“I like that you’ve finally accepted your fate,” Harris said. “Now come closer so we can finish this.”
“No.” Adam pulled out his own gun and pointed it at Harris. “Let’s not.”
“So I shoot her and you shoot me?” Harris asked. “Is that how this is going to play out?”
“Not exactly what I’d had in mind,” Adam said. “So I warn you not to even think about pulling that trigger.”
Harris didn’t flinch. “The thing is, I don’t believe her. My name wasn’t in the Book. Not a chance.”
“But it was,” Adam said evenly. “It was right under mine.”
That surprised Harris. His eyes widened and he swung the gun back around towards Adam as if feeling threatened for the firsttime that night. On bare feet, and by instinct alone, I ran. A split second after Adam had fired his gun, I threw all my weight at him to push him out of the line of fire.
Adam’s bullet hit Harris in the chest.
Harris’s bullet ripped into Adam’s shoulder.
Harris dropped his gun, touched his chest in shock, and fell forwards. His eyes open and unblinking.
I fell to the ground next to Adam. He wrapped his good arm around my chest and pulled me back behind some trash cans.
He swore, grimacing in pain. “Sophie, what have you done?”
I checked him for more serious injury, but there was none. “A bullet in the shoulder can’t be pleasant,” I said, “and you’re bleeding like crazy, but it didn’t hit your heart.’’
“What the hell did you think you were doing coming here and putting yourself at risk like that?”
“Saving your life,” I replied. “Giving fate the finger. Losing my really expensive – and now apparentlyvintage– shoes. Not necessarily in that order.”
“So that’s all it takes to change fate?”
“I don’t know, I’m kind of new at this sort of thing. Was Harris’s name in the Book? Because I was totally bluffing.”
“No, it wasn’t,” he said. “I was bluffing too.”
“Great minds think alike. But he’s dead?”
“Pretty sure. I’m a really good shot.”
“Bragger.” I almost smiled but I wasn’t nearly ready to feel relieved yet. “But the fact that somebody not fated to die tonight ended up dead – that’s probably a good indication that we changed things, right?”
He pointed at his shoulder wound. “I got shot. Just not in the heart.”
“Serves you right for taking off on me like that.”
He looked at me incredulously. “Why would you follow me and put yourself at risk after you were safe with Gloria?”
I looked at him sternly. “Do you know how hard it is to find a decent boyfriend in New York City? It was hard enough in 2009, let alone 2029. A girl’s got to fight for what she wants, you know.”
He smiled but it was edged in pain. “And what you want is me?”
I stroked the dark hair off his forehead. “I’m thinking I just might.”
Adam looked worried. “They’ll be after me now. Just like they’ll be after you. My uncle won’t make an exception for me. I broke the rules in a big way.”
“Then it’s a good thing we’ll be watching out for each other. We’ll both stay at Gloria’s for a while until we figure out what to do next.”
Adam kissed me, but he looked very serious afterwards. He held my face gently between his hands.
