Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 99949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
I locked eyes with Theo and pointed at the kitchen door. He hesitated for only the briefest of seconds, but I didn’t have time to study his eyes to try and figure out what he was thinking. I mouthed the word go and watched as Theo grabbed Riley’s hand and hit the button on the phone. The pair barely made a sound as they hurried outside.
Knowing Theo and Riley were safe helped my mind shift back to my days in combat. I’d been the unit medic but that didn’t mean I hadn’t had the same skills and abilities as my brothers-in-arms.
The voices in the other room had dropped considerably, so much so that I had trouble catching all of the conversation. The pieces I did hear had to do with the guy, Marcus, talking about what I assumed was a former lover. I had no pity whatsoever for the man, so I took advantage of his apparent despair and quickly peeked around the corner of the doorframe. Sawyer was standing just feet from Marcus, whose gun was hanging loosely in his hand and pointed at the floor. I quietly shifted my position so I was nearly inside the room and aimed the shotgun at Marcus.
When Sawyer saw me, I ignored the blood on his face where Marcus had clearly punched him and gave him a slight nod which I hoped like hell he’d understand. If he could talk Marcus down and safely get the weapon from him, I was all for it, but I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger if I thought for even one second that Sawyer’s life was in jeopardy.
I heard tires on gravel at the same time I saw Sawyer reach for the gun in Marcus’s hand. I kept my finger poised on the trigger even after Sawyer took it from him. I wasn’t taking any chances. Marcus could easily have some other weapon on him.
It wasn’t until Sawyer took several steps back, gun in hand, and Cam entered the house yelling that he was a police officer and for Marcus to put his weapon down and kneel on the floor with his hands behind his head, that I marginally relaxed. Marcus did as he was told. Once the cuffs were snapped into place, I let out the breath I’d been holding for way too long and tried to focus on calming my racing heart.
It had been close.
Way too close.
I heard more tires skidding over the gravel, but it wasn’t until someone desperately called Sawyer’s name that the man rushed out of the room. He put a hand on my shoulder and gave me the handgun before shouting to whoever was calling, Jett probably, that he was okay. I waited until Cam had Marcus walking toward me before turning and leaving the house. I only half-listened as Cam began asking me questions because I was too busy searching the area for Theo. I found everyone but him.
I asked Cam if I could provide my official statement later and when he nodded, I put both weapons on the porch just outside the door. Since I’d sent Riley and Theo out the kitchen door, I hurried around the house to that side, but he wasn’t there. I returned to the front and asked if anyone had seen him.
“He… he ran down that way,” Riley sniffled as he pointed toward the driveway.
I took off in that direction but didn’t even make it all the way because when I reached the spot where my car should have been, all I saw was empty space.
He’d run again.
Theo had needed to escape, and he’d used my car to do it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THEO
I sensed him long before I saw him. I didn’t know how I knew it was him, I just did.
I couldn’t look at him when he stopped briefly in front of me, nor when he sat next to me on the hood of the car. I’d expected him to explode when he found me because why wouldn’t he? Not only had I left the chaotic scene as soon as I’d seen Lincoln leaving the house completely unharmed, but I’d also stolen his car in order to get away.
The sun was in the process of dropping behind the horizon, so the sky was lit up with various shades of red, orange, and yellow.
I knew Lincoln wanted an explanation for why I’d run but I didn’t know how to put it into words. I hardly understood any of it myself.
“He… he didn’t hurt you, right?” I managed to choke out, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at the man next to me.
“I was going to ask you the same question,” Lincoln said, his voice surprisingly calm.
“And Riley and Sawyer?” I asked.
“Both okay. Shaken up but okay.”
I nodded in understanding but didn’t say anything.
“I thought that might have been why you ran at first,” Lincoln murmured. “I waited in that spot in the driveway for more than an hour for you to come back because I thought you’d just been in freak-out mode and you’d turn the car around and come home.”