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“Those nights we spent together. They were the best nightsof my life. Laura was a pitiful comparison to you,” he said, and she felt hispresence.
A step or two more and he would be on her.
Timing. They’d taught her timing was everything.
It was what a family did. They taught the other members whatthey knew so everyone could benefit. Abby had taught her to stay away from thepatch of poison ivy a few feet away. Jack had shown her around the woods so shewould know how to find her way out. Harlow had taught her how to fight.
Josh and Grim had taught her she was worth fighting for.
“Got you,” Micah whispered.
She turned and brought the rock down on his face, hittinghis right eye. Blood spurted and the gun went off. Nicole felt a pain in hergut, but she couldn’t worry about it now.
She’d promised her men this asshole was dead. She was goingto make good on her promise this time.
Micah had dropped the gun, his hand coming up to try toprotect his ravaged eye.
She was supposed to go for the eyes. The throat. The balls.Vulnerable places.
She’d been the vulnerable one once, and she’d promised tonever be that again. Not to him.
Micah hit his knees as she continued to strike him. He fellback.
“Nora,” he groaned. “This isn’t you. This isn’t NoraHolloway.”
“No. My name is Nicole Barnes-Fleetwood, and you don’t scareme anymore.” She picked up the gun he’d dropped and without giving him a chanceto plead, shot him. The bullet split his forehead, and the monster who’d chasedher for years was gone.
She could hear sirens in the background.
A long, slow breath heaved from her as she realized she’ddone it.
Then she went light-headed. Her left side ached. She musthave hit it on something. Gingerly, she touched her side and realized her fightwasn’t over.
Blood covered her abdomen. She’d taken a bullet.
She had to get back to the motel. The ambulance was there.She would be fine if she could only get back.
She took three steps and then the world went wavy.
She could have sworn she heard someone calling her name, butshe was falling, and the pain wasn’t enough to keep her conscious.
The world blinked out as she wished she could see them onelast time.
* * * *
Grim was going out of his freaking mind. “Drivefaster.”
Josh sped up the truck, but the truth of the matter was hewas already pushing the vehicle and Grim knew it. They’d made the twenty-minutetrip into town in less than ten.
“Grim, we won’t help Nic if we’re in a car accident.” Jackwas the voice of reason. He sat in the back seat beside Sam.
Dad and Pops. They were here with them. They wouldn’t lettheir kids go into this alone.
He’d let go of any wish his childhood had gone another waythe night before, but he was reminded of it now. He wouldn’t want to beanywhere but here, have any family but this one.
He was wondering how Dad knew where Nicole was. The questionran through his head. They’d all followed Dad to the truck, no one even askinghow or why. If Jack Barnes said he knew something, he did. He had pure trust inthe man he called Dad.
Still, the question rattled through his brain as some kindof distraction from all the terrible things that could be happening to Nicole.Had he called the security company and asked them to triangulate her cellphone? She had a new one. A reliable one Dad had given her. He wouldn’t put itpast his old man to have a way to track her. Hell, Jack had given him hisphone. And Josh’s. And Olivia’s.
