Page 271 of The Invite
“G… Gus.”
My gait falters, horror twisting my insides as I glance at a bleeding Scarlett rounding the last aisle at the top. Her hand clutches the wound on her stomach.
“Scarlett!” I’ve barely taken a step when she’s shoved to her knees. A cry of agony rips past her mouth just as Kenny wrenches her head back and presses a bloodied knife against her throat.
“Let me walk out of here and she doesn’t have to die.”
A manic expression makes his features look ugly.
I raise my hands in the air. “Don’t hurt her.”
“Move aside,” he demands.
I make the mistake of meeting my sister’s eyes for a fraction of a second, who gives a slight shake of her head.
Kenny feels it. “You little bitch!”
“No!” I roar and run just as he raises his arm and yanks her head back.
A piercing scream echoes off the walls and Scarlett slumps forward. I fall to my knees and catch her before her forehead touches the ground. It takes my confused brain a minute to realize the shriek didn’t come from my sister, but from Kenny.
I look above and my eyes collide with a frozen Nessa.
No!
The knife I gave her is lodged in Kenny’s neck. A stream of red liquid pouring from his mouth as he drops to his knees.
“Ness?” I try to jolt her out of the shock she’s in while pressing down on Scarlett’s wound.
A thudding noise cuts through the air from behind, followed my footsteps stomping our way.
My entire being is focused on my girl. “Honey, look at me!”
Her desolate eyes are stuck on Kenny’s form convulsing on the floor.
“Scar!” roars Maverick. He kneels, ready to take her from me.
A hard shove pushes him aside. “I’ve got her.”
“She isn’t yours, Kaid!”
“She doesn’t belong to anyone.” His tone is surprisingly sweet as he replaces my hands with his calloused ones. I feel Scarlett’s weight lift from my lap. “Isn’t that right, wildcat?”
Her heavy eyelids blink at him. She croaks out, “Yeah.”
“Stay awake for me.” The moment she’s held protectively against Kaid’s chest with one of his palms holding the bleeding at bay, I’m off the ground and on Nessa.
“Honey.” I cup her ashen face, bringing her unfocused gaze to mine. “Look at me. Feel me.”
“I… I killed h-him. I killed Johnny.”
Fuck. She’s hallucinating.
Picking her up, I wrap her legs and arms around me and bury her face in the crook of my neck. She mumbles intelligiblyto herself. Each word slashing my heart. Turning around, I catch Wolf checking Kenny’s pulse while Capri stands over them. A dead and remorseless expression on her face.
“He’s alive.”
“Take him upstairs,” I order. “There’s a hidden staircase in the right corner.”
