Total pages in book: 9
Estimated words: 7999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 40(@200wpm)___ 32(@250wpm)___ 27(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 7999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 40(@200wpm)___ 32(@250wpm)___ 27(@300wpm)
Sudden rustling leaves put me on edge, and I turn around to see what it was.
A fox, or a raccoon, maybe?
Two dark eyes appear from behind a tree, and panic swells in my body.
I turn and make a run for it, but a strong hand swiftly wraps around my waist and pulls me back into the forest.
What the f—
I shriek, but his other hand clasps around my mouth, sealing the noise inside.
Adrenaline peaks as I dig my heels into the ground and slam my fists into his grip, to no avail. While tears well up in my eyes, he drags me behind a stone and pulls me close to him.
“Ssstt!” A low voice hisses in my ear, and I stop squealing.
Who is this man?
What is he going to do with me?
Suddenly, more rustles are audible up ahead, and a twig snaps in half.
My breathing is erratic, while his comes in heavy strokes. I can feel it as my body is sandwiched between him and the rock.
What the fuck is going on?
He leans in, hot breath fanning against the rim of my ear. “I’ll remove my hand if you promise not to scream.”
Sweat drops roll down my back as I nod.
“Don’t move. Don’t make a sound,” he adds, his voice low … almost threatening.
Not wanting to aggravate him further, I agree. It’s the best shot I have at getting away from him as soon as possible. He removes his hand, but when I turn to see who it is, my jaw drops and I feel faint.
“Mr. Rivera?”
His dark eyes bore into mine, as if to impale me with a secret I’ll be forced to keep or die with.
I swallow down the panic.
What is he doing?
A rock flicks against the stone we’re huddled behind.
SNAP!
His hand dives into his pocket and my eyes widen again when he pulls out a gun.
Oh God.
He gets up, and my eyes instinctively close to avoid looking into the barrel as I expect to be shot.
“Stay down,” Rivera barks.
BANG!
My body jolts up and down from the sound. Someone groans in pain.
BANG! BANG!
Something makes a thudding sound as it drops to the floor like a sack of potatoes, and it makes my eyes burst open again. I slowly move to peek around the corner of the big stone. Somewhere a few feet away from us, between the trees and on the piles of leaves, lies a body … dripping with blood.
Fuck.
Mr. Rivera tucks his gun away and checks the man on the ground, turning over his floppy body to empty his pockets. All I want to do is make a run for it, but my body feels frozen against this cold stone. Mere seconds ago I thought I was the one who was going to die.
“Who is he?” I ask.
Mr. Rivera looks up at me after he’s done inspecting the man. Mr. Rivera wipes his hand on his pants and hisses, sucking in a breath. “Do you want the truth or a lie to soothe your conscience?”
He takes a step closer and I crawl backwards, but he winces in pain and falls to his knees, grunting.
I hold my breath, watching him for a moment.
He shot someone in cold blood right in front of me.
The dean of Spine Ridge University shot someone in the middle of the night right outside campus. In front of a student.
And it didn’t even faze him.
Is he going to kill me next?
Or did he try to protect me?
He lifts up his head and glances at me again before his hand rises from his outer thigh.
Blood cakes his palm.
He can’t walk. He’s not a threat.
Without thinking, I crawl to him.
“You’ve been shot,” I say.
“I misjudged his aim.” He groans again as I help him up. “We have to get out of here. Quick.”
I put my arm around his shoulder. “Can you walk?”
He nods. “A little.”
“C’mon.” I pull him with me towards the open road and all the way up the mountain road until we reach the gates where we pause for a moment. “That fucker slipped right past the guards.”
“He was on campus grounds?” I ask, shocked.
“He undercover. The guards didn’t notice the logo on his boots, but I did. I lured him out so he wouldn’t be able to hurt more students,” he answers. “But I didn’t anticipate one of them being outside of campus walls.”
I rub my lips together, knowing full well he’s talking about me.
“Can you take me to my office? I have supplies there.”
“What about the nurse’ office?” I ask as we head inside the building.
“She’s not working tonight, I sent her home to rest after dealing with… a lot, lately.” He peeks to the side of the stairs. “There’s a staff-only elevator in the corner, behind the staircase.”
“Good, because I’m not dragging you up these stairs,” I say, and we head towards it and step inside.