Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 133688 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133688 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“Katie,” I say, grabbing her wrists and trying to sit up. “I'm fine, sweetheart.”
Eric comes over and gives me a hand, and I help Katie up, then wrap my arms around her. I smell the scent of her hair, kiss the softness of her skin, and take her all in.
“How are you alive?” she asks, confused. “I watched her shoot you.”
I smile and nod toward Eric. “It was his call on the bulletproof vest.”
I unbutton my shirt and show her. Katie runs her hand across the entry point.
“Just gonna be sore for a few days.” I wince, knowing it’s already bruising.
Eric gives us a moment, and I hold Katie tight. Tears slide down her cheeks, and she squeezes me like she’s never going to let me go.
“I was so scared I lost you,” she says. “So fucking scared.”
“I felt the same. I didn't really think she’d pull the trigger,” I say. “I'm just happy you're okay.”
“She has a faint pulse!” Eric yells.
Katie's eyes go wide. “Brittany's still alive,” she whispers.
I have no concept of time because the passing moments seem to rush by and slow down all at once. But when I see Loretta get out of the car, my mouth falls open.
“Loretta?” Katie asks with confusion in her tone because I've lost the ability to speak.
She walks swiftly toward us, wrapping her arms around us. “Oh thank God, you're okay.”
This is the closest I've stood next to my aunt in the past decade. She looks like she's been to hell and back.
“I've already called 911,” she tells us. “An ambulance is on their way.”
Eric kicks away Brittany’s gun, then goes to Nicolas. “He's dead.”
I don't have it in me to turn my head and look.
“What’re you doing here?” Katie finally asks Loretta.
“Well, honey, I knew Brittany was up to something, so I did some investigating. When I saw Noah and this young man leave so quickly, I knew something was going on, so I followed them. When I saw Brittany had a gun, I didn't know what else to do. I had to protect you,” Loretta says, then she meets my eyes. “I owe you both as much,” she admits, and I feel like I'm living in the twilight zone.
“Thank you,” Katie says and then immediately bends over and empties her stomach on the gravel.
“Are you okay?” I ask, noticing her cheeks are still red from where the duct tape was and see scratches on her cheeks.
“I think it's all too much. My body’s going into shock,” she admits, and thankfully the ambulance arrives. As she takes a step forward, Katie nearly passes out, so they decide to take her to the hospital to get her checked out. After Brittany is put on another ambulance, the police rope off the area and start asking questions.
Loretta and I have more than enough evidence, and I'm grateful as hell she doesn't hold back. After they've gotten everything they need and get our contact information for later, Eric and I walk to the car. Before we leave, I turn to Loretta and thank her. Something I never thought I'd be doing.
On the way to the hospital, I call my dad and Gemma. I also reach out to Katie's parents and let them know what happened. By the time I arrive, Katie’s already in a room being pumped full of fluids. Her parents arrive with Owen, who's immediately upset to see his mom lying in a hospital bed.
“I'm fine,” she coos, trying to calm him. “Mama's gonna be okay.”
Owen leans across the bed and lays his head on her stomach. The stress of it all has gotten to him, and it's written all over his face, but he keeps it tucked inside. A typical Reid reaction.
I move closer to him and place my hand on his shoulder. “I wasn't gonna let anything happen,” I admit. Owen turns around and gives me a hug. I squeeze him tight, wanting to protect him just as much.
Katie smiles as she watches us, and I see a twinkle in her eyes. Her mom fills the empty space with a rundown of how the rest of the celebration went. My old friend guilt visits again when I realize I've thrown another wrench in Gemma and Tyler's happiness.
Before I can say anything, my dad and Gemma rush through the door with panic written on their faces.
“Oh thank God,” Gemma says when she sees Katie and me. “I was worried sick.”
Dad greets the Walkers, then pulls me into a hug. “You had me worried, kid.”
“I know. Hopefully, this won’t be an issue anymore,” I admit.
“What the hell happened?” Gemma finally turns and asks me. “One minute, you're searching for Katie, and the next, she's in the hospital.”
“It's a long story,” Katie says, giving everyone a very brief summary of what happened, without all the detail because Owen's in the room. I can tell she's being careful with her words, but Gemma gets the gist of it.