Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Fuck.
His hand shoots out to grip me by the upper arm, jerking me forward.
“Don’t fucking touch her!” Holden yells.
Samuel simply arches a brow and pulls me to stand in front of Holden, but out of his reach. “Just for that, you get to watch her die first.”
He raises his arm, the gun aimed at my chest. I start to hyperventilate, and Shayne lets out a bloodcurdling scream that rips me apart as Thayer wraps his arms around her middle. She fights against his hold, trying to get to me. I can sense Holden behind me, and I know he’s coming for me, too. Just before he reaches me, Samuel gives me a menacing smile, his finger hovering over the trigger.
A deafening gunshot echoes through the woods, and I can’t hear anything other than muffled screams. Blood coats my chest and face, and then I’m being tackled from behind and shielded with Holden’s body. Thayer runs toward Samuel, who’s standing there with blood pouring from his right shoulder. Thayer easily wrestles the gun from his hand before Samuel clutches his shoulder and drops to his knees, revealing the person standing behind him.
Christian.
“You’re okay,” Holden says, pulling me into his arms, the cord hanging from one wrist as he wipes the blood from my cheeks. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
Shayne runs over, throwing her arms around me from behind, and Holden wraps his arms around her, too, as she sobs into my hair. I hear footsteps crunching in the snow, and I lift my head to find Christian approaching. I tense as Holden stands, walking with Thayer to meet Christian halfway. I hear sirens in the distance, and my eyes follow the sound, noticing August standing off to the side with Christian’s mom. Tears stream down her face, her hand covering her mouth as she watches.
When the hell did they get here?
As soon as Christian’s within arm’s reach, Holden pulls back his fist and sends it right into his face. “Took you long enough.”
Valen
An hour of questioning later, August used that famous Ames’ privilege to talk the police into letting us go home. Samuel was rushed to the hospital where he’ll stay until he’s stable. Christian turned himself in and was taken away in handcuffs, but August assured us he’d be let off after everything comes to light. Apparently, shortly after Holden got the text from Samuel, he got another one from August. Turns out, I was right about where he was. August picked up Rebecca and drove the two-hundred miles to bust Christian out of Hillside Youth Center before concocting a plan to take Samuel down for good. I don’t know all the details, but I’ll hear the full story another day. If my brain tries to process anything else tonight, I think it might break.
Now, we’re all gathered at Holden’s house, grouped off in different parts of the house. I’m with Shayne in Thayer’s old bed, both of us curled on our sides facing each other, still stunned and reeling from everything that happened.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
I snort out a laugh at the absurdity of her question. “Just peachy. Are you okay?”
She nods, her cheek rubbing against the pillow. “Relieved that it’s over.”
“Same. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Holden.”
She shrugs a shoulder. “You’re allowed to protect the things that make you happy.”
“It was supposed to be a one-time thing. I really thought he’d get what he wanted and move on to the next girl. But he didn’t. And then it turned into a two-time thing, and a three-time thing—”
“I get it.” She holds up a hand, stopping me.
“I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to mess with the dynamic for something that was supposed to be temporary. But he was really good to me. It started to feel…real. I know it sounds crazy because it’s Holden, but he’s different with me. I’ve never felt like this about anyone.”
“And that freaked you out?” she guesses, knowing me all too well.
“Yep,” I say. “Because I’m an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot, Valen. You had an emotionally unavailable, narcissistic mother who was jealous of her own daughter and a flaky father who was only present intermittently at best and overcompensates for his absence by buying you expensive things. Of course, having genuine feelings for someone is scary.”
My mouth falls open at her casual delivery and the brutally accurate assessment. I half-laugh, pulling myself up into a sitting position, ignoring the twinge of pain. “Wow, that psych major kicked in hard and fast.”
“You’ve never considered that your upbringing might be the reason you’re kind of…” she hesitates, choosing her next words carefully. “Closed off?”
I shrug. “Not really. I thought it was just because I’m a Scorpio.”
The door opens behind us, and I look over my shoulder to find Holden in the doorway. “Why are you in my brother’s bed instead of mine?” he asks, walking over to us. He bends down to scoop me up, carrying me out of the room like a baby. Shayne shakes her head, but there’s a smile on her face, so I know she’s fine.