Page 134 of Creed

No, no, no, no, no!

I kick my legs out, looking for purchase to fight him off, but I find none. I attempt to swing them back into his shins but it's as if the blows don’t faze him in the slightest.

I keep my body flailing, using all of my might to make it as hard as possible for this man to do whatever it is he was hired to do with me. I feel dizzy with his arm banded around my neck and I start to panic. If I lose consciousness or dissociate, I’m fucked. I double my efforts despite the dots spotting my vision and manage to turn my head and sink my teeth into the flesh of his forearm. I clench my jaw around his flesh until I taste the bitter, metallic tang of blood and he howls in pain, releasing me.

I fall to a heap on the floor, coughing and sputtering. I scramble away but a hand catches my ankle and I’m dragged across the floor, my skin tearing with the friction, and I cry out at the burn.

“You fucking bitch!” He spits, crawling over my body before flipping me so hard my head bounces off the ground with a crack.

“Fuck. you.” I hiss as I try to scoot backwards away from him.

“No thanks,” He says, panting. “Vicious blondes aren’t really my type.” His face is so close to mine so I take the opportunity to headbutt him which really fucking hurts. My head throbs and my attacker hisses as blood sprays from his nose, dripping down onto my shirt. I’m backhanded so hard I see stars and I taste blood from where he split my lip. He sits up long enough to pull a knife from his pocket and my heart shudders with terror as he flips it open with a snick.

“He told me to bring you alive.” He growls as he presses the blade to my pulse point which. “I’d slit your fucking throat right here and now just to get rid of your ass. I’d say you’re more trouble than you’re worth, but I have a lot of fuckin’ money riding on your delivery.” His weight on top of me is too heavy to escape and I can feel my fight or flight response kicking in, my body trying to slip my mind from reality when I feel a sharp sting on either side of my neck, and I cry out, feeling so weak from the pain that’s now consuming my body. I try to pull my focus back enough to see crimson now coating his knife as well as an empty syringe in his other hand.

My body starts to feel sluggish, and I feel the warmth of blood trickling down my neck and onto the floor. I try to cover my neck with my hand, but my muscles aren’t responding.

My head slumps to the side, my body giving in to whatever I was drugged with. I’m so fucking scared and helpless as he drags me by my arms towards the steps and it pulls at my injured shoulder. I whimper at the pain and it only causes him to chuckle. He huffs as he flips me up and over her shoulder, the force of my stomach meeting his muscle so harshly has nausea roiling within me.

Once he’s got me situated, his fingers grip my legs in a bruising grip and growls, “I’ve sat and watched and waited for too fucking long and now it’s time to get what I’m fucking owed, and you’re the ticket to my reward.”

I’m fighting consciousness and can barely comprehend his words, but what I think is a sob escapes my lips because I thought I was safe. I thought I would have a future with the two men I love more than life itself. I didn’t even get to tell them how much I love them.

My vision is darkening and my body has gone completely limp as this mother fucker hauls me toward the steps in nothing but sleep shorts and Creed’s t-shirt when it suddenly opens, and I hear a very muffled version Riley’s voice.

“Hey baby, have you seen—what the fuck—” his voice cuts off when a sudden and deafening bang causes my ears to start ringing but through it I hear a groan, followed by an exasperated curse from my attacker.

No, no, no, no. Riley, please.

“Goddamnit. I’ll be back for you, you little shit. He said no witnesses so I guess he can decide what to do with you when I hand you both over.” Tears slide backwards, flowing down my forehead and into my hairline when my attacker pivots and I’m able to see Riley’s body lying in a pool of blood, completely unmoving. I want to scream, but all that comes out is a broken whimper, full of disbelief and world-ending heartache.

Fuck! Please, please let this be a dream.

My body is jarred and I’m pulled from my thoughts as I’m tossed unceremoniously into the trunk of a car, my entire body screaming in pain. One of the last things I remember before the darkness claims me is another warm body being dumped next to mine. Something warm and sticky seeps into my shirt and I whimper again, unable to fully cry. This bastard fucking shot Riley and it’s all my fault. I know who hired this man and I knew it was only a matter of time before he showed back up to drag me into the shadows once more. Except now I feel ready to accept my fate because of the danger I stupidly thought that I would be safe from Guy. All that false security did was paint a target on the backs of Creed and Riley. Tears track down the side of my face when I’m met with nothing but silence. I don’t hear his breaths, I can’t feel him moving, he’s so still and the thought that he could be gone cleaves my heart in two.

But then he gasps and coughs, though the sound is muffled as I slip in and out of consciousness.

I want to tell him that I love him, that everything will be okay, but I can’t, for many reasons. All of them telling me that this is all my fault.

Chapter 45

Creed

Collins nuzzles herself deeper into my side just as the alarm on my phone buzzes on the small bedside table next to my head. I want to say fuck it to the concert tonight, but I know I can’t do that. I promised my buddy that we’d see this tour through for his band so that’s what we’ll do.

I turn off the alarm and turn to face Collins. Riley is wrapped around her back with one leg tucked between her knees and his arm draped over hers. What gets me, though, is the fact that their fingers are intertwined, and their arms are resting together across my torso.

The sight makes me wish I could stay here, just like this with them for-fucking-ever. Even with the weight of the universe and the shit happening around they both look so at peace while they sleep. That’s all I want for them. Some goddamned peace so they can live their lives however the fuck they want.

Reluctantly, I slide out from under Collins and lightly tap at Riley’s cheek to rouse him. He cracks his eyes open and looks at me, his deep brown eyes a little dazed from sleep. I smile at him and nod towards the door. He shakes his head and buries his face in Collins soft hair. It’s cute as fuck and I don’t blame him one damn bit, but we’ve got to get to the stage to run through a quick rehearsal with Blair and Bear.

That’s fun to say.

I lean over our girl to nuzzle into Ri’s neck obnoxiously to get him to wake up. He rolls his shoulder to try and nudge me off of him but when that doesn’t work, he whips his head to the side, and it puts us nose to nose.

His face flushes and it makes his freckles more prominent on his face. I love that about these two. Their freckles are so fucking adorable.

“We gotta go,” I whisper quietly as to not wake Collins.

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