“Maddie and I will never join the KTP,” growled Adam through clenched teeth. “I would rather die than join you.”
Paul laughed. “We’ll see about that. If you want to save Maddie, you’ll join us. That greatly narrows your choices. If you refuse, I’ll kill you, and then I’ll have Maddie here defenseless, without anyone to protect her. If you join the KTP, I’ll take you and Maddie back to The Order. You’ll both be safe.”
Adam shook his head and said sarcastically, “Yeah, I’ll take your word for it. For some strange reason, I’m finding it really hard to trust you.”
Paul feigned being hurt and said, “Oh, so harsh to judge me without even getting to know me.”
Adam’s anger was starting to boil over. He fought to keep his voice steady as he said, “Like I said, we would rather die than join your Order. I know Maddie feels that way too. So you might as well go ahead and kill me now.”
The thought of leaving Maddie defenseless was killing Adam inside, but he knew that what he was saying was true. She would refuse Paul’s request, just like she always had, and she would want him to do the same. He tried to think of what Mel and Sancha would do. Would they just stand there, refuse to join, and let Paul kill them? Perhaps, but Adam had already decided he was not going down without a fight. He knew the Keepers of the Peace would disapprove, but he believed it was time somebody stood up to the KTP.
Paul stood there, watching him carefully. Then he said, “My patience is wearing thin. Make your choice. What will it be?”
As Adam faced Paul, Ian and the other man stepped back. Still, they stayed closed enough to attack if Paul gave the command.
Adam repeated coldly, “I already told you my answer. We would rather die than join the KTP.”
Paul shrugged nonchalantly and said, “What a shame. Such a waste of talent. Have it your way, then.”
He raised the gun and pointed it directly at Adam. Adrenaline flowed throughout Adam’s body. His heart beat so hard he thought he was going to have a heart attack. He focused his thoughts on surviving so he could save Maddie. He had to save Maddie.
Adam felt more hatred for Paul than he had ever felt for any other human being. All he could think of at that moment was killing him—to eliminate him. Paul was the obstacle that stood between him and Maddie. Adam focused all of his thoughts and energy on killing Paul.
He thought about being invincible and envisioned it in his mind. And then he watched helplessly as Paul pulled the trigger. After that, everything seemed to be in slow motion. Adam heard the loud bang of the gun as the bullet came racing toward his head. He braced himself for the impact and hoped it would be quick and painless; at the same time his arms reflexively moved in front of his face in a blocking motion.
I am invincible. Paul is going to die.
To everyone’s astonishment, the bullet, which was coming directly for Adam’s head, looked as if it ricocheted off his blocking arms and flew back toward Paul so quickly that he had no time to react, hitting him right between the eyes. He fell to the ground in a heap, blood pouring out of the gaping exit wound in the back of his head.
Adam stood there stunned for a moment, letting what had just happened sink in. He glanced behind him at the other two men. They were just standing there with shocked looks on their faces and their mouths hanging open. When they noticed him looking at them, their looks turned to fear as they held their hands up in surrender and backed away. Adam took off toward the car to find Maddie. They didn’t try to stop him.
When he reached the car, Adam could tell the impact had crushed the front driver side. It was clear that the driver was dead. He frantically scanned the back seat and saw Maddie’s still body. He didn’t see any visible signs of blood or trauma, but she wasn’t moving.
He called through the broken window, “Maddie! Are you okay? Wake up.”
She didn’t respond.
He yanked the door open and gently shook her leg. She didn’t respond. He didn’t want to move her too much in case she was injured internally. He gently pushed her hair out of her face and stroked her forehead and cheek.
He whispered in her ear, “Maddie, baby. It’s me. Please wake up.”
To his great relief, her eyelids fluttered a little and then she opened her eyes.
“Adam? What’s going on?” she said weakly. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Relief flooded through him as he said, “Shhh. Don’t worry about me. Are you hurt? Can you move? We need to get the hell out of here.”
Chapter 42
Maddie had been unconscious during the crash, which was probably a blessing in disguise, because she didn’t appear to have suffered any major trauma.
Adam said, “Do you feel pain anywhere?”
She thought for a moment and said, “I don’t think so. I think I’m okay.”
He exhaled the breath that he didn’t realize he had been holding.
He kept glancing out the window and looking back at the other two men. They were huddled over Paul’s body, checking his pulse and listening to his chest for a heartbeat.
Maddie sat up and started to get out of the car.
“Whoa,” he said. “Hold on a minute and let me help you.”
She still seemed a little groggy. Whatever Paul had drugged her with was still wearing off. He helped her get out of the car and onto her feet. She looked around, taking in the scene. When she spotted Paul’s body on the ground, she gasped and said, “Oh my god! Paul! What happened?”
She ran to where
