Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Two of the men disappear through the exit. The afternoon sunlight filtering in lets us know that the exit leads to the outside. A few tense moments later, they return with Luna walking in between them. As soon as she sees us, she runs to us, falling into our father’s arms. He engulfs her into a bear hug, shielding her from the death inside this room.
“Are we even now?” Dimitri asks.
“For now,” Xander responds.
Dimitri nods. His shoulders sag slightly, as if he is relieved not to be on Xander’s bad side anymore. And he should be. Xander is not somebody you want to mess with.
Dimitri and his men leave the room while we make our way back through the tunnel. Dad never lets go of Luna, keeping her by his side as we arrive back at New Haven.
My mind is still reeling, trying to let it sink in that Rebecca and William are dead. Even though it wasn’t by my hand, she is finally gone. This is what I’ve been working toward for so long, and now that it has happened, I can’t quite process that it’s over.
Quinton walks in front of me as we step out into the now setting sun. Outside, we find the street empty. My father still doesn’t let go of Luna, holding her close by his side, as we walk back toward the gate.
I squint against the sun, my eyes not fully adjusting to the bright light yet. I bring my hand up, holding it above my brow to shield me from the sun. That’s when I see him perched up on the guard house with a rifle in front of him. A gun that’s pointed straight at the person next to me. Quinton.
It feels like everything happens at the same time. The gun going off, me throwing myself against my best friend, the pain radiating through my chest, and then finally me hitting the ground.
21
SCARLET
Ican’t wait for the cars to pull to a stop before I’m out the door, running down the stairs. I hope everybody knows me well enough to know I couldn’t possibly wait a second longer.
All I got was a single text from Quinton: Everybody safe. Ren injured but OK.
What the hell is that supposed to mean? Any number of things could’ve happened. Ren doesn’t need to hurt any worse than he already does. When is this ever going to end?
The door to one of the SUVs opens slowly, and the sight of Luna’s tear-stained face pulls a grateful sob out of my chest. She looks my way after climbing out and offers a shaky smile that lasts roughly two seconds before she spots Sophie dashing toward her. Seeing her mom is what breaks her, and the two of them weep in each other’s arms while Roman wraps them both in a hug.
But where is Ren? I stand on tiptoes, trying to see over the heads of so many men walking around now that they’re getting out of the vehicles. Nobody looks like they’ve been roughed up or anything, so I’m guessing the fight wasn’t too gnarly. I’d feel a hell of a lot better if I could get a look at him.
Finally, he climbs out of one of the SUVs followed by Q and Dad. My feet start moving before I tell them to, carrying me to him. I don’t care that everybody’s watching. I can’t help but throw my arms around him after I almost crash into his firm, warm body.
“Easy, Angel,” he mutters with a breathless laugh. When I pull back, his teeth are gritted. “I got shot, but the Kevlar kept me in one piece.”
He was shot. Somebody shot him. The world starts tilting, and I try to open my mouth to announce I’m going to faint, but nothing comes out. I barely keep myself on my feet.
“That’s not the entire story, either.” Dad pinches the bridge of his nose when he reaches us, then releases a heavy sigh. “It could have been Quinton. It was supposed to be Quinton. And it would have been, had Ren not gotten in the way at the last moment.”
Now I’m really swaying on my feet. My brother walks past, nodding to Ren as he goes. I’m sure he’s in a hurry to get to Aspen after a close call like that. At least he gets to be with her. There are no bars separating them.
Thinking of bars clears up the mess in my head long enough for me to realize besides the quick hug in dad’s office, this is the first time in ages I’ve been able to hold Ren with nothing standing between us. And he can hold me. I rest my head against his chest and close my eyes, willing myself to memorize everything—his strong arms, his heartbeat, the sense of security I feel. Even knowing everything I know about him, about how volatile River is and how unpredictable his appearance can be, it doesn’t matter. Right now, he’s Ren, and he’s holding me, and he’s alive. I don’t need anything else.