Page 54 of Rampage

The old nickname—dripping with possession, with threat—makes bile rise in my throat. Reid's arm around me is the only thing keeping me upright.

"I've got a warrant here," Frank calls out, waving the papers. "Not just for theft anymore. Seems you've been implicated in some very serious crimes. Breaking and entering. Assault. Even attempted murder."

Jenkins steps forward, his hand resting casually on his holstered weapon. "Miss Chambers, if you're on the property, I strongly suggest you surrender yourself. Things will go easier for you."

Reid's lips brush my ear, his voice barely audible. "They're bluffing. They don't know we're here. It's a psychological tactic."

But the fear is real, clawing at my chest, making it hard to breathe. Frank knows me—knows how to get inside my head, how to make me doubt myself.

"Three seconds, Lily," Frank calls out, his voice hardening. "Then Officer Jenkins here starts searching the property. One…"

Reid's grip tightens. "On my signal, we move to the gate. Mason's waiting on the other side."

"Two…"

I nod, gathering what little courage I have left. The lockbox in Reid's backpack holds the key to Frank's destruction—evidence of his crimes, his perversions. We can't lose it now.

"Three!"

Reid taps my hip twice—our signal. We burst from our hiding place, keeping low as we sprint the final distance to the gate. I hear Frank's surprised shout behind us, followed by Jenkins's commanding "Stop! Police!"

The gate looms before us, Reid's hand reaching for the latch. Behind us, heavy footsteps pound across the yard. Frank's voice, no longer taunting but enraged, bellows my name.

My fingers close around the cold metal of the gate latch just as a flashlight beam cuts through the darkness, illuminating our escape route. Jenkins stands at the corner of the house, his service weapon drawn and pointed directly at us.

"Freeze! Don't move!"

Reid shoves me behind him, his body a shield between me and the gun. His voice is deadly calm when he speaks.

"You really want to explain to your superiors why you discharged your weapon at unarmed civilians, Officer? While accompanying a man who should be in custody?"

Jenkins hesitates, his flashlight beam wavering slightly. In that moment of uncertainty, the gate behind us swings open. Mason stands there, his own weapon concealed but ready at his side.

"Time to go," he says quietly, reaching for my arm to pull me through.

Frank lunges forward, his face contorted with rage. "She's not going anywhere! She's mine!"

The words, the naked possession in them, break something loose inside me. Years of fear crystallize into a single, clarifying moment of fury.

"I was never yours," I spit, my voice stronger than I knew it could be. "And you're going to pay for what you did. To me. To all of us."

Frank's eyes widen, understanding dawning as his gaze fixes on Reid's backpack. "What did you take?" he demands, his voice suddenly uncertain. "What did you do?"

Reid backs through the gate, keeping me behind him. "Ticktock, Frank," he says, his voice like ice. "Your time's running out."

Mason slams the gate shut as Jenkins raises his weapon again. "This is your last warning! Stop or I'll shoot!"

But we're already running, ducking between houses, the darkness swallowing us as Frank's enraged howls fade behind us. My lungs burn, my legs pumping with adrenaline-fueled strength I didn't know I possessed.

Reid's motorcycle appears before us, gleaming dully in the moonlight. He swings his leg over it in one fluid motion, pulling me up behind him.

"Hold on tight," he commands, kickstarting the engine to life.

I wrap my arms around his waist, pressing my face between his shoulder blades as the bike roars forward. Through the fabric of his jacket, I feel the solid weight of the backpack—of the evidence that will bring Frank's world crashing down.

As we speed away, the wind whipping tears from my eyes, I hear sirens in the distance. Jenkins must have called for backup. But it's too late. We have what we came for.

Behind us, red and blue lights flash in the darkness, but they're growing smaller by the second. Frank's voice, his threats, the weight of his presence, all of it recedes with each mile we put between us.

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