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"Take your time, Kennedy," he reassured me. He looked down at his phone as a text came in. “I’ve got to get back to the office. You can see yourself out, yes? Email me if you decide to put in an application.”
“Thank you.”
As I stood there in the cold, empty apartment, the enormity of what I was about to do hit me like a ton of bricks. Was I really ready to leave them behind? Moving out to my own apartment…it seemed like it would be lonely now that I had found them. I couldn’t imagine myself coming here each night when I could be with them.
Except…I couldn’t be with all of them. Greyson seemed to be mortal enemies with Carter, Sebastian, and Jack now. Why did it have to be like that? Especially when I felt like I could never recover my memories until we were all together?
If I couldn’t have all of them…I closed my eyes against a sudden wash of pain. It felt like I would never be whole without all of them. As if they were tearing me apart.
"Maybe this place isn’t so bad after all," I whispered to myself, clutching my coat even tighter as I stepped out onto the street. The door banged shut behind me, the lock clicking as I stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Maybe...maybe I can make this work."
Leaving the apartment building behind, I started to walk back toward their condo. The city seemed even grimier than before.
A cold shiver ran down my spine as I noticed a van driving slowly down the road, keeping pace just behind me. I turned onto the street that would lead me back home, and felt suddenly dismayed as I realized how empty it seemed. Like a ghost town.
The van was an incongruous sight in this part of town, sleek and black with tinted windows. My gut told me something wasn't right.
"Keep it together, Kennedy," I muttered under my breath.
But my instincts screamed at me to run.
And I did.
As soon as my feet picked up speed, the van burst into motion, accelerating alongside me. Panic rose in my chest like bile, burning through any rational thought.
"Hey!" I shouted, hoping someone would hear me. But the streets were strangely empty, as if everyone had sensed the danger and disappeared. “Help!”
The doors to the van slid open, and two masked men jumped out. I heard their boots hit the street and dared a glance back as they raced after me. Their eyes were emotionless, predatory.
I knew I couldn't outrun them, but I had to try. My heart pounded against my ribcage as adrenaline coursed through my veins.
"Leave me alone!" I screamed, but my voice sounded weak. They didn't respond; they were gaining on me.
The van pulled abreast of me. The door swung open, moving back and forth with the motion of the van, and one of the goons jumped out—right in front of me.
I put on a burst of speed and lowered my shoulder. I caught a glimpse of his surprised eyes behind the mask as I slammed into him. He tried to grab me, and I lashed out, hitting him across the face as hard as I could. My knuckles burst open, pain spiking up my arm, but he stumbled backward, momentarily stunned by the unexpected resistance.
Then I bolted down the street, running for my life. The men were right on my heels. My breathing was loud and desperate as I tried to escape.
Suddenly, a man came running toward me. “Go!” he shouted at me, drawing a gun from his jacket.
He stepped between me and the men who were chasing me and squeezed off a round.
Relief rushed through me. I wasn’t alone. I didn’t understand where he had come from, but I was so thankful he was there.
The crack of gunfire exploded just behind me, so loud it blew out my eardrums.
And then there were more shots. I wove into an alleyway, trying to get out of the line of fire, as bullets sprayed above my head.
I glanced back over my shoulder and saw the man who had intervened slam into the sidewalk, bullet wounds blossoming bloody across his chest.
One of the masked men was on the ground too. The other two were running for the van, but one of them clutched his gut, blood spilling out onto his hand, his posture telegraphing shock. I reached the end of the alley and cut left, the streets a desperate blur, barely able to figure out where I was and which way to run.
To get back to the ice arena.
The van hurtled down the alley, and I heard it clip one of the dumpsters, slamming it into the brick wall. I ran frantically, cutting around another corner, hoping I could lose them on the streets.
As I sprinted through the city, all I could think about was getting back to Carter, Sebastian, and Jack. I felt like I would be safe if I could just get to the ice rink.
