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Shit. I don’t want it to be as painful as Peter’s.

Please be quick.

A tear escapes, slipping down my cheek. She barely glances at it, still transfixed by my mouth. Suddenly her head cocks, and she huffs an exhale through her nose. Her hands move quickly, flicking in a shooing motion at me.

Is she…telling me to leave?

She does it again, and I don’t hesitate, scrambling to my knees and pushing up to my feet. The move jostles my arm, and I stumble, thudding down on a knee. Gritting my teeth, I cradle the arm with my other hand and run in the direction she shooed me.

Just before I make it to the corner of the hallway, I stupidly glance over my shoulder

She’s waving at me.

It’s too jarring. I don’t respond, too desperate to get out, and I take the corner sharply, just missing my arm.

Fresh, cold air hits me when I fling open the front door, and I stagger over the threshold into the dark night. Bile shoots up my throat, the pain and jostling too much. I drop to my knees at one of the hedges, then my entire body heaves, coughing and spluttering, as my stomach thoroughly empties itself.

Something grasps my shoulder, but before I can even scream or fling myself away, an explosive bang has my good arm wrapping over my head. A warm body covers my back, and the additional weight has me tensing. I grit my teeth hard at the onslaught of hurt stabbing through me.

“Fucking get that fire out!” a male voice shouts, then the pressure at my back disappears and my good shoulder’s tugged. “Rosy? You okay?”

Backside dropping to the ground, I look up and see Logan crouched, staring at me expectantly.

“I…think something’s broken,” I croak, eyes sliding to the blazing heat behind him. The one-storey house behind him has fire crackling through the windows, smoke billowing around it and twisting up to the night’s sky.

“It’s not safe. We need to move,” he urges. At my nod, he hooks an arm under mine and pulls me up. Sweat pools at my nape and crawls down my back as my arm jostles again.

Shitballs. It hurts.

Logan leads us farther away, crossing to the other side of the street.

My butt hits the car seat he’s led me to. But my mind’s starting to haze with the adrenaline leaving my system.

I don’t…what did I…?

A murder.

Someone’s life was taken in front of me, and I watched it happen.

People are saying words around me. Sirens are echoing in the distance. Lights are flashing in the sky. The scent of burning fills the air.

I watched someone die.

SIXTY-SIX

MAX

My hands are so firmly wrapped around the headrest of Noah’s seat in front of me that I might need someone to peel them off for me.

Nate’s driving is making me seriously rethink getting into his truck because, fuck, that light we just went through was definitely red.

But Rosy might be there.

Shit, she has to be.

So, I don’t say anything. I don’t tell him to slow down or to be careful.

The dot on Noah’s phone screen has finally stopped moving, and we’re not that far away. Wherever Logan was heading to, he’s finally arrived, and that thought has the knots in my stomach tightening.