Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Earning her forgiveness will heal the wounds of my soul, and just maybe… I’ll finally be able to fix whatever I broke between us.
“Okay,” she breathes. “And then I have to tell you something too. But first, I’ll hear you out—” her words trail off sharply.
Riley’s gaze shifts to something over my shoulders and I watch as her eyes widen in horror. Her lips part with a silent scream and her arms reach out toward me.
Confused, I try to glance back over my shoulders but I never really get a chance to.
All I see is the blur of a masculine figure and a baseball before it cracks against my temple. The force of it has me stumbling back as the ringing of my ears amplifies, my chest caving in as I try to breathe.
The second hit takes me down.
My heartbeat slows and the harsh metallic taste of blood fills my mouth.
My vision blurs, I hear Riley screaming…
My heart thumps in my chest, hard and painful.
“Riley,” I croak, my voice strained. I try to tell her to run but my mouth is not working. My throat closes as blinding agony slices through me.
She needs to find safety…
Colton.
She needs to go to Colton.
Breathe.
Fucking breathe, you sad-fuck.
When the last hit of the bat strikes the back of my head, it feels like my skull has been split open. My body slumps to the ground.
The world sways.
I blink. Once. Twice.
Silence replaces the ringing in my ears as the world goes black.
EPILOGUE
Riley— 22 years old
I cradle Grayson’s injured and bleeding body in my arms. Letting out a choked sob, I press my hand against the wound in his abdomen. Oh, God. No, no, no. The cut is so big, the palm of my hand is not even enough to cover the whole surface of it.
“Grayson, please.” My voice cracks with terror. Blood drips down my eyebrow, from the nasty gash in my forehead. It hurts, but I can’t focus on my own pain when Grayson is like this— in agony and maybe… dying. No, no… He can’t.
“Don’t you dare die on me,” I beg, a mean fist gripping my heart.
He blinks up at me, his gaze hazy and pained. He raises his arm weakly, cupping my cheek with his bloody hand. His lips part, as if he wants to speak but he only ends up coughing more blood.
The ache in my chest is excruciating.
I can’t breathe. I can’t fucking breathe.
It took us over twelve hours to escape our captor. My gaze slides over to his limp body, a few feet away from us. I shot a man.
I think… I killed him.
My throat closes with a choked sound.
His thirst for vengeance had absolutely paralyzed and terrified me. I hadn’t shot him when I did, he would have killed us.
“Grayson, stay with me,” I whimper heartbreakingly. “Please, don’t go. Stay with me. I’ll get help.” I look around frantically, but we’re on the road, in the middle of nowhere.
Grayson wheezes, the sound of my name soft on his lips. I hold him tighter, the endless stream of tears running down my cheeks. He coughs up more blood, and then his body stiffens with a violent spasm.
His eyes roll back in his head.
I let out an incoherent cry, clutching him to me as his body goes limp in my arms.
Time slows down.
The world sways under me.
Lost in a sea of despair and confusion, I surrender to the numbness nibbling at my flesh. All I can seem to focus on is how much he’s bleeding, and how limp his body is. Grayson tried to protect me. Everything he has ever done was for me— to keep me safe. From people who could hurt me.
And now he’s hurt while protecting me.
Grayson is dying because of me.
Raw sound of anguish tears through me. His breathing is so shallow, almost like he’s taking his last breath. “Don’t…please, don’t die. Don’t leave me. It’s not fair, it’s not fair, it’s not fair, Grayson.”
His chest rattles.
He wheezes.
He’s dying…
No…
Please.
He can’t die now. Grayson deserves his own happy ending.
He can’t be a tragedy, I can’t let him be one.
I can’t let him die.
Somehow I force my brain to chase the numbness away. Somehow I find the strength to move. My whole body aches, every particle of me hurting as I get to my feet. I have cuts and bruises everywhere, but I force myself to take a step, once and twice.
And then another.
I slowly approach the listless body of our captor. I don’t linger too long near him. Shoving my hand in the pocket of his jeans, I take my phone out. I had seen him put it there earlier.
And then I limp back to Grayson.
Kneeling down next to his wounded body, I grasp his cold hand in mine. In my state of complete terror and utter panic, I press the dial.