Page 111 of Tattletale

I wrestle the pistol out of Riggs’ hand and put him out of his misery with one shot up underneath his chin, sending the bullet to the ceiling. He slumps to the ground.

Ducking behind the nearest glass cube, I give myself two seconds to get my bearings with his weapon, then I go to work.Pop, pop, pop.The men advancing from the front of the building fall easily, but a bullet from behind slams into the glass right next to my head.

I’m shocked the glass doesn’t shatter—must be bulletproof. It can hold out from one bullet, but it won’t for too many more. I dive to the center of the room to avoid a potential glass shard impaling me when this wall falls.

Pop. Pop.

Two more men drop. The floor turns into a pool of red from their head wounds. The last coward sprints to the exit.I have time.I walk to the tipped-over bucket containing Maggie Mae, my girl—the pistol that fits my hand perfectly. She’s loaded and hungry.

I wait until the fucker is almost at the Exit sign. I want him to have a taste of hope…right before I take it away. As soon as his hand is on the handle, I fire off an unnecessary number of bullets. Four, right in the back, ensuring I hit every major organ I possibly can. He slides down the white door, leaving bloody streaks where my bullets blew right threw him.

That was less than a minute of distractions. Now my heart is vibrating in my chest, picturing Cricket’s lifeless body.It can’t fucking be. Not like this.

“Vienne,” I say, “where is—”

I find Gabriel on the ground in Vienne’s arms. His eyes are wide, and he is struggling to breathe. She’s holding his head in her lap, stroking his hair. “Shh, shh,” she coos in his ear, her other hand is wrapped tightly around his chest. Blood is seeping from between her fingers. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

He’s an evil man.

He deserves to die a slow death.

But it’s the tears in Vienne’s eyes that are making me emotional.

“I didn’t—”

“The backfire from Riggs,” Vienne says. “Two in the chest. His heart…”

“I can call an ambulance.”

“No use. He has minutes, Lance. Leave us be. Just let me…be with him.”

For a moment, I’m frozen, watching Vienne’s tears splash into Gabriel’s hair. She plants kisses on his forehead. “I love you, Gabriel. Do you hear me? I love you. I always have. I always will. You can rest now, my love… Be in peace…”

I turn, my stomach growing sick, because I feel like I’m looking into my future. Except I won’t get a last moment with Cricket. If she’s already gone…then so am I.

But I have to be strong enough to face it.

I grab my other pistol and phone from the toppled bucket and find the door that leads to the emergency stairs. I’m sprinting down the staircase, but everything is moving in slow motion. Maybe it’s my mind’s way of protecting me. I’m holding on to the last few moments of peace I’ll ever have. The very last point in time where my world is okay.

Once I see her…

I can’t go back. I can’t go on.

Pushing through the door at the bottom of the stairs, it’s clear the room is free of any threats. There are a few glass cubes down here, but my eyes snap to the only one of real consequence. Because there’s my girl, lying still in the middle of a bed. She looks so pale. Her arm is draped over the side of the bed, looking positively…lifeless.

I know I’m screaming and wailing, but I can’t even comprehend the sound. I try the door to the glass cage; of course, it’s no use. I don’t know the code to the keypad and I don’t have time to mastermind a password that I’ll never guess. I only have one option…

No glass is truly bulletproof. Not even this thick glass that reminds me of a skating rink. Steering clear of Cricket’s motionless body, I unleash bullets into the glass in a tight concentric circle.Pop. Crack. Pop. Crack.Over and over and over, until I run out of bullets. The glass wall still stands, but I know the integrity of the structure is holding on by a thread.

I zip up my leather jacket as I backpedal a few steps. I pivot so my shoulder is leading. After one deep breath, I run at the glass wall with all my might, aiming for the bullets I wedged into the glass.

The shattering sound is piercing, showering me with shards as I cross the glass threshold to face my personal hell. I can feel the blood dripping down my neck and face, where the tiny specs of glass are embedded in my skin, but nothing at the moment is as painful as seeing Cricket’s eyes closed.

I grab her face, and her cheeks feel cold. “Cricket?” I choke out. I pat her cheeks lightly, but she doesn’t respond. I throw my head over her chest, staining the white comforter with blood and tears. I cry like Vienne cried. I’d take a bullet straight to the heart over this feeling. Who knew that Gabriel’s fate was far better than Vienne’s. To have to walk this earth without—

It takes me a second for my brain to register what the flutter in my heart already realizes. Adrenaline washes through me as I realize my head is rising and falling on Cricket’s chest. There’s the faintest thudding against my ear.

Alive. Alive. Alive.

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