Page 74 of To Hold and Protect

Crystal was pacing, talking to herself, and waving the gun around as if she’d forgotten she held a lethal weapon in her hand. That wasn’t good, and it terrified her that Everly still hadn’t woken up. She needed a doctor, and Willow decided she couldn’t wait in the hopes that someone would come save them.

In the story running through her mind, the heroine accidently on purpose trips the evil witch, wrestles for the gun, gets it away, and holds the evil villainess at gunpoint until the police arrive. Could she do it without getting herself killed?

She had to time it just right. She studied Crystal’s movements, and how she held the gun. Every few steps, Crystal would lower the gun to her side for a few seconds before waving it around again. That was when she needed to act. In the way athletes visualized their next move, Willow did the same, seeing in her mind how it would go down...how she prayed it would.

She stood and took a step toward Crystal when she paced away. Suddenly, Crystal changed her routine of six steps one way, then back. She’d only taken two steps when she spun and Willow froze.

“I thought I wanted to keep Parker’s kid. You know, daddy, mommy, and their perfect daughter, one big happy family. But I don’t like her. She bit me.”

Good for Everly, but where was Crystal going with this? “I’ll take her. That way, you’ll have Parker all to yourself.”

“That won’t work. Parker won’t give her away. You’re going to have to kill her. That’s the only way he’ll forget about her.”

You’re out of your freaking mind, lady.And that was what scared Willow the most, how mentally unbalanced this woman was. “I’m not going to kill her. No way.”

Crystal waved the gun in the air. “Oh, I know you won’t, Miss Goody Two-Shoes, so I’m going to do it for you. Parker will be devastated that you killed his little girl, and I’ll be here to comfort him.”

“No one will believe you.” Her sneak attack plan wasn’t going to work. It was going to have to be an all-out frontal assault. It was going to be a risk, and she’d probably get shot, but she had no choice.

“I’m very convincing.”

Crystal smiled, and it was a smile that sent fear all the way down to Willow’s toes. She couldn’t be serious that she’d actually kill an innocent little girl, could she? But that smile gave Willow chills, and as she looked into those eyes that had seemed so pretty at first and now showed no compassion or mercy, what she saw were dead eyes and a woman who could and would kill a child.

“You don’t have to do this, Crystal. Parker would hate you for it.”

“No, he’s going to hate you.” She took a few steps toward Everly, lifted the gun, glanced at Willow, and smiled that spine-chilling smile again.

Willow dived for the gun and managed to get her hands around the barrel. They fell to the floor with Willow on top of Crystal. Crystal was surprisingly strong and squirmy. It was like wrestling an octopus. Hoping to gain an advantage, Willow fisted her hand and hit Crystal in her jaw as hard as she could.

The gun went off, and a pain the likes of which Willow had never felt before burned its way through her chest. The gun fell next to them. She rolled off Crystal and managed to push the gun under the sofa. “Crap, that hurt,” she muttered. She tried to get up, but her legs refused to cooperate, and she fell back against the sofa.

“You bitch!” Crystal screamed as she pushed up from the floor. “You’re going to be sorry because now I’m going to make you suffer.”

Willow’s vision was growing blurry as she watched Crystal walk to a pile of rags and debris the construction crew had left on the floor. Willow closed her eyes...but as much as she wanted to slip into that peaceful sleep, she couldn’t let the darkness take her. She had to save Everly. When she forced her eyes open, it was to see Crystal with a lighter in her hand, and Willow was powerless to stop her from setting the rags on fire.

Tears pooled in her eyes. She’d failed to save Everly.

No! She couldn’t fail. Wouldn’t. Parker would not lose his precious girl. She closed her eyes again, gathered all the strength she could muster, and willed herself to ignore the pain and burning in her chest. When she opened her eyes, she gasped. The flames—a hungry monster—were shooting up the wall, devouring the decades-old dried-up wallpaper. Unstoppable now.

Crystal stood near the door, watching the fire as if it were the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen. Willow reached under the sofa and wrapped her fingers around the gun. She was going to die today, but Everly was not.

She held the gun up with both her hands and put her finger over the trigger, then pointed it at Crystal. “Take Everly out of here, or I’ll shoot you.”

Crystal laughed. “The way your arms are shaking, you couldn’t hit the side of a barn.”

Probably true, but she’d damn well try. “Please, take her out. Parker will love you for saving his daughter.” The darkness was closing in, and she had to get Everly out while she still could.

“I don’t think so. He’ll love me for trying to save his daughter, but with her gone, I won’t have to share him with that little brat.”

Crystal wasn’t going to take Everly with her, and when she took a step toward the door, Willow pulled the trigger. She missed. Crystal was gone, and she’d failed.

“I’m sorry, Parker,” she whispered. She gathered the little bit of strength she had left and pulled herself up on the sofa. She gasped for breath from the effort. God, her chest hurt. “Everly, sweetie, please wake up.” She pinched Everly’s arm, hoping the pain would wake up the little girl. Everly didn’t move.

“Okay. Okay, you can do this, Willow.” She pulled Everly to the floor with the intention of dragging her out of the house. The black was consuming her, and she’d only made it halfway to the door. She wasn’t going to be able to get Everly out. The only thing she could think to do before the darkness took her was cover Everly in the hope that her body would shield Everly from the fire until Parker found them. She wouldn’t be alive to see that happen, but hopefully somehow, in the afterlife, she’d know she’d done her job. Maybe it was what she was put on this earth to do.

The last thing she saw was the flames spreading across the floor toward her and Everly.

God, if you’re listening, please save this precious little girl.

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