“No, you’re not okay! Don’t lie to me! I know you—you’re not okay!” Cole’s face looks like it’s going to explode with fury. The vein in his forehead pulses and his fiery eyes look possessed. He paces around when Sutton stops him.
“That’s it. I’ve had enough,” Sutton says. All traces of compassion leave his expression. “It’s apparent you two have failed to listen to me. Now, I have no choice.” He motions to me. “Too many people’s lives are at stake here and the two of you are going to get us all killed. I have no other choice until things settle down. Lexi, you’re going to your brother.”
“The hell she is!” Cole says.
“This isn’t your call and you know it! I’m doing what needs to be done here. You couldn’t stop whatever it is you two have going on—so I am! It’s over and she’s going to Keegan. I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
I give him a questioning look. “You know where he is?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. Why would you know where—?”
“There’s no time to explain. I’m calling for transport now.” Sutton mashes a button on his phone. “Cole, Bruno, please make sure she gets there safely.” He squints as he reads something on his phone. “Oh, good. There’s a black van waiting for you outside the side entrance.” He pulls a drawer open and reaches out his hand toward me. I take the book. “I saved this for you. Thought you might like to have it.”
“Thank you,” I say.
I take the book from him and press it against my chest. The Last Silk Dress, the book that Alyssa loved so dearly and wanted me to read to her every night. My heart crumbles thinking about her. “See you soon… I hope.”
Sutton nods as he opens his door and sends us away without a good-bye. “Hurry!” At that, he briskly walks away and I meet the eyes of Amber, standing, staring at all of us in the hall.
Her murderous glare gives me goose bumps, and immediately I know we need to move or she’ll be the one to report us.
Bruno, Cole, Zeus, and I hop into the rusted black van idling outside the side entrance. There’s no joking around as we drive, just anxious glances through the filthy tinted windows. Zeus whines so I pull his head into my lap.
I rub my watering eyes and see a dead body lying alongside a building. It’s a younger man. Even through the heavily tinted windows, I can make out the vivid colors of death. His long blond hair partially covers his face, and his clothes are a dusty, faded blue color. Blood pools around his midsection, seeping from gunshot wounds. I turn away, feeling sick.
I feel suffocated. The world is crashing around me, taking everything away that I ever cared about. Now I’m going to lose the only person I want more than anything—the man I love.
My chest tightens with fear of the unknown. I twist my ring around on my left finger while waiting. It’s a turbulent ride. The lack of a seatbelt makes it hard to sit in one spot, and I keep sliding into Cole. He finally wraps his arm around me to console me, but I can see in his eyes that he’s afraid too.
Suddenly, the sound of bullets tinging off metal rings my ears. Cole pulls me onto the floor as the van swerves left and right. All of our bodies lie jumbled in the middle, and we cover our heads with our arms, as if that’ll help.
“Stay down. Stay down!” The driver shouts from the front seat.
Cole puts his arm over me and I begin screaming with fright. I just can’t handle any more in one day. I can’t breathe, think, or begin to digest what’s happening. I peek over and Bruno lies against Cole. His eyes meet mine for a second and he smiles. Zeus huddles against me, barking and whining.
The van hits a ditch and the driver begins cussing furiously. Cole crawls to the front and checks on him as blood pours from his arm.
“Let me drive,” Cole yells.
We hit another pothole and lurch into the air, slamming back down. My brain collides with my skull, rattling my senses, and darkening my vision momentarily.
“It’s just my one arm. I can still drive,” the driver yells.
Cole hunkers back down, startled each time the bullets pierce the body of the van.
My screaming turns to whimpering as my face throbs. I check Alyssa’s book under my stomach to make sure I didn’t damage it and groan with each bump. The shooting gradually fades into the distance and Bruno sits up with Cole. They count fifty bullet holes, which miraculously didn’t kill any of us.
Finally, some freaking luck in this forsaken place.
Cole grabs my arm and gently pulls me against him. I collapse in his arms, feeling fragile and emotionally exhausted. He brushes my matted hair away from my eyes and grips my arm tightly. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him. Or Zeus. Or Bruno. Even he’s become part of our inner circle.
But there’s no rest, even for the very, very weary.