Page 40 of Love Me in the Dark
“Oh?” Knox asks.
“Yeah… I had decided before that I wanted to delegate everything to y’all so you could just cut their throats. Really, I wanted y’all to fuck me then cut their throats, but… I just want to kill them,” I say.
“How do you want them to die?” Tripp asks.
“With them on their knees and I shoot them,” I say. “I want the first man… Vimar… I want him to go last. He is the one who cut me.”
“Okay,” Knox says. “That what will happen then.”
“Are we going to be in for a fight?” Cade asks.
“Doesn’t seem like it. They are held up in a cabin,” Rook says. “I sense that they know we are coming for them.”
“Let’s go get them then,” I say.
We bounceoff the road and onto the gravel road. Everyone is silent. We are all preparing for this moment, or at least I am. I feel uneasy, but Cade says it’s just my anxiety. We come to a stop in front of the cabin. There are dozens of people joining us. We need to make sure this goes smoothly.
We all get out, but don’t shut the doors. We don’t want to make too much noise. “Stay with Cade,” Knox says quietly to me. “If something happens, I want you to get her out, Cade.”
“Absolutely,” Cade agrees. “We can go around to the back.”
Cade and I go along the wood line and come up behind the cabin. “I’m nervous,” I whisper. I don’t like this one bit.Something is wrong. It’s too quiet. I’m sure they know they’re fucked, but wouldn’t they at least try to fight?
“I know. That’s why we are going in through the back,” he replies softly. “Just stay behind me.”
“Okay,” I sigh. I don’t want to go in there. I don’t want Cade to be here. We get to the back door, and Cade slowly eases it open. There is an audible click, and we both stop. “Cade…”
“Stay here,” he says, pushing me back before stepping in.
“Cade,” I say again, but louder as I step in with him anyway. When he freezes, I peek over his shoulder to see Vimar, Hector, and Luis are sitting on a couch, but they never look up at us. I hear soft ticking, and we look around to find the source as the front door comes open. Knox, Tripp, and Rook come in, and Tripp instantly screams as he looks past us.
“Bomb!” Tripp yells. Cade spins around and shoves me out of the door. I hit the small platform and roll down the stairs and into the grass as a deafening explosion comes from the cabin.
I can’t hear or see. Everything is gone, but I can still feel my body. Everything is hot, but the ground is cool against my skin. Hands are all over me, and I fight against it. I don’t know why I’m fighting. I am so stunned that I can’t think clearly. Why can’t I hear? My vision starts to return and I am in someone’s arms.
Callum. I’m with Callum, but he’s crying. Shaking me. “Wake up. You have to wake up, Nyx,” he pleads. “Come on, Nyx… There ya go. Look at me. Can you hear me?”
“Cade,” I mutter.
“I don’t know, baby. I don’t know,” he says as he hugs me to his chest.
“Where is Cade?” I repeat. “Where is he? Knox? Rook? Tripp? Cal… Where are they?”
“Phoenyx, I don’t know,” he says, holding my face in his hands. I glance around and see that we are sitting against a tree. I am on his lap.
“Are we in the woods?” I ask.
“Yeah. I came up as Cade pushed you into the grass. There was an explosion, so I just grabbed you and took you away from it. I promised Cade I would get you away if something happened,” he says.
“Was he inside?” I ask, but Callum doesn’t say anything. “Callum! Was he inside?”
“I… I think so. I don’t know. I could hardly see. Or hear. Or think. Fuck, this is bad.”
“Don’t say that,” I say tearfully. “I can’t lose him, Cal. I can’t lose Cade. Not him.” I pull away and get out of his lap. He tried to grab me, but I slip out of his grip and run.
“Phoenyx!” I hear Knox yell.
“Knox!” I scream as I run to him. He catches me in a hug and squeezes me so tight that it hurts. “Where are they, Knox?”
