Page 241 of Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout)
Tina grabbed a grungy black duffel bag off the floor and shoved several stacks of cash into it. Then she dumped the rest of the pizza on top, leaving the piece with the bullet hole.
“I’m allergic to cops,” she said, hitching the strap over her shoulder, and looked at her daughter. “See ya around, kid.”
“Bye, Mom,” Waylay said, waving with her freed hand.
Behind me, Duncan groaned on the floor. Waylon growled.
“Been fun. Thanks for the skirt, Goody. Take care of my kid,” she said with a little salute and then she disappeared out the window onto the fire escape.
The rope finally loosened and I threw it to the floor.
“She’ll be back,” Waylay predicted, standing up and shaking out her hands.
I didn’t doubt it.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” I said, putting the gun down and untying Waylon’s leash from the leg of the desk. It wasn’t just my hands that were shaking. Now it was my entire body. I wasn’t going to feel safe until we were home at Liza’s. Maybe not even then.
The image of the gun pointing at my niece was permanently engraved in my brain. I doubted I’d ever sleep again.
“Aunt Naomi!”
The panic in Waylay’s voice had me spinning around. Instinctively, I put myself between her and danger and right into Duncan’s bruising grip.
His hand closed around my neck, cutting off my breath.
Blood poured from his nose. For the briefest moment, I felt a flicker of satisfaction that I’d done that. I’d stood up to him. But the moment was fleeting as blackness crept in along the edges of my vision.
“You ruined everything!” he howled.
Time froze and solidified into a picture of the end as he brought the gun to my head.
This couldn’t be how it ended. Not with Waylay watching. Not with help in the building.
Not without Knox.
I felt Waylay’s arms come around me from behind. One last hug. I couldn’t move or speak. I couldn’t tell her to run. My world was going dark.
The door burst open, startling me and Duncan. He turned his head in time to see one of his men fall backwards into the room. Scratch that. He didn’t fall. The man was thrown like a ragdoll.
With the last of my energy, I landed a kick to Duncan’s shin.
“Waylay run!” someone ordered. The voice sounded so beautifully familiar, yet so far away.
Help was in the room.
Waylay would be okay.
I slipped into the darkness.
FORTY-NINE
THE CAVALRY
Knox
I hit him low and hard, driving his body into the floor. Some part of me was aware of Naomi crumpling to the ground.
I needed to go to her. But I couldn’t stop hitting the man beneath me.
