Page 70 of Forever my Love

His foot connected with the gun just as Fred jerked back and pulled the trigger. The gun flew out of Fred’s hand and landed a foot from the fireplace.

Reece rushed the man, shoving his body as hard as he could back away from the door where he worried that Hailey would come rushing in at any moment.

On a good day, he could have easily taken the man, even though he outweighed him. Now, however, with his body weakened by the trauma, he struggled just to keep a hold on him and keep him from grabbing the gun and shooting him again.

In the battle that followed, they knocked over several pieces of furniture. Fred threw one of the logs from the fireplace at him, but he missed and the log fell to the floor, where it instantly caught the rug and curtains on fire.

Reece threw his entire weight at the man, and the duo rolled around on the hardwood floor.

He managed to get his legs wrapped around the man’s chest while his arms strained to hold his neck. He had him locked in the hold for a split second before he took an elbow to his broken ribs and lost his hold altogether.

He ended up in a heap on the floor, gasping for breath as Fred stood over him, the gun aimed at his head.

Reece glanced up, looking death directly in the eyes. He watched Fred’s fingers slowly move towards the trigger. Seconds ticked by. Fred smiled and laughed, then he stopped as the point of a fireplace poker was jammed into the side of his head.

Fred’s eyes rolled backwards. He fell to his knees as blood spurt out of the deep wound where the poker stuck out of his head. The man crumpled at his feet without another sound.

When the man landed, Hailey rushed over and wrapped her arms around him.

“Are you okay?” she asked, gasping.

“Out,” he managed to say between deep breaths.

Hailey helped him stand up and the pair rushed out the front door into the rain just as the sofa caught fire.

“Reece, are you okay?” she asked when he collapsed a few feet outside of the door.

“Call, police,” he managed to say between gasps of air as he held his ribs.

“I already did. When I pulled up.” She held up her phone, and he could hear Nick screaming at them.

“We’re here,” Hailey said. “Hurry, the cabin is on fire. I think I killed Fred,” she admitted as she looked at him.

Reece nodded in agreement. Yeah, the man was gone all right.

Thankfully.

“Hold on,” Hailey said. She turned the phone on speaker. “Tell him.”

“We’re coming up the drive now. Get away from the cabin.”

Reece nodded again. Shit. He was not going to pass out. Not now. He concentrated on slowing his breathing. Regulating how much air got into his lungs and pushed out his re-broken ribs.

“I’m here.” Hailey knelt in front of him as the patrol car stopped behind his truck. “Breathe,” she said, calmly.

He nodded and closed his eyes and tried to focus.

“Sorry,” he managed before everything turned gray.

“No, you don’t,” Nick said firmly as something foul was shoved in his face. “Wake up.”

“Shit.” He groaned. “Broken.” He held his side.

“Yeah, Dr. Stevens is on his way here. My dad and his crew are as well to put out this fire.” He motioned to the cabin. “From the way it’s going up, I’d say that they won’t be able to save it,” Nick said to Hailey.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said, keeping her eyes on Reece. “I have everything I want right here.”

She held onto him lightly, and he struggled to stand up so they could step away from the growing heat.