His whole body changes.
“You,” he breathes.
The man chuckles again.
Stefano’s gun tightens in his hand.
“Run, Mia.”
The words are barely out of his mouth before the shot cracks through the night and Stefano drops.
For one second, I don’t understand what I’m seeing.
He was standing.
He was breathing.
He was there.
Then he’s on the ground, and the area beneath him turns dark.
A scream tears out of me.
Livy screams too, high and terrified, and I twist toward her so fast that pain bursts white behind my eyes.
“STEFFY!”
“Don’t look.” My hands shake as I reach for her. “I’m here, baby.”
Boots crunch over glass.
Slow.
Calm.
Like whoever’s coming toward us has all the time in the world.
I try to drag Livy behind me, but the SUV is twisted at the wrong angle, and the seats have been shoved too far back. Everything hurts. Everything’s wrong.
The back door is wrenched open, and fresh cool air rushes in.
A shadow fills the opening, and I don’t hesitate. I kick as hard as I can, my heels connecting with something solid.
The man grunts.
Good.
I kick again.
“Stop,” he snaps.
“Get away from us,” I scream.
He grabs my ankle, and I fight like an animal.
There’s nothing soft left in me.
No fear. No reason.
