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“Maverick.” I sobbed, clinging to him as he lifted me into his lap and ran his hands over my face and chest, looking for gun shot wounds. “I’m okay.” I wheezed, “I’m okay.” I was covered in blood, but it wasn’t all mine.
“Call an ambulance now!” Maverick bellowed over his shoulder, and I looked over to where Gunner holstered his gun and pulled his cell phone out. He had a giant wound to the back of his head, blood poured down the back of his neck and he looked angry. Really fucking angry.
Dexter took the gun from where it was still clutched in Penelope’s hands and emptied it of it’s remaining bullets and slid it in the back of his belt before reaching down and checking her for a pulse.
He pulled his fingers away and looked over at me and it was then that I noticed the pool of blood spilling out underneath of her. “Is she…” I whispered, looking back up at Dex as he stood over her.
“Yeah, she’s dead.” He said with a grimace, and I buried my head in the crook of Maverick’s neck to block out the sight of my dead sister. Regardless if she had tried to kill me or not, it was the first time I’d seen a dead body, and the blood that ran through my veins was also pooling across the floor beneath her.
“Get me out of this room.” I begged Mav. “Please get me away from her body.”
“Come on.” He said, standing up with me in his arms, stepping over her body and through the door. Reid stood in the hallway and squeezed my arm in silent support as he ran next to Mav who jogged down the corridor towards the mansion. I looked out over the event space and every single table was empty, with many of the chairs turned over and decorations spilled.
“What happened to everyone?” I gasped as Reid opened the door to the brightly lit kitchen and Mav carried me in before setting me down on the counter.
Maverick grabbed a towel out of the drawer and ran it under cold water before pressing it against the wound on my forehead. I grimaced and tried to pull away, but he laced his fingers around the back of my neck and held me still as he probed the wound.
“Maverick.” I tried again. “Where is everyone?”
“It doesn’t matter. None of it fucking matters.” He grit out between clenched teeth, and it was then that I noticed the cut on his knuckles and the split in his lip.
“Stop.” I said, grabbing his hand and forcefully pulling it down away from my head. “Talk to me.” I tried desperately to get him to meet my eyes, but he wouldn’t. His body was locked tight in anger, and he was hanging by a thread. I turned to his best friend who stood at my side. “Reid.” He had the starting of a black eye and his tie was hanging crookedly off his neck. “What the fuck happened?”
“They planned an attack on you.” He said.
“Reid.” Maverick bit out, as I looked back and forth between them rapidly.
“She deserves to know.” Reid bit back and looked at me. “They blocked off the entrance to the restroom building, that’s why we didn’t get to you faster. The women that had been in the bathroom came out screaming, but there was a group of men waiting for us and it took a few minutes to get through them and to the bathroom.”
“That’s why Gunner didn’t come right in.” I said, piecing it all together.
“They blitzed him, knocking him out, when he came to, he attacked them from the back, and we were able to get past them.”
“Who were they?” I asked, “Where are your parents? Are they safe? Did anyone else get hurt?” I asked in a panic.
“Shh.” Maverick said, putting his hands on both side of my face and turning me back to him. “Calm down Cora. My parents are safe.” He said and I took a deep breath, feeling my body shudder on the exhale. “Good girl. Now tell me what happened in that bathroom.” He ordered.
I shook my head, remembering the fear and adrenaline coursing through my body the whole time. “I was washing my hands when I saw her, she was standing by the door, and she told everyone to get out.” I shuddered again. “When no one listened to her she pulled the gun out of her pocket and waved it around and then locked the door behind them.” I closed my eyes, shutting out the realization that my sister was going to murder me tonight. “They hired the truck. My parents and her, maybe Jake too.” I guessed. “I don’t know exactly.”
“What was her plan tonight?” Maverick asked me running his thumbs back and forth over my cheeks.
“Shoot and kill me so my parents could collect on a life insurance policy they had on me.” Maverick ground his teeth together but remained silent. “She said they took it out a few years ago, they must have forged it, who knows.”
“They were going to collect on it because I bankrupted them.” Maverick assumed and I could feel his guilt as clear as my own.
“Don’t.” I ordered, snapping at him, and shaking my face free of his hands. “They were going to do it one way or another, you know that.”
“But I egged them on.” He spit out and dropped his hands from my body completely, stepping backwards and creating space between us. He looked… gutted.
“Stop it!” I demanded. “Don’t you dare do that right now Maverick.”
But he was retreating further and further with a haunted look on his face. “It’s my fault. My need for revenge nearly cost you your life.” He said as he scrubbed his hands over his face. “Everything bad that’s ever happened to you, has been because of me.”
“Maverick.” I yelled and slid off of the counter, barely keeping myself from crumpling to the floor as the weight of everything left me weak and tired.
“I can’t.” He said, looking up at me once more. “I can’t be the reason something happens to you or the baby. I’m sorry, but I can’t.” He said and then turned and walked away from me through the house.
“Maverick,” I screamed. My legs gave out as I tried to chase after him and I collapsed as Reid caught me milliseconds before I hit the floor. “No!” I sobbed as he disappeared, walking away from me. “Don’t leave me.” I begged.
