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“Okay, look, we’ll figure something out,” he says after a beat. “It’s not a good idea to shoot her, though. Her dad will never stop hunting us if we do, and no one needs that kind of drama in their lives. If you and I leave by ourselves, it’s clean and simple. I’ll text my parents and send them to hell like I should’ve a long time ago, and we’ll be free.”
“That’s not the plan,” he snaps.
Vincent shrugs. “Plans change. We’ll get the money, bro. It just doesn’t have to be today. You’re right. Full Moon owes your family, and you’ll get what’s coming to you. I’ll help you get it, but not like this. Even if we do manage to make it out of the resort, the towns nearby are crawling with security. What happens if I get the money, we leave, and they grab us in the next town for it? It’s just not worth it today. Not until we have a proper plan in place.”
What are you doing?I want to scream at him. Justin is giving a free pass—no, an order really—to leave this goddamn room and go get help. I know he’s worried about leaving me here with him and about Justin following through on his threat to shoot me if anyone tries anything, but I can find a way out of it.
At least, I think I can. But as I consider the consequences if Dad and the cavalry storm in here, I realize Vincent might be on to something. The more people come in, the more risk there is of someone getting shot. Maybe even Dad, and I can’t risk that. I also know that if he gets so much as a hint of what’s going on in here right now, he absolutely will be the first person through that door.
Followed by Jonathan, Maxim, and all the others. My family. The men and women I work with. Everyone would be in the line of fire, and we can’t have that.
Justin just stares at Vincent, clearly considering what he said. A long minute passes, but eventually, he lets out a heavy breath, and for the first time since I came in here, he relaxes the hand with the gun in it to drag his palm over his face. His eyes close. The barrel scrapes over his skin, but he doesn’t even seem to notice.
Recognizing that this might just be the opening I’ve been waiting for, I run through a hundred different scenarios in my head. They’ve been playing out in the back of my mind since I saw him, and as I settle on one, my body jumps into action.
It is entirely possible that this could be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. Going up against a man with a gun got even my dad shot, but he made it, and if the same thing happens to me, then so will I. I have no intention of dying today. It feels like I’ve only just started living, and I will fight to keep doing it until my very last breath blows out of me.
I won’t be going quietly or gently into that good night. That’s for fucking sure.
“Get down,” I yell at Vincent as my shoulder rams into Justin’s stomach. The guy is bigger than me, stronger, but that doesn’t mean he’s better in a fight. My dad told me to use my smaller size to my advantage if it ever came down to this, and now that it has, that’s exactly what I’m planning on doing.
There’s a sound behind me, and I can only hope it’s Vincent doing what I told him to. My focus is on the man in front of me instead of the one behind me right now, though. Stopping to check on Vincent could get us both killed.
Justin’s abdomen feels like a brick wall, but since he wasn’t braced for anyone to tackle him, I manage to knock him off balance. Letting out a loud roar, he stumbles back as his eyes fly open, and he raises the gun above his head.
Everything seems to shift down a gear until it’s all happening in slow motion. I see the barrel being smashed down to my head, and I duck out of the way at the last moment, sidestepping and bringing my knee up to ram it into his balls.
He roars again, but he doesn’t go down like I was hoping he might. Instead, I feel a sting of pain and realize he’s caught my hair. He drags me up by it, grinning like the crazy person he is. There’s a flash of movement behind him, and then an almighty crash rings out. Blinking past the stinging pain in my scalp, I see Vincent standing behind him, holding a broken lamp.
Justin sways on his feet and there’s blood running from his temple, but he’s still grinning as he snarls, “Stupid bitch.”
Since he’s still got a firm grip on my hair, I can’t get away from him, but I don’t want to either. Vincent has jumped onto his back—staying well out of the gun’s way—and I reach for Justin’s crotch again.
If I could’ve reached his eyes, I’d have gone for them, but the only thing keeping me from being shot right now is that I’m half shielded by his own body. Vincent’s also putting most of his attention on the shoulder of the arm holding the gun, making it difficult for Justin to aim it at either of us.
All these thoughts race through my head at lightning speed. I’m pretty sure the only reason Justin hasn’t pulled the trigger yet is that he knows that as soon as he does, all hell will come raining down on him.
The sound of a gunshot in this resort right now would be like firing into a barrel of gunpowder. It would all explode. Every trained and untrained person on the premises would be here in no time, but as we grapple with him, I know it’s only a matter of time.
Justin didn’t bring a gun just to make himself look cool. He’s trying to evade detection for long as he can, but if he gets so much as a whiff that he might lose this fight, he’s going to use it for the purpose for which it was designed: to kill.
29
VINCENT
Pandemonium erupted as soon as Olivia went for Justin. I don’t blame her, but fuck… A little heads-up would’ve been nice.
As I hang on to him and see her grabbing him by the nuts, I want to cheer, but not even I’m that crazy. She’s keeping slightly off to one side, definitely trying to use him as a human shield, and it seems to be working. He’s pulled out some of her hair and he’s yanking her around by the head, but if she’s in pain, she’s keeping quiet about it.
Red streaks flash across my field of vision. She may be keeping quiet about it, but that’s got to hurt.I need to do something.
While I’ve got all my weight hanging on his gun arm as I try to fight him for it without getting either of us shot, the guy is freakishly strong. Or maybe it’s just adrenaline. Like those moms who lift cars off their kids if they get run over.
Whatever it is, it’s difficult to believe he’s still standing. The gun is just out of my reach, and he’s thrashing around too much for me to readjust my grip on him. But as I keep pulling, I feel him starting to lose his balance, which is either a really good thing or a really bad one.
This is fucking insane.As he starts toppling, I realize Olivia is going to lose her shield any minute now, and if I loosen my grip on him for even a second, I don’t doubt he’ll use it to try to aim the gun at her. Acting out of sheer desperation, I bring my teeth to the shoulder of the arm that’s holding her and bite as hard as I can.
The metallic taste of blood fills my mouth, and it’s fucking gross, but I don’t give a flying fuck about that right now. Between me pulling, scratching, punching, and now biting and Olivia holding his crotch in what I can only assume is an iron grip, the guy finally starts buckling. She takes a swipe at him with her free hand again, curling it into a fist and letting it pound into his side and everywhere else she can reach.
