Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 59950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
“Tell me you’re sorry,” he growls again, fucking me harder, deeper, until a burn spreads across the lower half of my body.
“No,” I hiss.
He slaps me again. “Now, Serenity.”
I jerk my hair out of his grip, and my head falls forward. Just as it does, a loud sound rings out.
It takes me a second to realize it’s a gunshot and that Jackson is no longer inside me.
He’s on the ground.
The window is shattered.
And someone is trying to kill us.
14 – Jackson
Pain bursts through my shoulder, sending me flying backward as the loud sound echoes through the room. I stumble to the ground, gripping my flesh where the searing pain is radiating through my body. My mind swims, and it takes me a second to gather my bearings, but when I do, my eyes immediately swing to Serenity, who is standing by the shattered window, her eyes wide, confusion washing across her features.
“Serenity,” I bellow, leaping up and curling an arm around her waist, hauling her to the ground just as another gunshot rings out.
She gasps as she hits the floor, and my bellow of agony as I land on my shoulder fills the quiet room.
“Jackson,” she whispers, her voice laced with fear.
“We need to get out of here. Now.”
Scrambling for our clothes while keeping low, we manage to pull on just what we need. In a matter of seconds, my shirt is soaked with blood and the pain is nearly enough to bring me to my knees. I can’t stop, though. I need to get Serenity out of here, but first, I need to get to my daughter. Someone is trying to kill us, and they very nearly did.
We should have never been by the window.
A fucking stupid mistake.
“Ava,” Serenity whispers, crawling out of the door and down the hall.
I crouch low, following behind her. We burst into our daughter’s room, and Serenity doesn’t hesitate, she reaches into her crib, wraps the blanket around her, and pulls her out. Then we’re moving quickly through the halls and toward the back door. I snatch my phone from the kitchen counter as we go past, quickly dialing Spike.
Chaos unfolds out front, and I can hear the sound of fighting. Whoever was trying to shoot us has been caught by the guys watching my place. Whoever it was is a damn good shot because they had to be a decent distance away to be able to hit us without being seen.
“Spike,” I growl into the phone when he answers, “someone shot at the house. I’m hit. Serenity and Ava are safe. We’re movin’ out the back door. The guys sound like they have found the person out front. Need back up. Now.”
“Fuck,” Spike barks, and I can hear him shuffling. “I’m comin’.”
Shoving the back door open, I use my body to shield Serenity and Ava as we move to the back fence. I take Ava and order Serenity to go over first. She does, and then I carefully use a post to launch myself up with one arm, hanging onto my baby with the other. I pass her over the fence and Serenity stretches up to get her. The pain in my shoulder is unlike anything I’ve ever fucking felt.
My head is spinning.
I don’t know how long I can keep my feet on the ground, but I won’t let anything happen to my family.
“Move toward the road,” I order. “Go slowly, go quietly, stay low.”
“Okay,” she murmurs into the darkness.
I follow behind her, but little by little, my legs are forgetting how to move. I’m bleeding too much, and it’s slowing me down. My head spins as I stop, pressing my splayed hand to a tree and leaning against it, dropping my head, my body heaving.
“Jackson,” Serenity calls softly, but I can’t bring myself to answer.
I’m fighting to stay upright.
“Jackson,” she calls again, this time she is rushing toward me, stopping in front of me. “How bad is it?”
“Don’t know,” I grind out. “I’m good, darlin’, just give me a second.”
She reaches around into my pocket, pulling out my phone, then she turns on the flashlight. I don’t even have the energy to argue with her about lighting up our location. She holds the phone to my chest and a little gasp leaves her lips. “There is so much blood, I need to slow it down.”
She acts without thinking, and I don’t have it in me to stop her.
She pulls off her shirt, not caring that she is left with nothing on, and she bundles it into a ball, baby in one hand. It’s fucking impressive, the way she acts without thought, finding an inner strength she usually keeps locked away. She presses her shirt against my chest and then orders me to tear mine so she can use it to tie the bundled shirt down.