Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 81867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
He makes me breathless and my voice has no lift whatsoever. “I can’t think of anything else.”
Callum presses a kiss to my forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you,” I reply, and we both turn away from each other to open our doors.
Except I see something from the corner of my eye—a dark streak by the driver’s side and then Callum’s door is wrenched open with such force, it hits the metal storage cabinets he had custom installed in his garage.
I scream as a gun is raised, pointed right at Callum’s face, held by a black-gloved hand. My eyes lift and I see Joshua wearing a maniacal grin, bending down to stare at us.
“Surprise.” He leers at Callum, pressing the gun barrel to his forehead.
“No,” I cry out, my voice warbled from fear and panic.
“Get out of the fucking car,” he snarls, backing up a few feet to give Callum room and motioning with his gun.
“Juni,” Callum says without taking his eyes off Joshua, and I note how utterly calm his voice is. It’s soft, gentle… designed to impart rationality. “I want you to open that car door and run.”
“Don’t even fucking think about it, Juni,” Joshua says, dipping his head to look at me past Callum. He says my name with derision. “You run and I’ll put a bullet in your boy’s brain.”
“Okay, okay, okay,” I exclaim in a panic. “I won’t run. Just please do not shoot Callum.”
“If he’ll get out of the fucking car, I won’t have to.”
“I want you to run, Juni,” Callum repeats calmly.
“I’m not running,” I reassure Joshua in a near scream. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
Joshua brings the gun closer to Callum. “I want both of you out of the car by the time I count to three or Callum gets a bullet in the head. One…”
I don’t wait to hear anything else. I scramble out and slam the passenger door, turning to stare across the roof. Joshua has stopped counting and Callum is slowly straightening, having exited his seat.
My heart jackhammers, but I’m relieved to see Callum following orders. I know how badly he wants to hurt Joshua for what he’s done to me and he’d put himself in death’s way to protect me.
I raise my hands, palms toward Joshua. “Hey, look… I’m out of the car. I’ll go wherever you want me to go.”
“Shut up, Juniper,” Callum growls, turning his head to glare at me over his shoulder.
I ignore him, my gaze pinned on Joshua. “Just me and you. Let’s go right now. Tie Callum up if you want, but I’ll leave with you. No fighting, I promise.”
“Juniper!” Callum barks and because his attention is focused solely my way, he doesn’t see Joshua raising the gun before bringing it down hard on the side of his head.
It’s a blow meant to knock someone clean out—perhaps kill—but all it does is cause Callum to sag to one knee. His head drops below the roof and I can’t see him anymore, but Joshua raises the gun again and brings it down even harder. The sound is a sickening thwack that has me almost puking at the thought of what that just did to the man I love.
“No!” I scream and tear around the back of the car. Not to run away but to help Callum.
Joshua must think I’m making a dash for it because he meets me at the back of the car and I crash into him. He tries to grab me, but I wrench free and drop to the concrete floor beside Callum’s lifeless body.
He’s lying on his side, a large puddle of blood forming under his head. “Oh, God… Callum,” I cry as I put my fingers to his neck. I can’t feel a pulse, but I don’t even know if I’m in the right spot. I use my other hand to shake his body. “Callum… wake up. Wake up, please.”
“Let’s go,” Joshua growls from behind me and his fist wraps into my hair. He tries to jerk me up but despite the pain, I resist and pull against him.
It pisses him off and he gives up trying to lift me away from Callum, instead dragging me backward by the hair. I land hard on my butt and my legs and arms flail as Joshua drags me around the back of the car and toward the passenger side again. He grunts from the exertion but he manages to haul me all the way to the mudroom door that leads into the house.
“Get up,” he snarls, giving my head a harsh yank. To alleviate the pain, I scramble to my feet, only to realize somewhere in all that scuffle, I lost both my shoes. “Get in the house,” he urges and I don’t hesitate. The farther I can get him away from Callum, the better. I don’t trust him not to shoot him when he’s down. I can only hope Callum’s okay.