Page 123 of Kane's Awakening
A gun.
I dropped the phone as shock took over. Flashbacks from the night Harry was shot rushed through my head, and that split second of hesitation on my part set everything into motion.
The bullet pierced the air and buried itself into Michael’s chest. He stumbled back before collapsing to the ground.
Screams tore through the office as the receptionist ducked under her desk. Jackson ran to Michael’s side.
The gunman aimed for Jackson, but I shouted to get his attention as I snapped out of whatever fucking haze I’d been in.
It worked. And it was just enough time to grab my gun from my belt.
I raised it, but before I could act, the man turned his gun on me.
I heard the shot before I felt it. Maybe it was adrenaline that kept me upright and unfeeling, but I didn’t think about it much right then. He fired again just as I pulled the trigger, too. My body jolted as the bullet buried itself in my stomach, but I watched him go down.
The gun slipped from his grip and his head slumped to the side.
Fuck. It was that night all over again.
Warmth coated my chest, and I looked down as I placed my hand to the spot. Red covered my shaking hand as I drew it back up.
That’s when I felt it. All of it.
My vision went wonky, and everything appeared sideways. The world around me was slanted, and my panic went to new heights. My brain finally registered that I’d fallen to the floor.
Anxiety set further in, and the pain crashed into me in a crippling way, feeling as if a thousand bees were stinging my abdomen and flying up into my chest cavity. An intense burning sensation followed, and I felt hot blood pouring out of the wounds, as if fire was spreading through my core.
The last thing I saw was the light above me, growing brighter before being taken over by shadows with the closing of my eyelids. Before I blacked out, I thought of Ryker—picturing his shy smile as I teased him, remembering how safe I felt in his arms.
I love you, I told him.
