Page 95 of Catch My Fall

Alec’s lip is split, but he recovers from the punch as if he felt nothing.

“We’ll see how much he deserved it when your little girlfriend here has her brains carpeting the floor.”

“What use is killing her?” Alec asks, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor.

“So that her precious brothers know the pain that I feel. Speaking of…” He pulls out a phone.

My phone. They must have found it in the wreckage of the car when his goons pulled us out.

He taps on the screen before holding it up to his ear. “I’m feeling a strong sense of Deja vu, are you? I feel like we’ve done this before…”

I can hear Gage on the other end, and though I can’t make out what he’s saying, by the tone of his voice I can only imagine.

Austin chuckles. “She’s fine, for now, but that all relies on you. I want you and Rafe here within the hour. No funny business and be sure to leave your FBI buddies at home. Any sign of them I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in her pretty head, though I might have a little fun with her first,” Austin shoots me a grin, “for old time’s sake.”

Alec stiffens in the chair beside me, cursing under his breath.

“You’re a clever boy, I’m sure you can figure out for yourself where we are. Let’s just say it’s a place of great significance for all of us, history after all has a nasty habit of repeating itself.” Austin cuts the call and pockets my phone.

Pointing out three of his men, including Wayne and Peter, the three of them follow Austin towards the door on the far wall, leaving the last two to stand guard.

“We’re gonna die, aren’t we?” I mutter.

“No. We’re both walking out of here, together. I promise.”

“You can’t know that. Austin’s only bringing my brothers here so they can watch him put a bullet in my head in person.”

“Sierra, have I ever given you reason not to trust me?” I shake my head. “And have I ever let you down before?”

“No.”

“Then I need you to trust me, princess. Okay?” His eyes bore into mine, and the intensity of his gaze settles something inside me. Even in this impossible situation we’re in, I trust Alec with my life and with not much faith left, I put the very little I have in him.

“Okay.” I nod.

“That’s my girl.” He smiles, and it’s a smile that has me clinging onto the tiny shred of hope I have left in my heart.

My eyes catch on the movement of Alec’s hands behind his chair, noticing his rope looks significantly looser than mine feels around my wrists.

When my gaze returns to Alec’s face, he’s wearing a smirk.

He’s breaking himself free.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Alec. Please,” I whisper.

We can’t afford for Austin or his men to catch on to what he’s doing. It’s lucky that the few men that remain in the room are either looking out of the windows or chatting between themselves, unaware of what Alec is doing.

I can only hope Alec has some sort of plan to get us out of here, because other than being carried out with a bullet between our eyes, I can’t see another way out for us.

It’s only half an hour or so when Austin returns, followed in by the three men from before, flanking Gage and Rafe as they walk in the middle.

I smile with a sigh when I spot them. After not seeing them for what feels like a lifetime, it’s good to see them, even under such circumstances as these. Even if it will be for the last time.

Gage’s jaw clenches so hard I’m sure his teeth must be cracking and Rafe just looks… deflated. I know he’s feeling guilty, after all he was the one who shot Bryce in the first place and must blame himself for everything that’s happened since, not just to me, but to the rest of our family. Since that day it’s been like a butterfly effect, everything that has happened to our family has stemmed from that exact moment Rafe shot Bryce.

But I don’t blame him, I couldn’t. He was protecting Gage and Della, anyone would’ve done the same in his position, he couldn’t have foreseen what would happen.

Gage forces his way past Austin’s men towards us, but he doesn’t get very far, Peter has the tip of his gun presses into his temple.

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