Page 86 of Broken Love

“Remember when you asked me why him?” Caleb says, drawing Lilah’s eyes. “This is why.”

I smile as the sirens blare from the driveway.

The twins stand and Elijah drops his gun on the couch. “Fine,” he says, shifting toward Archer. “Lead the way.”

Archer grins and gestures them to start walking into the hallway.

Lilah jerks back, reaching around Elijah to grab the shotgun’s barrel. Elijah bends over, allowing for Lilah to roll over his back and attack Archer, landing her knee in his groin. He keels over and the shotgun slips from his grasp and into Lilah’s.

She points it at us.

I twist around to shield Caleb from the inevitable blast.

“Boxcar!” Caleb shouts.

It’s so loud, my ears ring. Feet pound on the floor, passing over us as Lilah and Elijah bolt for the back of the house.

“Goddammit—!” Archer pulls himself off the floor and follows them, keeping his head down in case another shotgun blast comes hurtling toward him.

“Caleb—!” I look down, seeing red blood splattered on her jacket beneath me. “Oh, god. No…”

She looks at me with wide eyes. “Boxcar, it’s not me…”

I look at my shoulder as the pain reaches my brain. “Oh, wow.”

“Don’t move, Box.” She tries to push my jacket aside to get a better look.

I slip onto my side. “That really hurts,” I say, somehow surprised.

“Bloody bastards…” Archer mutters as he bounds back into the room. “They’re gone. Run out the back.”

“He’s been hit,” Caleb says, her voice dripping with fear. She tries to push off the floor but even every bit of her strength can’t get her up.

Archer steps forward, but I wave my unwounded arm to stop him.

“Go,” I say. “You can’t be here. Run.”

He pauses, his eyes falling from me to the blood and back again with hesitation.

“Go,” I repeat, gritting my teeth as another bolt of pain strikes my chest.

Archer spins around with the shotgun in hand and runs for the back exit as the front door bursts open.

Caleb cradles my face, tears shining in her deep, green eyes. I smile through the pain, knowing that she’ll be okay.

I saved her.

Part of me goes numb. I settle a little harder against the floor.

“Boxcar, wait,” she says. “Stay with me.”

I feel her warm touch on my skin. Those hands. Those perfect hands that somehow manage to be rough and comforting at the same time.

Her voice echoes in my head as black uniforms circle around us and my vision goes dark.

“Boxcar!”

Chapter 24

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