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The man shoots again, missing me as I hide behind the armored car.
I lean around the side again, aiming at the man and pulling the trigger.
The bullet buries itself in his thigh, blood pouring down his leg as he drops to the ground.
I hurry out from my hiding place, shooting his hand as he tries to aim his gun at me.
The man groans, the gun falling from his grip, and he uses his other hand to cradle the injured one.
Gun trained on him, I bend down to take his piece.
When he reaches for me, I press my foot against the bullet wound in his leg.
“You really should have thought this through."
Standing up, I aim at the space between his eyes and squeeze the trigger, watching the life drain from his eyes as blood trickles onto the ground.
My phone starts ringing as I tuck my gun in my waistband.
With a sigh, I pull it out and swipe my thumb across the screen.
“If this is about the wedding, we can talk about it later.”
“The deal is off.”
2
ZOE
Don’t cry. Just keep folding your jeans and do not cry. You have to be strong. You need to be strong.
“You look like you’re going to throw up,” my sister Ava says as she walks into my room and takes a seat at my desk. “What’s going on in your head?”
I shrug. If I look at her or start talking about the marriage now, I might start crying. If I start crying, I don’t think I’m ever going to stop.
This isn’t the way I thought my life was going to go. I had no intention of getting married. Not any time soon.
I had dreams. A whole life ahead of me.
Now, I have a wedding to go to. My wedding. And I have no idea who I'm even marrying.
But I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep my father safe.
“Zoe, talk to me.” Ava gets up and heads to my closet, pulling out some of my dresses. “Look, this might be a good thing. You might not have to go to any more state dinners. Dad won’t make you play the part of the perfect daughter.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “There is no end to being the daughter of the Head of State. We both know that. Even when he retires, he’s going to want to drag us out to dinners with cameras so he can make sure everybody knows he's living the perfect life.”
I'm trying to make light of this whole thing, but my breath catches in my throat as I try to hold it together.
Ava shrugs and piles the dresses on a free corner of the bed. “I know. You can dream, though. You might have more time to work on your music too.”
I scoff and drop the pile of folded jeans into my suitcase. “Doubt it. We live in Nashville, but nobody around me seems to think I can make it in music. Sometimes, I think I should give up on my dreams. Save myself the heartache.”
Music is my life, the one true solace I have in life, and thinking about giving it up hurts more than can be put to words.
And Ava is the only safe space I have right now. She is the one person I can talk to.
“I’m scared, Ava. I’m terrified of everything happening right now. Music was the one good thing I have. What if I have to let it go? To give it up?”
