Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
“You’re damn fucking right, I am,” I admit. “I’m terrified, but I gave you my word, Killer. I just need you to meet me halfway. You gotta keep fighting, okay? I lean, you lean, remember? I’ll give you anything you want, just stay with me.”
“Anything?” she questions, those beautiful full lips pulling at the corners into a soft smirk. “Even butt stuff?”
I can’t help but grin at her as I shake my head. “Fucking hell, babe. This isn’t the time to be joking,” I tell her, not surprised one fucking bit that even on her fucking death bed, her blood pooling over my fingers, she’s cracking jokes about getting railed in the ass.
“Wait,” Riley says, his gaze lifting to mine. “You haven’t fucked this sweet ass yet? Dude, lacking. I’m not impressed.” He glances at my girl before I get the chance to curse him out. “Just say the word, babe. If you want me to pop that ass cherry, it’ll be my honor. Any time, any day, any place. You bring the ass, I’ll bring the equipment.”
If my hands weren’t currently keeping my girl from bleeding out on the grass, I’d fucking beat his ass black and blue. “Watch your fucking mouth, man,” I spit, the harshness in my words more than enough warning. “I’ve already put one asshole in the ground. Don’t make it two.”
Riley grins back at me, and I realize too late what the two assholes have been doing—distracting me enough to calm me down and keep my mind off the bullshit that’s out of my control.
Letting out a sigh, I look back at my girl and, while keeping my hands on her wound, I lean down and brush my lips over hers. “I love you, Brielle,” I tell her. “You’re my whole fucking world, and if you fight to keep yourself alive now, then I promise you in return, I’ll fight for us every day for the rest of our lives. I’ll make you so goddamn happy, you’ll want to pulverize me. You got that? You have to live because I don’t want to face a world where you’re not doing everything in your fucking power to make me want to hate fuck you until you scream.”
“Swear it?” she questions, her lips moving against mine, her voice barely audible.
“I fucking swear it, Killer. You and me … maybe Riley too, but really, we should probably find him some other poor girl to sink his claws into before he starts thinking this is a group project.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Her eyes flutter again, and a wave of panic soars through my chest, nearly crippling me. If it weren’t for the fact that my position here is what’s keeping her alive, I would have succumbed to the horror ages ago.
With the first responders getting closer by the minute, Chanel scrambles to her feet and races toward them, waving her hands and screaming for them to hurry, probably feeling just as helpless as I do. But the fact they’re close enough for Chanel to reach has relief pulsing through my veins.
They’re so close. We’re gonna make it. Everyone is going to be okay.
The cops come blasting in behind the paramedics, covering the property like a plague of red and blue flashing lights. I can’t help but glance back at Colby’s lifeless body, unease and fear gripping my chest and squeezing impossibly tight.
There’s no way the cops are going to let me walk away from this. Not now. Not after ending his life with my bare hands.
Catching my stare, Riley shakes his head. “Don’t fucking go there, man,” he tells me. “Bri, Addie, and Jax are what’s important. They need you more than anything. Go to the hospital. I’ll stay here and deal with Colby.”
“But the cops—”
“No,” Riley says. “The cops don’t know shit. They don’t know it was you or what went down. Just get in the fucking ambulance with Bri. I’ll stay here. Besides, their first priority is to try and save him.”
“There were too many witnesses,” I say. “They’ll fucking know.”
The first ambulance comes to a screeching halt, stealing my attention away from my best friend as Hudson’s patience wears thin. He scoops Addie off the ground as Ilaria curses him out. “HELP!” he hollers as the paramedics bail from the rig. He races toward them, Ilaria barreling after him, her hands soaked with Addison’s blood.
They tear open the back of the ambulance, and I watch Hudson all but toss her inside. Two paramedics immediately get to work, surrounding Addie as Ilaria drops to her knees in the grass, letting out a heart-wrenching sob of despair.
Hudson clambers into the back of the ambulance, refusing to leave her side, gripping Addie’s hand as the paramedics do their thing. Before I know it, the other ambulances and cop cars are coming to a stop too.