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I flinched at his threat. “I’m really sorry for everything that happened, Christine. I’m just trying to figure it all out.”
Christine closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, not responding in the slightest. The silence was deafening as I repeated my apology.
She opened her eyes to meet my gaze in the mirror. “Leo, I want us to work more than anything, but you’re going to have to prove it to me,” she said resolutely. “I need you to fight for me—or walk away.”
She opened the car door and stepped out.
My nostrils flared as I tried to breathe. I watched her, unable to move. I knew she was right. The idea of walking away from her, of losing her forever, was too much. I didn’t know if I could fight for her; I wasn’t prepared for that.
She glanced back at me as she walked toward the house.
I sat there for a few moments before slowly following after her.
The beach house was consumed by darkness as we approached the entrance. Atticus and Christine were walking ahead, her holding his arm tightly and him tracing circles on her skin with his fingers. It made me sick to my stomach, this stupid longing for something I knew would never happen. Augustus was whispering something to the two of them, a secret I wasn’t in on.
Just as they were about to walk up the steps, a deafening shot cracked in the night, and Atticus’s body fell violently to the soil. Christine screamed out in horror as Atticus stared at his hands in shock. She rushed to him, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. His shirt was drenched with a deep red, and my heart stopped as I saw the gaping wound in his chest. The sharp corrosive smell of blood filled the air, and I felt my body go numb.
The clamor of chaos erupted around us, and time seemed to stand still. Christine fell to the ground in a heap, her contorted face mirroring the fear that had taken hold of us all. Augustus rushed toward her, but an unseen force seemed to be holding him back. I drew in a shaky breath and sprinted up the steps leading to the front door, feeling like I was running through quicksand. Suddenly, a sharp pain burned through my side as a bullet ripped through the air, followed by another and then another. Blood trickled down my arm as I pushed forward with every ounce of energy I had left. Christine’s screams swarmed around us, and I prayed we would make it out alive.
My head thundered with adrenaline, and my vision tunneled down to a single point. Everything was moving so slowly, like I was stuck in a dream. Augustus’s voice roared around me, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. I saw Atticus glance up at Christine, and it felt like my entire world cracked in half when he groaned a single word.
“Run!”
I lunged for Christine, throwing myself between her and the approaching men, shielding her with my body. I scooped her up in my arms, barely feeling the weight of her as I stumbled backwards. She was screaming and fighting me every step of the way, desperate to get back to Atticus.
Augustus’s voice echoed around us as he yelled for us to get in the car, but it seemed like every shadow was spilling out of the house and rushing toward us. The men in black had their guns raised, ready to fire any second. Fear surged through me as I sprinted toward the car, dragging Christine behind me.
My heart was pounding, fear coursing through my veins as one of them launched toward us, Christine standing frozen in a moment of terror. He barreled toward her with a predatory savagery, his body looming like a massive mountain above us. His face was a twisted mask of fury, and his shaved head glinted in the moonlight.
I had no time to think; I acted on instinct. I dove at him, my limbs carrying me faster than I knew my body could go. My fists flew forward with fervor, barely dodging the click of his gun. I kept punching his face, his blood spilling onto the pavement beneath us as he screamed in agony. He flailed at me with his thick hands, but I felt nothing. All I heard was Christine’s sobs and Augustus’s screams; all I could feel was the fierce determination to protect her no matter the cost. Atticus had told her to run, and by God, I would make sure she did.
I unleashed a barrage of punches, kicks, and slashes, aiming for the man’s face with each strike. I felt my knuckles bruise under the force of my blows, but I didn’t care.
“Get the queen!” one of them shouted. “Kill the others!”
I felt a sickening crunch as I snapped the man’s neck and spun around just in time to see Christine grabbed by two men, her screams filling the air. She fought them briefly but then stopped, turning to me with a face filled with terror and rage.
I scanned the area, trying to spot Augustus and Atticus, but there was no sign of either of them. I was powerless; I couldn’t protect my family.
Christine remained still, watching as two more men threw me to the ground beside her. I was desperate; I wanted her to live. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I begged for her life. “Please, don’t hurt her.”
“I won’t fight,” Christine said firmly to the men holding her. “I won’t fight.” I knew she was thinking of her child; she couldn’t risk getting hurt. Even though her face was contorted in rage, she didn’t move.
The two men pinned me against the unforgiving ground. Somewhere, Augustus’s desperate roar bled through the air.
They viciously carried her away, shoving her into their darkened car and locking it. To my right, I finally saw Augustus. He was hovering beside a lifeless Atticus as he started throwing futile punches at the men that had him pinned down.
“Leo, get up,” he screamed as he hopelessly tried to break free and rescue her.
I furiously thrashed against my own captors and unleashed a flurry of punches so powerful they felt like thunder, until I managed to free myself from their grip. With the taste of metallic blood still lingering in my mouth, I quickly clawed my way toward the car. They were pulling away, headed back down the bridge.
Augustus escaped the two men fighting him and leapt forward with all his might, his fist pounding against the hood of the vehicle and his foot viciously kicking the metal. His voice cracked with fear and rage as he hurled obscenities. “Bastard!” he screamed. “Bastard!” His cries echoed throughout the night air, like an omen of what was to come.
I sprinted, trying desperately to race after them, but the car vanished in a blink of an eye, leaving us in its wake.
“What the hell is happening?” I shouted in terror, panic rising in my gut.
“I don’t know!” Augustus cried out.
