Tatum Rivers had come crashing into my life like a tornado set to ruffle my feathers beyond recognition. And every time I got caught in her path, I found that I knew myself a little less and a little more than I had before. I refused to give up on her. I refused to give in.
She was mine and I was hers and even the world falling to ruin around us couldn’t stop me from claiming her now.
I gasped for breath as I panicked.
Everything was falling apart.
My whole world was shattering piece by piece.
And this man was responsible for it.
It was his fault my father had been hunted by the police, his fault his name had been dragged through the mud and his fault he was dead.
I turned to look out the broken rear window, my heart fracturing as the Night Keepers took chase. Saint was out ahead, his arms powering back and forth, his breath swirling up around him in a fog as he ran.
“Saint!” I screamed and Mortez laughed, lowering his window and hitting the brakes.
“Let’s see how fast you can run from a bullet, little bastard,” he muttered.
“Leave him alone,” I snarled, burning hot raging coursing through my blood.
The second he took his eyes off of me I lunged at him, scratching and tearing at him as I fought to get his gun. Saint was gaining on the car and Mortez cursed as he shoved me back, opening fire out of the window.
“No!” I screamed, panic slicing my heart to ribbons as I grabbed hold of his arm and pulled with all my might as he fired again, my eyes on Saint. His shoulder jerked back as the bullet grazed him and I went crazy trying to stop Mortez from shooting again.
“You already have me – let him go! Stop it you fucking psycho!” I demanded, my throat raw, terror swallowing me up and devouring me.
“You sit down in your fucking seat!” Mortez barked as he shoved me into it so hard that my head knocked against the passenger window. He threw the car into reverse and accelerated towards Saint at high speed.
I started screaming, forgetting any care for myself as I tried to grab the wheel and stop this from happening. Mortez slammed the butt of the gun into my forehead and I fell back in agony, dizzy as I looked out the back of the car again. Saint tried to leap off of the path but it was too late. The car was too close. It reversed into him full force, sending him flying over the roof and a scream tore from my throat.
The sound of his body tumbling across the metal overhead made me sick and I flinched violently as he hit the hood before me then fell onto the ground in front of the car.
“Saint!” Kyan and Blake were shouting, closing the distance behind us and Mortez started reversing towards them too. Monroe was a few feet behind them with fury in his eyes, yelling my name. Terror was all I could feel and I didn’t know what to do.
“Move!” I yelled, my voice pitchy as my throat was rubbed raw.
They dove into the bushes and Mortez snarled, shoving the stick back into drive and I twisted around to look at Saint on the ground ahead of us with fear making me ill.
He started pushing himself up and I gasped, relief spilling through me as tears washed over my skin. He was dirty, bloody and battered, his lip cut and his body filthy. But he was alive.
I grabbed the door handle, trying to get out, kicking and shoving it but it wouldn’t open.
Saint raised his gun, pointing it directly at Mortez with his upper lip peeled back, sheer determination in his eyes.
Mortez revved the engine but Saint staggered toward us, clearly going to take out Mortez even if it cost him his own life.
“Saint – get out of the way!” I begged as Mortez raised his own gun and my heart splintered.
Saint pulled the trigger the gun clicked uselessly as it rang empty.
“I’m sorry,” he spoke to me.
“No,” I gasped as Mortez leaned out of the window, aiming his gun at Saint.
Mortez fired as I lunged for the wheel again and I drowned in my screams as Saint was thrown backwards by the bullet, crashing to the ground, the headlights illuminating the blood spreading out over his shirt. Mortez shoved me back into my seat as he accelerated past Saint’s body, aiming the gun at me to keep me there and my heart shattered into a million pieces.
I was blind, deaf, mute. A primal switch flipped in my head as I launched myself onto Mortez’s lap, knocking the gun aside before he could pull the trigger. I punched and kicked then bit into his face like a feral creature. I barely felt his punches as he returned them, my mind gone to an absent place as I fought to destroy him.
He grunted, cursing as he fought me back and I punched his temple so hard that he nearly lost consciousness, falling limp in his seat as he cursed. The car bumped off of the track towards a tree and I cried out as we hit it and slammed to a halt. I was thrown into the dash, and gasped as Mortez’s weight crushed me. I shoved him back with a growl of effort, catching my breath before my gaze fell on the open window.
I lurched toward it,
