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Derek turned and ducked just as Mr. X slashed his knife at him. Mr. X went to strike Derek again, knife raised in the air. I aimed my gun for his chest and this time I didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
The gun clicked, but didn’t fire.
“Shit!” It had malfunctioned.
Derek caught Mr. X’s forearm before he could bring the knife down on him. Colt stepped toward them with the intention to help Derek.
I grabbed his arm, yanking him back. His hands were cuffed, and he would only get himself killed.
Tap. Rack. Bang.Logan’s voice filled my head, reminding me how to try to fix my gun. Quickly, I used my palm to tap the bottom on the magazine. Then I pulled the slide back and tilted the gun to the side. The live round that had refused to fire fell out along with a little bit of water. I made sure I pulled the slide as far back as it would go so it properly sprang a new round into place before releasing it. Praying to any deity who would listen that I’d fixed the issue, I aimed again at Mr. X.
Derek had a good amount of muscle on him, but he was struggling against Mr. X. With how close they were and how badly I was shaking, I wasn’t confident in my shot. Mr. X’s other hand came up and he tried to punch Derek. His many years of self-defense training seemed to kick in then and Derek blocked. He adjusted his stance to give himself better purchase. Moving swiftly, Derek twisted his body to the side and Mr. X fell forward. Derek released Mr. X’s arm and punched him in the cheek. Mr. X stumbled a few feet, refusing to let himself fall to the floor.
“Derek, move!” I shouted. Mr. X’s back was to me, but if I shot and he happened to move, I could hit Derek.
Derek glanced at me and saw I had my gun aimed. Mr. X turned as Derek leaped behind the front desk. I pulled the trigger just as Mr. X faced me. My gun fired and Mr. X’s body jerked inward as the bullet hit his chest.
Pulling that trigger and seeing it hit him unlocked something in me. My rage surged to the surface. My rage for what he had taken from me, what he had done to me, and the threat he posed to those around me. I shot him again and again, stepping closer and closer with each bullet that left my gun.
Mr. X’s shoulders jerked and his feet stumbled backward each time a bullet hit his chest. I just kept shooting and shooting. I didn’t stop until he finally fell to the floor.
I stood there, frozen as I stared at Mr. X’s unmoving body. Fear and disbelief wouldn’t let me look away.
Was it over?
Was I free?
“Shiloh,” Colt said tentatively before placing one of his cuffed hands over my good arm.
I lowered my gun and made myself look away to face Colt. As soon as our eyes met, my shoulders sagged. He lifted his arms and put them around my shoulders. I wrapped my arms tightly around his middle and buried my face in his chest.
“Are you guys all right?” Derek asked and I could hear him moving closer to us.
I didn’t think I was, but I was alive, and Colt was alive. That was all I could ask for.
“We need to call the police,” Colt said, avoiding answering. He lifted his arms off my shoulders and stared down at where I was hurt on my arm. “We need to do something about this. It won’t stop bleeding.”
“I don’t have any cell service for some reason,” Derek said.
I turned to see Derek heading back behind the front desk toward the landline. As he went to reach for it, a rumbling, deep, and horrifying chuckle made us all freeze.
I spun toward Mr. X in time to see him sit up slowly. His eyes were locked solely on me as he got to his feet.
How?
As if reading my mind, Mr. X lifted his Desert Stone hoodie, revealing a black bulletproof vest beneath. His eyes glinted with delight as I backed away, running into Colt. Mr. X tsked as he wagged his finger at me. “You’ve been a very, very bad girl, Shiloh.”
His voice sent a shiver through me. I did my best to ignore it as I brought my gun up, aiming for his head this time. All he did was stand there, eyes bright, with a crazed grin. I pulled the trigger, but the gun didn’t fire. The trigger had locked back. I was out of bullets.
I let out a curse. “Run,” I said, grabbing Colt’s arm and bolting for the door.
Derek quite literally climbed and leapt over the front desk. He was right behind us as we barreled our way out and into the parking lot.
As we ran to Keelan’s Jeep and Derek to his own car, I pulled out Keelan’s keys from my pocket. I pressed the unlock button on the key fob and of course, it didn’t work. Diving into the pool to save Colt with the keys in my pocket had broken it. I’d have to unlock the car with the regular key.
I had the key ready in my hand as I approached the driver’s door. I jammed it into the keyhole and unlocked the car as fast as I could. As soon as I was inside, I unlocked Colt’s door and tossed my gun in the cup holder in the center console. I made the mistake of looking toward the gym. Walking briskly, Mr. X was heading straight for us.
“Start the car!” Colt yelled.
