Page 61 of Outrun The Devil
Jessica's bottom lip quivered, her eyes brimming with fear. Olivia reached out and gently held her daughter's trembling hands, trying to convey a sense of strength and reassurance.
“But I need your help, Jessica,” Olivia continued, her voice steady. “I need you to help me down the stairs.”
With Jessica's support, she mustered the strength to stand, her legs wobbling beneath her. Every step felt like an eternity as they worked to the top of the stairs.
As Olivia glanced down the staircase, a sense of dread settled within her. The path to freedom seemed treacherous and daunting. The stairs were steep, and the railing was broken and unstable. Each step would be a challenge, testing their resilience and determination.
Gripping onto the handrail for support, Olivia took a deep breath, steadying herself. She turned to Jessica, a mixture of worry and determination in her eyes.
The snarls and yelps began to lessen until one louder one was heard. Olivia’s breath caught and urgency surged through her as she quickened her unstable steps.
“Mom, slow down,” Jessica warned. But all Olivia could think about was Nathan. Was he okay? Was he dead? Did he kill Vincent?
Olivia's gaze locked with Nathan's familiar eyes, a wave of relief washing over her as she took in the mangled body of a wolf behind him. Every fiber of her being yearned to rush into his arms, but her body betrayed her, weakening under the strain. Collapsing to the ground, Olivia fought to stay conscious, her daughter struggling to support her weight.
In that final moment before darkness engulfed her, Olivia's mind registered a single thought — they were both alive. The knowledge that they had made it through the harrowing ordeal gave her a glimmer of hope, a reassurance that their strength and resilience had carried them this far.
As her vision faded and her consciousness slipped away, Olivia clung to that flicker of hope, trusting that Nathan would ensure their safety. In the darkness, she held onto the belief that their bond, their love, would guide them back to the light.
With her last ounce of strength, Olivia whispered a silent prayer, her voice barely a whisper on the wind. She entrusted their fate to the hands of fate, knowing that the fight was not yet over and that their journey toward healing and survival was far from finished.
And as the darkness claimed her, Olivia surrendered to its embrace, finding solace in the knowledge that they had faced the darkness together and emerged stronger, ready to face whatever lay ahead.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Olivia's eyelids fluttered open, greeted by a surge of searing pain that rippled through her body. A groan escaped her lips as she attempted to shift, the agony intensifying with every movement. She found herself lying on a cold, hard surface, her surroundings blurred and disorienting.
Gasping for breath, Olivia fought against the haze of pain and confusion, her senses gradually adjusting to the dim lighting of the room. Her body protested every attempt to rise, muscles aching and protesting with each twitch. She realized she was bound, restrained by unseen restraints that held her in place.
Fear coursed through her veins, mingling with the pain. Where was she? How had she ended up in this wretched state? Memories began to flood back, the confrontation with Vincent, the struggle with the werewolf, and the desperate mission to save her daughter.
“Mom?” Jessica’s voice quivered with relief. Olivia forced a smile and tried to reply, but the words wouldn't come out. She squeezed her daughter’s hands instead, wiping away the tears on her face.
Jessica leaned forward and kissed her mother's cheek. “You're going to be okay,” she said reassuringly.
Olivia attempted to sit up, stifling a painful yelp as she did so. Jessica helped her, trying not to show how scared she was. Yet every look in her eyes seemed to say: Please don't leave me again!
Clenching her teeth in anger, Olivia remembered why she had pushed herself to this point—to save Jessica from that monster. But now it felt like they'd both been dragged into something far bigger than either of them had anticipated.
Olivia looked around the hospital room, looking for someone in particular - or rather two men.
“I sent them off to get you coffee. Or well, I sent one off and then the other insisted they do it.” Jessica grinned, unknowingly adding more tension to the air between them.
“Them?” Olivia raised an eyebrow.
“Your partner and then some hot dude in a black suit showed up.”
Xavier Knight. Why would he show up? What did he want? Too many unanswered questions and those weren’t the important ones.
No, all Olivia Collins could think about was that Vincent was still alive. She could feel it in her bones.
“I didn't know you were dating.”
“I'm not.” Collins groaned in frustration, anger simmering beneath the surface at the fact that Xavier showed up. Nathan, she expected. She’d be more surprised if he hadn’t shown up.
“Do they know that?” Jessica laughed nervously, confusion and curiosity painted across her face as she realized just what kind of world, she had been pulled into without even knowing it existed.
A heavy silence settled upon the room, enveloping Olivia in a suffocating cloak of regret and apprehension. Her mind raced, desperately searching for a way out of the tangled web of danger she had inadvertently woven around herself and her daughter. As she gazed at Jessica, her heart swelled with gratitude that her daughter remained physically unharmed, at least for the time being. But the lingering words “for now” hung heavily in the air, a stark reminder of the precariousness of their situation.