Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
She’d helped me. She killed the last one.
“Yes. They’re dead,” I told her. I couldn’t spare her any comfort. “More could be out there,” I said harshly. “Stay here.”
She nodded, and she kept nodding. Over and over again.
“You can stop, Addison.”
“Okay.” And she did, her eyes still on the guy behind me.
“I’ll be right back.”
I stood, my legs a little shaky. This wasn’t my first or even my second attack. I’d been in so many, and I’d survived. I’d lived. That was what I did. But this was the first time, or the first that I remembered, when I was scared.
Addison could’ve died.
I turned, going for the door. I had to see if anyone else was out there, and because of her, I knew I’d be more brutal.
The need to kill was stronger than it had ever been.
ADDISON
I stayed.
I didn’t move.
I didn’t dare move.
My arms were straight, and I held the gun steady. I tried to keep my breathing even, but what if there were more out there? Cole was on his own—No. I pressed my eyes closed. I couldn’t focus on that. Cole knew what he was doing. Trust Cole. Do what he says. And that was what I did.
After a few minutes he came back. I saw a spark of pride in his eyes as he looked at me, and a jolt of satisfaction coursed through me.
“Okay.” Cole stopped inside the door of the barn. His hand went to his shoulder. “I need you to do some things for me.”
I stood and hurried down the stairs, still holding the gun. He was breathing a little heavy, but that seemed normal. We’d just been attacked. Right?
“Were you shot?” I heard myself ask. His hand never moved from his shoulder. It wasn’t an ache he was rubbing.
“I was.”
“What?”
“But it went right through me. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
My alarm lessened, but just a bit.
“I need you to do some things.”
I nodded and handed the gun to him, carefully. “I’m ready.”
“Okay. First.” He motioned to all the doors. “I need you to lock all of the doors.”
“Okay.” I reached for the one next to him.
He blocked me. “Not this one. We have to leave through this one.”
“Yeah. Got it.” And I was off. I fumbled with the first one, not sure where the lock was, but once I found it, I made fast work after that. I hurried back and waited for the next order.
He gestured upstairs. “Take a flashlight and go grab my keys, wallet, and phone.”
I frowned. “Why weren’t those in your pants?” He always kept them in his pockets, even when he slept.
A rakish grin was my answer. “Because I was more focused on getting in your pants.”
I laughed, and that felt better. I wasn’t as tense as I grabbed one of the flashlights. Cole also had one in his hand now. He must’ve grabbed it while I was doing the doors. “So where is your stuff up there?” I asked.
“On a counter in the kitchen.”
“On it.” I didn’t want to waste time, but I circled the upstairs, making sure we weren’t leaving anything behind. I had no idea what Cole was planning. With his items in hand, I went back to find him waiting for me, standing in the open doorway.
He motioned to my hand. “I need my phone.” Then waved for me to keep the keys. “My car is behind the other barn.”
“Oh.” He wanted me to drive. Check. I could do that. I started to step outside, but he blocked me once more. His hand touched the door in front of me. “What?”
He didn’t answer, and I couldn’t see his eyes. The moon behind him cast his face in shadow. His voice was soft when he finally spoke. “I need you to keep your head down when you go out there.”
“Why?”
“Do you remember when they first started shooting?”
I nodded, but my mind was blank. I’d switched from panic to fear to ‘let’s get this shit done, whatever that shit is,’ and I was still in that mode. I could follow orders, but… I remembered now—they hadn’t shot into the barn. The horses would’ve bolted. What had they fired at…?
Carl.
My knees buckled.
Cole grabbed my hand. He pulled me toward him, adjusting so my back faced Carl’s car. “Don’t look. Please. I don’t want you to think of him that way.”
I lowered my head, but I wasn’t seeing Carl in my mind. I was back watching Liam. He was in the intersection, waiting. He saw the truck coming, saw me, and he mouthed, “I lo—“
“Addison.”
“What?” I looked up.
“You’re okay?”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve seen bloodshed.”
Cole winced. I caught the faintest glimmer of it before he turned and led me across the clearing to the second barn. I wanted to look, but didn’t. When Cole pulled me the rest of the way around the corner, I sagged in relief.