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Beyond the door, I hear gunshots and something that goes off with an even louderbang. Maybe a bomb of some sort.
“I’m s-sorry, Molly,” Ryan says. I can tell how troubled he is by what he had to do. “I was awful to you. Just awful.”
I swallow. “It’s okay.”
“No,” he snaps. “We might d-d-d…” I’m relieved when he can’t finish the word. The last thing I want to think about is us dying. “You have to know, it wasnotokay. I was a bully. I was a real piece of shit. You’re a good person.”
“You were drinking a lot.”
“No,”he snaps, sounding like his dad for a moment. “That’s no excuse. I called you names. I belittled you. I swear to God, if we get out of here, I will be a better person.”
“Why did you do it?” I ask, hand trembling as I stare at the door, my finger on the trigger, wondering if I’ll have what it takes when the time comes.
“It’s funny. I didn’t even know why, exactly, until they took me. Until I thought I was going to die. It’s like everything became clear then.”
“Yeah?”
“My mom l-left me,” he whispers, almost breaking down in tears. The gunshots have stopped now, but nobody is charging the doorway. “She just up and left and abandoned me. She didn’t give a damn that I wanted to stay here. All my life, she’d been keeping me away from my dad. Then, when it was convenient for her, she justleftlike it was no big deal. Like my opinion didn’t even matter.”
“So you were taking it out on me because you couldn’t take it out on your mom?”
“Pathetic, right?” he says. “Fuckingsad, but yeah, I think that’s it. Or maybe that’s just me giving myself an excuse. Whatever it is, you didn’t deserve it. No boyfriend should treat his girlfriend like that.”
When his voice gets emotional toward the end, an alarm bell rings inside me. What if he has feelings for me? That’s going to make things even more complicated.
“We weren’t really a couple,” I murmur.
“You’re right,” he says. “No offense, but I wasn’t even…”
“It’s okay. You can say it.”
“Attracted to you,” he goes on. “I was a bully and a predator. I saw you and thought I could use you as my goddamn verbal punching bag. I’ll never stop hating myself for that. What sort of person does that make me?”
“A bad one,” I tell him, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow. It doesn’t mean you can’t change. It doesn’t mean you can’t be better. It doesn’t mean, from this moment on, you can’t be agoodperson.”
“That’s what I’m going to do,” he says fiercely, “if we get out of here.”
Theifbounces around my mind. I can hear yelling, but it’s difficult to make out the words. Then the voice gets closer. My heart flutters in my chest like it’s going to grow wings and fly away. It’s Duke, his voice husky. “Molly! Ryan! Molly!”
I’m about to yell when Ryan whispers urgently, “Don’t, Molly, it could be a trick.”
He stands, creeping across the room. I can tell from his body language that he doesn’t want to be anywhere near the corpse. He forces himself forward anyway, inch by inch. Finally, he walks out the door. I bite down, chest getting tight, breath catching. If it is a trick and they get their hands on Ryan, how long until…
I drop the gun and let out a cry of pure relief and love when I see Duke in the doorway. He’s not wearing handcuffs anymore. He’s got blood all over his face, his body covered in bruises, but he’s alive. He’s smiling. I spring to my feet and rush toward him.
He catches me in a hug, holding me tightly. I’m scared of hurting him even more than they have, but I can’t stop holding tightly onto his body, digging my nails in as if to keep him here and stop those bastards from taking him away.
Tears burst out of me, sobs making my body shudder. He holds me tightly. I think he’s crying, too, but it’s difficult to tell. The emotion is so overwhelming. I’m crushed by it. No,shroudedby it, wrapped in its warm embrace, cocooned in the heat of my man.
“It’s okay,” he says, gently running his hands through my hair. “It’s over. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. You never have to be afraid again. I’m here. I’m going to take care of you. Forever.”
I clutch onto him even tighter, pressing my cheek against his chest, feeling his hard muscles and heartbeat thundering against me. He braces my shoulders and pulls me closer as if he wants as little space between us as possible.
“Forever,” I repeat.
“It’s you and me now.” He tenderly kisses my forehead, then my cheek, kissing away my tears. “One day, I’ll kiss you just like this.” He kisses my cheek again. “But these will be happy tears. You’ll see.”
“I believe you,” I say, leaning up, gently pressing my lips against his. He returns the kiss with more pressure despite his injuries.
