Page 65 of Madness & Mayhem
Lakyn stares at the snowy ground. “It’s cold, Reign, and it’s far.”
“The streets are too hot, and there are too many cops looking for us. We just have to go, and we have to go now.”
I hop out of the car, and the door groans, the old pickup more rusty than not. Lakyn slides off her fabric seat, shutting the door softly behind her. “It’s not safe to be out here,” she says, glancing in every direction.
“It’s not safe to be anywhere,” I glance down the street, and then in the other direction. “Let’s go.”
I bolt across the street, Lakyn right beside me as we dive into the woods. The tree branches are covered in a light dusting of snow. Every step brings a crunch against our boots as we weave in and out through the trees.
“Speed it up, Lakyn,” I growl.
She huffs behind me. “Do you think they’re in here?” She glances around. “They might not even be in the woods.”
“Oh, we’re in the woods. Put your hands up.” My eyes widen, and I grab my knife in a flash, spinning around and jolting my arm forward at the same moment I duck, a gunshot ringing around and powering over my shoulder.
Lakyn screams, dropping to the ground and crawling behind a tree. The FBI dressed in black stares at me, his eyes wide as he falls to his knees. I pull my knife from his gut, watching as drops of red seep into the white snow.
He lifts his arm, pointing his gun at me. “Put your knife down,” he chokes.
My arm swings out, and I bat the gun out of his hand. It flies across the air, burrowing into the thick white snow.
“You son of a bitch. You’ll never get away with this,” he groans, staring at me with tears in his eyes. His hand goes to his stomach, and he pulls it away, wheezing. There’s a lot of blood. Too much blood. I got him good.
“I’ve already gotten away with it,” I chuckle, stepping forward. The tip of the knife drips blood on his neck, and he flinches away from every drop. Leaning down, I shove the knife into his chest, directly above his heart.
He chokes, his head falling to the side as blood starts seeping from his mouth. “Fuck,” he chokes. “Stop.”
I shake my head. “No.” I twist the knife, watching as his tense body slowly relaxes, the snow around him turning pink with his blood.
In front of my eyes, I watch as his life fades away. He eyes settle closed, and I quickly pull the knife from his chest, wiping it across his clothes before I turn around.
“Lakyn,” I snap, looking around for her.
She bolts out from behind a tree, her eyes wide as she stares down at the dead man. “Is he dead?” she whispers.
I nod.
She can’t take her eyes away from him, shock in her eyes. “Who is he?”
I shrug, kicking him to the side slightly when I see his FBI badge attached to his pants. “FBI,” I mutter.
“Fuck, Reign,” she whispers. “This is bad. Really bad.”
I know. I really know.
“How will we ever be able to live a life? We’ll always be on the run,” she whispers, tears flooding her eyes.
I step up to her, my hands going to each side of her face. I grab her tightly, pushing her against a tree. Her cheeks become painted red, and I wipe it, only smearing it across her face. “I told you, baby Lake. I’m going to take care of you. I’m going to make sure you’re safe. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You and I are going to get the fuck out of here, and they’ll never be able to find us.”
She shakes her head between my palms, fear in her eyes. “How will we ever be able to cross a border? We’ll never get out of here alive,” she whispers.
I give her a single nod. “We’ll find a way. Because there’s no other choice.”
She stares at me, her eyes probing mine. She looks so fearful, each of her eyes darting between the two of mine. After a moment, her chest deflates, her shoulders dropping as she gives me a nod. “Okay.”
“Okay.” Leaning down, I give her a quick kiss before pulling back. “Now, let’s get back to the cabin.”
With one last glance at the dead man behind me, we rush through the trees and make our way back to the cabin. We’re silent, only our short breaths and puffs of air in front of us.