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The distant whine of sirens grew louder until blinding headlights illuminated the night sky. The cop cars shot past me, followed closely by a black suburban. As the cop cars whiz past me, the black suburban screeches to a halt and several figures emerge.
It’s Everett…and James.
Please let them be real.
"Ava?" James' voice is an anxious whisper.
I ran into his arms, seeking refuge from the horror that had engulfed me. I inhale his mahogany scent and savor his warmth, clinging to him like a lifeline.
"Thank fucking God. Are you hurt? Is this your blood?" He frantically inspects my wounds, but I can barely feel his touch over the thundering of my heart.
As Everett appears with an umbrella, shielding us from the relentless rain, James removes his jacket and drapes it over my trembling shoulders. My teeth chatter uncontrollably, and my legs threaten to give way beneath me.
"He's inside. He killed Colin," I manage to gasp.
James barks orders to the other agents and police officers while I glance back to see the front door ajar, but no signs of him. Spotlights illuminate the house, and law enforcement officers hurry inside and search the premises.
“The ambulance is almost here,” Everett informs us with a reassuring smile.
“Let me see.” James gently pulls my hand from the side, hissing in dismay. “Damn it, Ava.
He guides me towards the rear of the suburban and opens the back door gently. As he lifts me up into the car, my vision darkens around the edges as waves of nausea wash over me.
I am overcome with chills from the cold, and my eyelids are growing heavy as James wraps a warm woolen blanket around me. The combination of the adrenaline rush fading away and losing too much blood left me utterly exhausted and on the brink of unconsciousness. I just need to rest my eyes for a brief moment.
Just a few minutes.
TWENTY-FOUR
JAMES
“Ava? I need you to stay awake.” I plead, gently shaking her as her eyes threaten to close, and she begins to lean backward. I feel a chill run through my body as I take in Ava's battered and bleeding form. She is drenched in blood, and with trembling hands, I move around her body, searching for any wounds that have been overlooked.
My stomach lurches as I find what I'm looking for a deep gash on her left side. Clad only in her bra and panties, her beautiful olive skin is covered in blood.Her forehead and right cheek are cut deeply, scratches creating zigzag patterns across her skin, and purple bruises starting to form.
Gripping her tightly against my chest, I can feel her trembling uncontrollably as she whispers against my heart,
"It's not all mine," she croaks, her voice weak and strained.
The terror in her eyes tells me all I need to know about what happened inside.
“He killed him right in front of me.”
Gripping her close to me, I whisper fiercely into her ear, "It's okay, baby. You're safe now."
"He'll never stop," she sputters against my chest.
"He will when I kill him," I respond through clenched teeth, tightening my grasp around Ava as she shivers uncontrollably.
“The ambulance is here,” Everett announces.
I scoop her up in my arms and approach the ambulance. Once inside, I gently lay her on the stretcher, and the paramedics assessed her injuries.
“She has a knife wound on her left side and contusions and lacerations on her face. The rest of the blood is from the deceased inside,” I whisper the last part, careful not to upset Ava further.
The paramedics apply a thick wad of gauze to her side and apply pressure, securing it in place.
One of them radios the hospital, “We have a female patient between the ages of 25 and 35 with a knife wound on her left side. Multiple contusions on her face and head and a suspected concussion. The patient is awake but not fully alert. The estimated time of arrival is approximately 25 minutes.”
