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Jackson
"You're alive." I whisper, running my hand up and down her. She's covered in blood, dirty with sand. Yet she still looks absolutely stunning. "Are you okay?" I pull her bloody clothes away from her. What the fuck is she wearing?
"Yeah. Yeah. It's not my blood." She whimpers as she looks off into the distance.
"What's wrong?" I brush her hair away from her face.
I've been told to stay back here. I'm away from where Easton grabbed Cara. Shoved behind a tall bush so I can't be seen. I've been using a scope, shooting these fuckers one by one.
I haven't been able to see Cara, and I assumed the worst.
We almost didn't make it in time. I was worried I was too late. Fury would have made me find a way through the wall. I would've found a way. I would've gotten Cara back no matter what.
"D-Daniella." She whimpers again, crying as she falls against me. She's thin. Thinner than she should be. I can't imagine what she's been through, and I'll do whatever it takes to bring her back to me.
"Who's Daniella?" I ask softly. Easton's truck is off in the distance, but the van I arrived in is close. We should really get to safety. I think I got all the men, but that doesn't mean there aren't any hiding somewhere. But I'll take this moment with my girl. I need it.
"She was..." She sobs, clutching her throat as she looks at me. "She was my friend."
Looking down at her red clothes, I can only imagine Daniella didn't make it. "I'm sorry, Cara."
She nods, her eyes watery.
Easton went off somewhere. Not sure where, exactly. He dropped Cara in my arms and took off again. The silence in the night makes me think we're fine, though. The occasional person I see walking around is one of our men.
We won. Again.
After a few more minutes, I curl Cara into my lap and turn my chair around, making my way towards the van. Once we get there, I nudge her off of me. She looks up, seeing the van in front of her before she stumbles inside. I pull myself up in the seat beside her and shut the door. Someone will have to load my chair in. I can't worry about it right now.
When Easton comes back, he has a body in his arms. I watch his shadow come closer, and at first, I'm worried it's one of our guys, but then I realize this body is too small. Way too small. Skin and bones, the legs dangle from his arms like limp noodles.
Cara looks up, breaking out in a sob as she tries to scramble out of my lap.
I whip my arm around her waist, holding her against me. "Cara, no. It's not safe."
"B-but, it's Daniella." She gasps, a look of absolute devastation in her eyes.
Easton looks up, shaking his head at me before bringing her to the back of the truck. He lays her in the back then loads in my chair before hopping in the driver's seat.
"Where's Hugo?" I ask. I haven't seen any of our men in a while. I hope that all of them made it, but the truth is I know that some of them didn't. I just hope Hugo isn't one of them.
"He's fine. Ended up near my truck and said he was going to take it back for me." He turns the ignition, reverses the van and then pulls out, leaving a trail of dusty smoke trail behind him.
Everything behind us disappears, and it's like it never happened. Except it did, because Cara has the scars to prove it. They might not be visible, but just the look in her eyes tells me that her scars go much deeper than the surface.
* * *
The next morning,I wake up to the sound of rustling. I look up, seeing Easton slipping on his pants. "What's up?" I whisper, not wanting to wake Cara. It was a restless night for her. Between crying and moving around, I don't think she even got a solid two hours of sleep.
"I'm going to call Rose. Let her know we'll be heading out soon." He walks to the door, looking over his shoulder at me while turning the knob. "You good?"
I breathe. For the first time in what feels like a week. My body aches from all the tension and my head hurts like a bitch, but I can't complain. I've got Cara back, and I couldn't be happier. "I'm good. You good?"
He runs his hand down his face as he opens up the door. "I will be once I go see my girl."
"I'll wake Cara up soon. She barely slept at all. I want her to be able to sleep a little bit more if she can."
He nods, slipping out the door and closing it silently behind him.
