan the area, I instantly see movement.
Jessica’s walking to what looks like an old barn.
I nudge Kane, but he’s already watching her.
From her stance, she appears to be pissed as she stalks toward the barn. Is she holding her neck?
“Is she bleeding?” Jace whispers.
I squint.
He’s right, she’s injured.
“Something’s wrong,” Kane states.
I refuse to wait another minute and break into a sprint toward her. Nothing else matters at this moment.
Raelyn
This could be the end for me. I’m hiding in a corner and starting to feel weak.
There’s nothing in this stupid barn to help me, and I’m losing too much blood. Damn her, she’s not supposed to win.
The barn door slams open. “Come out you stupid bitch. I know you’re in here because I followed your blood trail. You thought you were going to kill me, huh? This ends here,” she yells.
Anger takes over me. “Go to hell,” I yell as I push off from the wall exposing myself.
She scans the room until she finds me, then a slow evil smile spreads across her face.
She’s bleeding pretty well herself.
At least I’m not going down without a fight.
Something catches her eye as she spins around, and my eyes fly up to see Holt enter the barn. My heart slams against my chest.
My man is here.
“You touch her again, and I’ll kill you.” Holt sneers. His voice is both Heaven and Hell.
Even angry, he’s beautiful.
Shock is evident on her face as she raises her gun at him.
Then someone else steps in front of him, shielding Holt from the crazy.
My heart soars. Jace got my message, he figured it out.
“Jessica, you don’t want to do this,” he says calmly.
“No, this isn’t how it’s supposed to end,” she screams, starting to lose control. “You did this.” She points the gun at Jace. “You could’ve had me, but you chose her.”
“Jessica, put down the gun so we can talk,” Jace calmly says.
“I killed those strippers, Jace, and I’ll kill again. Why couldn’t you just love me? What does she have that I don’t?” Her lip quivers.
“Jessica, I want to help you,” he says as he takes a few cautious steps toward her.
He’s within arm’s reach of her, and my heart’s in my throat as I watch.
Sirens fill the air in the distance.
I see panic on her face as my vision starts to tunnel and blur.
“I will not go down for this,” she screams. “She deserves to die!”
I hear shots ring out as the darkness takes over me.