Page 82 of Unraveled Love

“Shit.” I ducked, adrenaline keeping me steady. I’d trained my whole life for situations like this. When I looked back, they were both down.

I didn’t have time to worry about if they were dead.

I spun as a shadow rushed from the other corner of the house. I aimed. Fired. And kept doing it as he started firing back and ducking behind the house as I raced toward the door.

“Deck.” It was muffled and squawked from the radio. I ran faster, no longer caring about noise. They already knew we were out here, and I was almost to the front door when another shot ripped through the air right before searing pain burned through the side of my thigh.

Fuck!

Hopefully, Briggs fucking moved and fast.

I grabbed the door, jumped inside, and slammed it behind me.

“Shit, shit, shit. That fucking hurt. Where are they?”

“Must have hit that third one. Good call. Daniel’s on the deck. The other one? I don’t know. Fucking lost him. There.” He pointed to the guy moving back to the trees, and Daniel ducked off the deck.

“Where in the fuck is he going?” Briggs muttered.

Hopefully the ambulances would show quicker than I anticipated. The sirens might scare Daniel away, but now was our shot because he was out there alone, unprotected. And fuck I had no idea what to do. We couldn’t race out of the house and chase them down. And if they were able to scramble our cameras, hack into Briggs’ system to do so without him knowing, they could do fucking anything.

“Shit.” I scrubbed a hand through my hair and breathed deep. I needed to stay calm. Focused.

A quick study of the screens told me the guys I’d shot were still down. Hopefully that meant I’d taken care of them, but that was still a big what-if.

Cort was moving. Slowly, but he’d rolled to his side.

I slammed my fist onto the desk. “Shit! What the fuck are we doing caged in here?”

Briggs pointed down to my leg. “How about you at least go get that bloody thigh covered before you drip blood all over this floor?”

Fucker, but shit, he was right. The pain was still sharp, but it was a graze; that I could tell, and I’d definitely had worse in my life.

Still, I went to the kitchen and ripped open the slash in my jeans so I could get a better view. Quickly, I grabbed the bandages and tape we’d been keeping on the counter and covered my leg. It’d be fine. Might need stitches, but it wasn’t going to prevent me from—

“Shawn!” Briggs shouted, and then, from above, a blood-curdling scream came from Addi’s room along with an enormous crash.

28

Addi

Glass shattered and I ducked as shards flew, Shawn’s name tearing from my throat as I dropped to my knees and covered my head. Some of it landed on my head, and I screamed again as a body landed in front of me. Holy shit. I barely realized what had happened when a sudden wrench of pain sliced down my spine as someone grabbed a fistful of my hair and hauled me to my feet.

“You think you’re special? I’ve always known you were nothing but a cunt, Adrianna.”

Hair was in my face, making it difficult to see, but his words were enough to send ice straight to my soul, and his breath stank like he’d eaten dead roadkill for the last week.

Landon.I didn’t know him well, but I recognized him and his voice instantly.

Pain radiated from my scalp as I caught sight of his fist before it slammed into my cheek.

I cried out in agony. My hand flew to my cheek where he’d punched me. It rattled my brain and blood dripped from my nose, the metallic taste landing on my tongue as I spit.

“Stop!” I tried to scream again, but he yanked my hair again and kicked at my knees. They buckled as I grappled for his hands, trying to kick out. Instinct took over even though I had no idea what I was doing.

“Shut up, you bitch, and stand.”

“I hate you,” I spit out as my vision blurred.

---