Page 110 of Broken Pieces

“I’ve got you, Blue. I got you.”

The sound of Brooks’ voice snaps me to attention. His voice more powerful than the drugs I was given. Despite the fact, I feel like I am supposed to hate him, I have never felt safer in his arms. I throw mine around his neck.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he whispers into my neck.

I breathe him in, his bergamot and grass scent smells like home. Every muscle in my body relaxing at the familiarity.

He pulls away from me and brushes the back of his hand against my face over my wound, “How bad does it hurt?”

I open my eyes and look at him.

“Did he drug you?” He must see the glazed over look in my eyes.

I nod.

“Fuck,” I hear Easton say behind him.

The sound of breaking wood snaps Brooks attention to the treehouse. “That motherfucker.”

Easton grabs ahold of me while Brooks stands and moves toward the ladder. “Wait for the police, Brooks.”

“I can’t,” he says, shaking his head. “Look what he did to her.”

“I can see what he did. But if things go south you could end up in prison,” Easton says as he hauls me into his arms.

“I’ll take those risks if it means she will be safe from him forever.”

I try to say something but Brooks is already climbing the ladder.

“It will be fine. He’ll be fine. The police should be here any minute.” Easton tries to calm me as he runs his hand through my hair.

The sound of sirens getting close helps ease the anxiety I feel. Until I hear yelling up in the treehouse. I jump out of Easton’s arms and stumble to the ladder.

Easton grabs me around the waist. “Stop, Rae.”

“I can’t.”

I have more luck making it up the ladder this time. I feel Easton right behind me. As I clear the landing, the fog over my brain clears.

Logan has Brooks in a chokehold. Brooks is bleeding from his ear. Logan’s gun is on the ground next to the box. The floor of the treehouse destroyed from Logan tearing it apart to find it. A bloody piece of board lays next to them.

I crawl over the broken boards to reach for the gun, but Logan sees me and kicks me in the ribs. Easton is about to crawl onto the landing, but Brooks pushes Logan off him and into Easton. Brooks and Logan both grab for the gun. They wrestle for it, Brooks straddling Logan, trying to knock the gun out of his hand.

I look for Easton, but he isn’t on the ladder anymore. I hear the cops shouting below us followed by Easton telling them we are in the treehouse. As a cop stands on the landing, the gun goes off in Logan’s hand and Brooks falls to the ground.

“Freeze!” the cop yells.

Logan stares at Brooks on the ground before looking up at the cop. He makes a dive for the box and then jumps out the open window of the treehouse.

The cop yells, “He’s on the run!”

I crawl over to Brooks, his chest turning red. “No, no. Please no this can’t be happening. Not again.”

I apply pressure to the wound in his chest hoping my hands can stop the flow of blood. He grabs my hands and lightly squeezes. Tears stream down my face as I watch the life drain from his face. His whiskey eyes losing their spark, slowly losing the battle to stay focused on me. The hand he clamped over mine going limp. I collapse on his chest, my own life force feeling drained.

“Ma’am we are gonna need you to move,” a voice says.

“I can’t—don’t take him away from me,” I sob into Brooks’ chest.

Strong arms haul me off him and pull me into a chest. “You didn’t lose him yet, Raely. They are gonna save him,” my brother says to me as he holds me fiercely against his torso.

I open my eyes and notice two paramedics have started to work on Brooks. They carry him down the ladder and I run after them. They place him on a stretcher and haul him off to the waiting ambulance.

Easton doesn’t let me go as I watch it pull away.

I feel like my soul is being ripped in half.

“We caught the suspect,” the police officer says. “We are going to need a statement from both of you. But I think you should get checked out Raelynn. There is another ambulance waiting for you.”

I nod my head. My eyes still focused on the last spot I saw the ambulance that took Brooks away.

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