Page 148 of Toxic Love

I let go of the rope, feeling the arms around my ankles tighten. I raise my hand as I look back up at Gabriel.

“Drop the gun!”

He stares at me. “What?!”

“DROP! IT! TO! ME!”

Time slows to a crawl. I watch as Gabriel lets go, following the gun with my eyes as it slips from his fingers and plummets toward me. The gun hits my hand. My fingers curl around it and I bring it up.

My finger squeezes, and the bullet explodes from the barrel.

Jacqueline’s head snaps back, a black and red hole right in the middle of her forehead. Her hand slips from the rope bindingTempest’s wrists, and I watch as she drops into space, hurtling away from us.

Tempest is still convulsing.

“Pull us up!!”

Arms tug us back up over the railing until we go tumbling to the patio floor. I lurch over Tempest, ignoring the ripping pain in my shoulders as I cradle her head.

“What the fuck is happening to her!!” Alistair roars as I yank my phone out and unlock it.

“Her kidneys are shutting down.”

They both stare at me blankly in horror.

“She’s having a fucking seizure because she’s dying!” I scream at them both. “My phone!” I jerk my chin at it as I lift Tempest into my arms. “There’s a Dr. Han in my contacts. Call him, tell him I say we’re doing thisright fucking now, and that we’ll be there as fast as we can. He’ll understand.”

Gabriel grabs my phone as I lock eyes with Alistair.

“What can I do?” he chokes.

“Drive. Fast.Now.”

39

TEMPEST

The first thingI see when I open my eyes is my brothers hovering over me. I frown, blinking away the darkness as I focus on them.

“Not so close, do you both need glasses?” I wrinkle my nose. “Gabriel, seriously. I can smell the fucking French fries on your breath.”

The two of them grin widely and exhale.

“How do you feel?”

“I—”

Dante.

I start to jerk to an upright position, but instantly choke on the pain that explodes throughout my abdomen.

“Whoa! Hang on there, T,” Alistair grunts, grabbing my shoulders and easing me back down. “You’ve just had major surgery.”

My pulse skips. “Wait,what?! Where’s Dante?!”

“Just breathe, Tempest,” Gabriel murmurs.

“Where is he?!”

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