Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
She grew sheepish, glancing down at the ground and biting the inside of her cheek. “I chickened out.”
“Oh.”
“I will. I promise—”
“No, don’t. I…” What could I say here? “Don’t.”
“But…” She gave the guards a meaningful look.
“I know. I’ll fix it. I’ll make it work somehow.” By leaving you, but I couldn’t say that. That wouldn’t be a topic of discussion. It was just going to happen, and by the time they realized it, I’d be gone. It would be done. I’d need help with Carter, but that was for another day. “I promise. I’ll make it right,” I told her.
“How?”
I shook my head. “Who’s Shelly?”
“My coworker. I was asking if she could take over some of my workload for next week.”
“Oh.” I felt a tiny bit foolish. “Okay.”
She skirted between me and the door, then asked, “You hurried out here to tell me that?”
I nodded, feeling my throat tighten. I rasped out, “Yeah.”
“Do you mean it?”
“I do.” A little hole had formed in my chest, and I felt it growing as this conversation continued.
“Thank you, Emma.”
I couldn’t talk. I knew what this meant, what I was saying. Even if I changed my mind, she might not be willing to end it with Brian. Love was powerful. I had been given a blessing. Amanda had felt a moment of weakness, but it wouldn’t come back. I could see the relief in her eyes. It was so strong. She loved this guy with everything in her, and Amanda had never loved a guy before. She’d dated a couple, but that had been it. There’d been no mention of love. My soul mate couldn’t be the reason she had to give hers up, and I hoped, right now, that he’d be that to her—her soul mate.
I was giving my family up for him. He’d better goddamn well be.
“Theresa and Noah are still inside?” she asked.
I nodded. “We should go back.”
Amanda grabbed my arm. “I mean it, Emma. Thank you.” She pulled me in for a hug and murmured, “I really love him, a lot.”
I hugged her back. “I know you do. I can see it.”
And then the ground shook underneath us, and a force hit us, throwing us to the ground. I looked up, my ears ringing, and saw one of the guards standing over me. I couldn’t hear anything. I couldn’t feel anything either. Everything was numb at first, and I tried to look for Amanda, but then the pain hit me.
I sat up, coughing as more and more pain sliced through me. It felt like a thousand knives were trying to cut their way out of me. Feeling wetness on my hand, I held it up and saw blood. Then the ringing almost doubled.
But I heard one shout, one word, come through it: Bomb.
The pain didn’t subside. It felt like I’d been lying there for hours before Thomas reached down and picked me up. He started running somewhere with me, but where was Amanda? I tried to look around for her. When I couldn’t see her, I tried hitting Thomas’ chest to get his attention. He ignored me and kept running. With each step he took, pain jackknifed all through me. I kept coughing up blood. I needed Carter.
“Amanda,” I whispered. But my lips couldn’t move. They hurt. Every inch of me hurt. Then Thomas turned the corner, and I saw that a crowd had formed across the road. People were backed up against the building. All were pale. Tears in their eyes. Hands covering their mouths. One girl ran from behind us to their side and was swept up by another girl. Both were crying, but their relief was evident. They were happy to have found each other.
“Car,” Thomas barked to someone, careening past the crowd at a breakneck speed.
My friends. They had to get my friends.
Then he stopped and bent down. There were shouts all around us. A swarm of others surrounded the car. Were we under attack? I tried to look, but the men who had rushed to us had their backs to us. They were acting as a human shield, but I could see someone coming to us. I could see him through the human wall. They moved aside for him. He wore a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up and black pants. His eyes were fierce and his jaw clenched. He was cold and livid at the same time. A sliver of recognition went through me, but this wasn’t Carter. It was Cole.
Thomas waited for him, but my friends—Amanda. Noah. Theresa—where were they? I tried to lift up so I could see. They might already be inside the car, but I had to see—as I moved, a scream tore from me. I didn’t recognize it as mine, but I knew it came from me. It sounded like a wounded animal.