AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A longer walk never killed anyone.
I reach into my pocket for my phone while I open the door, not exactly paying attention to my surroundings. Though, I let out a sigh as the cool, refreshing night air hits my skin. I allow myself a brief moment to relax, closing my eyes as I lean against the door frame.
My phone vibrates in my hand, but I also hear the scuffle of shoes ahead of me that has me finally glancing out in front of me to confirm that I’m not alone. Too many men to count stand there staring at me, many of them armed with guns, several of which are pointed at me.
Panicking, I reach back for the door to escape inside, but there’s no fucking handle. It’s an exit only.
I search for…I have no fucking clue, but my situation only gets worse. Between all those men, lying face-up on the asphalt, is someone I recognize from his frequent appearances on the news. Gone is his normally jovial smile, replaced by wide eyes and a bullet hole in his forehead.
Holy fucking shit.
Senator McAdams. He’s fucking dead.
A scream catches in my throat as I manage to tear my eyes away from the motionless form, but that doesn’t better my situation.
“Kill her,” someone demands, and I drop to the ground like a sack of rocks, rolling behind a dumpster as bullets start to fly, the bangs of gunpowder echoing in the small space.
I’m pretty sure I’m screaming, but my pounding heart drowns out the sound. I cover my head with my hands, unaware of what’s happening around me as I begin to curl into a tight ball with the hopes of becoming a smaller target that’s less likely to be hit with a bullet if anyone comes to find me in the shadows.
My limbs start to go numb, making the decision to run out of the question, even when I hear the gunfire cease. Shouts are shared between men, and another thud sounds from further away. Fuck my life. Bodies are literally dropping all around me.
“Get in the fucking car,” a grumbly voice says from much too close and steals my breath.
I have no clue if he’s talking to me, but I’m just going to play dead, because there’s no possible way I can budge from the ground.
“Are you shot?” he demands, but I still don’t answer, partially because I’m so wound up that I’m not even sure I know the answer to his question.
Warm hands force my body to unravel, and I start to fight back, but the snarl that sounds from the darkness shrouding this man has me paralyzed in fear at least for a few seconds.
“You’re fine. Now, up.”
I’m so fucking far from fine it’s almost funny.
When I don’t move, he snarls once more, then roughly picks me up, slipping warm hands under my body, their touch bringing an unexpected relief to my cold bones. Until I realize I have no idea who wanted me dead and who is now holding me.
Instinctively, my arm pulls back, and I blindly throw a punch, connecting with something hard, yet clothed.
“Fuck,” the same gruff voice says. “I’m trying to fucking save you.”
Since it takes my brain more than a second to register what he’s said, I hit him once more, but he manages to restrain my wrists with one hand. The growl that comes from deep in his chest finally has me pausing.
At least he’s not shooting at me, I think as I stop fighting for the moment until I open my eyes again and see several more dead bodies in the dark alleyway.
“Let me go!” I screech and try to punch my unknown captor again, but he keeps a tight hold on me, locking his arms tightly around me.
He doesn’t reply to my demand with words. Instead, the door to an SUV is opened and I’m tossed into the back seat like a damn shopping bag.
I don’t bother trying to reason with words. My fingers grasp the latch of the other door and yank hard, hoping to jump out the opposite side, but the fucker won’t budge.
“I told you the child locks would come in handy, boss,” the driver up front says.
The man who picked me up gets in with his head down, but I still get a good enough look at his face.
“You.” I gasp.
He turns toward me, those same piercing amber eyes seeming to penetrate my soul. “I just saved your life. Maybe you should be thanking me instead of glaring.”
“But that was Senator McAdams,” I say, barely keeping a frightened stutter out of my words. “And you were just in the hotel. How did…”
