Page 24 of Before the Fall
Now to figure out where the hell we can go to be safe.
As we walk out into the hallway toward the garage, she asks, “Do you think Ryker is right? That they thought Ivy was me?”
Damnit, I had hoped she didn’t hear that, but since Ryker was practically yelling into the fucking phone, it’s no wonder it came through loud and clear. I nod, hating that I have to tell her this.
“Yeah. One thing you should know about the guys who work for my other uncle. They don’t tend to be the brightest bulbs in the box.”
Tia sighs and tightens her hold on my hand. “Thank God.”
I listen carefully for any signs that someone else is in the house with us as we hurry toward the garage, but the house is silent. We reach the car without any problems, so now I just have to figure out where we’re going once we get on the road.
Just before we back out of the garage, Tia looks over at me and asks, “Are we safe for now?”
With a glance at the rearview mirror, I nod and press my foot to the gas. I’m guessing whoever Victor sent is miles away from here by now thinking he got the job done easy-peasy and now it’s time for a nice cold one.
She breathes a sigh of relief as I turn the car around and start driving toward the road, but out of the corner of my eye I see something racing across the front lawn. Before I can turn my head to see what it is, a gunshot shatters the driver side window, sending shards of glass everywhere.
As much as I want to take a shot at the fucker still running after the car, I need to get us the hell out of here. Asshole isn’t much of a killer. The bastard completely missed me.
“Motherfucker! I swear to God when I get my hands on my uncle I’m going to be the one who kills him.”
I speed down the road, my body full of adrenaline, and from next to me I hear Tia softly say, “Jaxon, it hurts.”
Turning to ask what she means, I see the blood. That fuck didn’t hit me but he got her in the arm. Her shirt is covered in red, and I can see by how pale she is that she’s going into shock.
“I’m here, baby. Don’t worry. I’ll get you to a hospital and we’ll have you taken care of. Just stay calm, okay?”
My heart’s in my throat at the thought that Tia might die, so I floor it, sending dust and rocks up behind the car as I race toward the main road. I have no idea where the fuck the nearest hospital is, but I need to find one and fast.
Tia begins to cry and she sobs, “I’m scared, Jaxon. This hurts so much. I don’t want to die.”
I turn the car onto the road and jam my foot onto the gas again. Reaching over, I gently touch her cheek. “I won’t let you die, baby. It’s going to be okay.”
She doesn’t answer, and when I look over, her eyes are closed. “No. Stay awake! Stay awake for me. It’s not long. I promise.”
I see a car coming up fast behind me but don’t pay it much attention since the woman I love is sitting next to me with a gunshot wound to her arm scared to death. Just as I’m about to bark out the question of where the nearest hospital is to the goddamned GPS, the car rams us from behind. I grip the steering wheel tightly to keep the car on the road, but when he hits us a second time, I can’t stop it from careening into a field.
Tia cries out, and my head slams off the headrest, sending me hurtling forward toward the steering wheel. The car flips, and I can’t stop it.
When we finally come to rest, Tia isn’t making a noise and my head feels like someone has it in a vice. I need to get us the hell out of here, but when I try to start the car again, it won’t turn over.
A woman’s voice comes over the car’s navigation system asking if we need assistance. “Yes! We just had an accident, and my girlfriend is hurt. We need an ambulance now!”
I gently touch Tia’s cheek, but she doesn’t respond. God, no. She can’t be dead. I’m too afraid to check her pulse, though. I can’t. She has to be okay.
Someone comes up to my side of the car, and I know before I even look it’s no one who’s going to help. I don’t recognize the guy, but he looks like one of Victor’s. Big, dumb-looking, and pointing a gun in my face.
“Time to go, Jaxon. Your uncle’s waiting.”
“No! Not without Tia. She needs help.”
The guy gives her a single disinterested glance and shrugs. “She’s dead, man. Brush it off because I’m not going to listen to you whine about some dead bitch the whole ride back.”
“Fuck you! I’m not leaving here without her.”
He rolls his eyes and lifts his arm. “Yes, you are.”
A second later, he slams the gun into the side of my head. Everything fades to black, but the last thing I see is Tia slumped over in the passenger seat.