Page 236 of Show Me

Relief slams into my chest so hard it almost drops me to my knees. I stomp across the kitchen. Glass and sheetrock crunching beneath my boots.

The gun lies in my path. I kick it hard across the floor toward Jake. He snatches it up without taking his eyes off Lindsey.

“Turn around,” he orders.

“I didn’t–”

“TURN AROUND!”

Lindsey’s crying turns into frantic babbling. “She attacked me first!”

I ignore every word. Every sound. Because Ruby is right there, I reach her in two steps and drop beside her.

My hands shake as I touch her face. Her shoulders. Her arms. Checking for blood.

Checking for injuries. Her entire body trembles beneath my hands.

“Hey,” I say roughly, “look at me.”

Her eyes lift to mine. And something inside my chest cracks wide open. I pull her into my arms. Hard. Like if I let go, she might disappear.

She grabs the front of my shirt instantly. Holding on as tightly.

I wrap both arms around her shoulders and pull her against my chest. Putting as much distance between her and Lindsey as possible. “You’re okay,” I murmur roughly against her hair. My heart pounds violently. “You’re okay.”

Behind us, metal clicks. Handcuffs. Jake’s voice turns calm and steady now. “You have the right to remain silent…”

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven

Ruby

It feels like I’m trapped inside a glass bubble. Like everything happening around me is muted. Distant. Slow and fast at the same time.

Xavier’s arms are wrapped around me, strong and solid, his chest rising and falling hard against my cheek. His voice is saying something. I think. But the words don’t fully reach me.

Across the kitchen, Jake snaps one handcuff onto Lindsey’s wrist. “You have the right to remain silent–”

The words blur together. My ears ring from the gunshots. White pills scatter across the floor beside the overturned chairs. Broken glass sparkles beneath the kitchen light.

One second Lindsey is standing there crying and shaking. The next, she’s moving. Fast. Her eyes wild. One loose handcuff swings violently through the air.

“You did this.” Her voice slices through the kitchen like broken glass. “This is all your fault.”

My heart stutters as she charges toward us at full speed. I can’t move. My arms and legs are so heavy that it feels like I’m melding to the floor.

“Why didn’t you listen to me?” The metal cuff flashes beneath the lights as she swings it wildly. “Why couldn’t you stay away from him?”

Xavier releases me. He steps in front of me and catches Lindsey mid-lunge, wrapping both arms around her in a tight bear hug before she can reach me.

She thrashes. Screaming. Kicking. “She ruined everything.”

Jake moves fast. He steps in beside them and drives his hand sharply into a pressure point near her shoulder. Lindsey’s body crumples inward.

“Stop resisting,” Jake snaps.

The kitchen tilts around me. Tired. I feel tired. My stomach twists hard. Oh God. The baby.

Fear crashes through my chest so violently it steals my breath. The bitter taste from the pill hits the back of my throat all over again. I stumble toward the sink. My hands barely catch the counter before my body folds forward.