Page 114 of Twisted Fate

My clothes were dirty with Slash’s blood from where I’d wiped my hands on them absently once Hunter had gotten me away from the shed.

Lukas ignored me as usual, but Jensen was in front of me in an instant.

“What the fuck happened? Are you hurt? What…”

Skeeter sighed, sounding and looking a lot more tired than a twenty-one-year-old should.

“Back off a minute, Gilbert. It’s been a fucking nightmare of an afternoon. She’s alright.”

“Is that her blood? What the fuck happened?” Jensen continued, seeming more worried when I wiped a tear from my cheek as it escaped and he noticed the blood that was still on my hands from where I couldn’t scrub it off.

My tongue felt twisted as I tried to hold myself together, and Skeeter came to my rescue again.

“The Soldiers found her, and there was a shoot-out at the shed. She only got grazed by a bullet, but…”

“What the fuck do you mean, only? She still got fucking shot! Again!” He shouted, but Caden frowned as he joined us, Tyler not far behind him.

More hot tears streamed down my cheeks as I lost the battle of controlling them.

I couldn’t say it.

I couldn’t break Tyler’s fucking heart like how mine was breaking.

Caden watched me for a moment, taking in my appearance before talking in a calm voice.

“Rory, what’s wrong?”

I shook my head, not able to meet their gazes as I took a small step back, my throat going tight with emotion.

I was grateful when Skeeter took my hand and spoke in a gentle tone, deciding to be the one to break the news.

“Soldiers opened fire after I took a shot at them for grazing her arm. It became a war zone instantly, and the only reason Rory’s alive is because Slash took a bullet that was meant for her.”

Caden closed his eyes, instantly understanding where the conversation was going, but Tyler was on alert as his face twisted with a scowl.

“So, where the fuck is he?”

I glanced up, my watery gaze landing on his as the silence became thick in the room.

He shook his head, anger starting to seep through.

“No, where the fuck is he?!”

Skeeter shook his head, speaking almost at a whisper, my heart going tight as if it would shatter.

“He’s gone, man. It was a shot to the chest, and he was gone by the time he hit the floor. Our doc and his guys took his body so we can sort out a funeral.”

Caden ran his hands over his face as he held his emotions in, but Tyler stepped back, still shaking his head as denial ate away at him.

“No, he can’t be dead. He fucking can’t…”

I jumped as glass shattered somewhere in the room, my heart finally shattering along with it as Tyler dropped to the ground and sobbed shamelessly as his world fell apart around him.

Because of me.

Lukas and Jensen left the room while Caden and Skeeter exchanged quiet words before Caden left too, gently touching my arm on his way past for comfort.

I started to walk into the other room too, but Skeeter stopped me, glancing at Tyler who was still a broken mess on the kitchen floor.