My fist stops mid-swing. I stare down at him, breathing hard, blood running from my hand onto his shirt.
No. He doesn’t get that.
I grab his collar and slam his head into the ground.
Once.
Twice.
The second impact takes the fight out of him. His body goes loose under my hands, his eyes unfocused, breath uneven. I watch him for a second to make sure he is out.
Then I reach down, grab both of his wrists, and wrench his arms behind his back. I tear a strip from his shirt and bind them tight, pulling it until there is no give.
He groans once, barely conscious, but he doesn't fight.
I haul him up by the back of his collar. His weight drags heavy, his feet barely keeping up as I pull him through the trees. Branches hit his body as I drag him forward. His boots catch on roots and rocks, but I keep moving, forcing him back toward the road.
By the time we break through the treeline, he's half-conscious and barely upright.
I shove him against the side of the truck and grab his jaw, forcing his head up. Blood covers his face. His eyes struggle to focus.
“You don’t get an easy ending,” I tell him.
He tries to speak, but nothing comes out.
I drag him to the back door, shove him inside, and make sure he stays down. Then I slam the door shut and move around to the driver’s side.
Tonight is not the end.
Tonight is the beginning of his suffering.
Chapter 73
Brooke
“Please,” my voice breaks in my throat. “Please, Travis. Don’t do this. You can’t leave me.”
My hands are slick with blood. I press down harder. Naomi is on the ground beside me, shaking, her jacket piled under her palms, already soaked through. She keeps whispering his name, over and over, and she sounds terrified of stopping.
Travis’s face is gray. His lips have a blue tint. His eyes flutter without landing anywhere.
Beau drops into a crouch on Travis’s other side and presses two fingers to his neck. His jaw tightens.
“His pulse is slowing. We’re moving now. My doctor is ten minutes out.”
My breath catches so hard it hurts.
“No.” Panic bleeds into my voice. “No, no, no.”
Beau grips my shoulder, firm. “Brooke. Look at me. You can’t freeze.”
I swallow hard and nod.
Beau turns his head toward the trees. “Elise. Ryan. Move. Now.”
They stare for a beat, shock locking them in place, then Naomi’s voice cuts through it.
“Go! Do exactly what he says.”
