Page 108 of First Surrender
I don’t think, I only react, dropping the woman I love and leaving her in a heap at my feet as I pull the trigger.
POW!
Jesse and Nathan are already discharging their weapons over my left and right shoulder as I step over Natalie’s shrunken form, putting her behind the gunfire.
POW! POW! POW!I fire in rapid succession until my clip empties, Declan’s body bearing each bullet brutally before collapsing backward.
His gun hits the grass before he does.
Threat eliminated.
“Shots fired. Send multiple EMS,” my words drone robotically into the radio.
Declan Randolph won’t need an ambulance. He’s dead, I already know it but Nathan jogs over anyway to check for a pulse. A subtle nod in my direction is all I need to confirm.
“Jackson, we need to go. Please, let’s go!” Natalie’s voice reaches me but it sounds hollow in my ears. My actions are catching up to me.
I just killed Dec’s dad.
“Malec. Get your head out of your ass,” Jesse grips my right forearm, forcing me to lower the weapon that I haven’t reholstered.
“The rest of the property is clear?” Nathan asks, communicating with my deputies for me while I’m still stuck in a haze.
“All clear.”
“Jackson, Dec’s not here. I told him to run and they went after him. We need to find him, please.” Natalie grips my shirt, forcing my focus on her.
“Where?” Dec needs me.
“I don’t know, the last curve. I don’t know. We jumped out of the car and I told him to run.”
“Okay, let’s go. Nathan and Jesse, stay with us. Everyone else, secure the scene!” I shout, restoring my authority and flipping the switch I need to complete my mission. Find Dec.
He might hate me once I find him, but at least he’ll be safe.
I tuck Natalie into my passenger seat and look at her closely for the first time since seeing her in the car. “Are you okay?”
“No, Dec’s gone,” she crows. Her skin is still damp from overheating and I take two seconds to wipe her hair out of her face. She has a laceration on her forehead but the blood is dried. I can already see the bruise forming but she doesn’t mention it and neither do I. I know it’s the least of her concerns.
“I’m going to get him back, I promise.”
“I know. I knew you’d find us.” She presses her forehead to mine and squeezes her eyes shut. “Declan’s dead isn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
A soft cry escapes her throat and her body shakes in my arms. “I’m sorry, Jackson. You shouldn’t have had to do that.”
“Doesn’t matter, I’ll always do whatever it takes to keep you safe. We’ll talk about it later.” I kiss the tip of her nose and shut her in the air conditioning, when I turn around Jesse’s standing there with a water bottle.
“She’s dehydrated. The heat exhaustion is going to catch up to her soon. Whatever comes next might be rough.” He hands me the water and looks deeply into my eyes.Whatever comes next.
That could mean anything but I know what Jesse is insinuating. These mountains, these woods, are dangerous and unforgiving. We don’t know what’s out there and we don’t know who Declan sent out looking for Dec already. We just have to hope that we find him first.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Natalie
“Right here. I told him to jump and run until his legs gave out,” I explain to Jackson from the passenger seat. The cool air is starting to give me the chills, my body going from one extreme temperature to the other.