Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Josh and Grim had taught her she was worth fighting for.
“Got you,” Micah whispered.
She turned and brought the rock down on his face, hitting his right eye. Blood spurted and the gun went off. Nicole felt a pain in her gut, but she couldn’t worry about it now.
She’d promised her men this asshole was dead. She was going to make good on her promise this time.
Micah had dropped the gun, his hand coming up to try to protect his ravaged eye.
She was supposed to go for the eyes. The throat. The balls. Vulnerable places.
She’d been the vulnerable one once, and she’d promised to never be that again. Not to him.
Micah hit his knees as she continued to strike him. He fell back.
“Nora,” he groaned. “This isn’t you. This isn’t Nora Holloway.”
“No. My name is Nicole Barnes-Fleetwood, and you don’t scare me anymore.” She picked up the gun he’d dropped and without giving him a chance to plead, shot him. The bullet split his forehead, and the monster who’d chased her for years was gone.
She could hear sirens in the background.
A long, slow breath heaved from her as she realized she’d done it.
Then she went light-headed. Her left side ached. She must have hit it on something. Gingerly, she touched her side and realized her fight wasn’t over.
Blood covered her abdomen. She’d taken a bullet.
She had to get back to the motel. The ambulance was there. She would be fine if she could only get back.
She took three steps and then the world went wavy.
She could have sworn she heard someone calling her name, but she was falling, and the pain wasn’t enough to keep her conscious.
The world blinked out as she wished she could see them one last time.
* * * *
Grim was going out of his freaking mind. “Drive faster.”
Josh sped up the truck, but the truth of the matter was he was already pushing the vehicle and Grim knew it. They’d made the twenty-minute trip into town in less than ten.
“Grim, we won’t help Nic if we’re in a car accident.” Jack was the voice of reason. He sat in the back seat beside Sam.
Dad and Pops. They were here with them. They wouldn’t let their kids go into this alone.
He’d let go of any wish his childhood had gone another way the night before, but he was reminded of it now. He wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here, have any family but this one.
He was wondering how Dad knew where Nicole was. The question ran through his head. They’d all followed Dad to the truck, no one even asking how or why. If Jack Barnes said he knew something, he did. He had pure trust in the man he called Dad.
Still, the question rattled through his brain as some kind of distraction from all the terrible things that could be happening to Nicole. Had he called the security company and asked them to triangulate her cell phone? She had a new one. A reliable one Dad had given her. He wouldn’t put it past his old man to have a way to track her. Hell, Jack had given him his phone. And Josh’s. And Olivia’s.
“Call Landon again.” Josh kept his eyes on the road.
Grim pulled his cell and dialed the bodyguard’s number. He heaved a sigh of relief when the man picked up. “Lan, where are you?”
“I’m pulling in now. I’m sorry it took me so long, but I couldn’t get the security system to unlock at the shelter. I’m glad you’re upgrading because it’s a piece of crap,” Landon complained. “I still can’t get Harlow to… Oh, god.”
Grim’s heart threatened to freeze at those words. “What’s happening?”
Josh sped up again, taking the corner that would lead them to the motel way too fast. Grim could feel the wheels come up but Josh handled it, getting the truck stable again.
“We’re going to need an ambulance out at the motel,” Pops was saying into his phone. He obviously wasn’t going to wait. Pops sounded calm and cool under pressure. “Yes, there’s been an attack. Have the police come as fast as possible. Yes, Charlene, it’s me and Jack and our boys. We’ve got a bodyguard who’ll be on scene, too.”
“Lan?” Grim asked.
“He’s not going to answer. That’s his truck up ahead. He’s already out of it. I can’t see past it, though.” Josh complained tightly. “What if it’s…”
“It’s not. Damn it. It’s not.” He couldn’t believe Landon had found Nicole’s body. He wouldn’t believe it. She was fine. She couldn’t not be.
“We need to stay calm,” Dad advised.
“The cops and an ambulance are on the way,” Pops explained, and he shoved his cell in his pocket. “I let them know we’re armed.”
If this were a big city, he would worry the cops could roll in and not know who the bad guys were. But the sheriff sometimes called Jack and Sam in to help when they had missing kids or old folks. They knew the area better than anyone. They wouldn’t come in shooting. Hell, the sheriff might actually defer to their dad in this situation.