Page 7 of Wicked Vengeance

“I go where Emma goes. Period.”

“Well, okay then. Let’s move out,” he says with a smile ghosting across his face as he turns for the stairs.

I turn and help Maddox to his feet, with Em still holding on for dear life.

“We’re getting you out of here, Sunshine,” he tells her, kissing her forehead and cradling her head into the crook of his neck as we all head to the winding stairs. “It’s time to go home. Our real home.”

The trek back to the main house is quiet, and each of us is on high alert and listening for any signs of disarray. When we walk back in, Jasper is pacing the floor next to Dax’s unconscious body in panic.

“We have to get him to a doctor, Ronan. Now! He passed out. I think he lost too much blood. We’ve got to-”

“Slow down, Jas. Breathe,” Ronan says, gripping him by the back of the neck and forcing him to a stop. He brings their foreheads together. “Go find something we can transport him on. We’ll get him to the truck and then to a doctor. He’s going to be fine.”

“Come on, I’ll help find something to put him on. Royal, keep an eye out. Laurelyn, why don’t you take Maddox and Em and grab anything you can’t leave behind? But hurry, only take what you can carry,” I say.

“There’s an ironing board in the washroom, just through there,” Laurelyn points to the doorway off the kitchen as she moves down the hallway with Maddox and Em following behind them.

Everyone moves quickly to do their respective tasks. Royal moves to the front door to keep watch while Jasper and I grab the ironing board and start moving Dax onto it to carry him through the woods. We find some sheets in the washroom and use them to strap his body down so he doesn’t slide off. I wish we would have parked closer. This would have been much easier if we didn’t have to cross the river to get back to our ride.

By the time we have him secured to the board, Maddox and the others come out, ready to leave. Tears well in Em’s eyes and make me pause. “What’s wrong, Little One?”

“My ho-horse,” she says, her lip trembling.

“Don’t cry. We’ve got your horse,” I tell her, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear as Royal steps up to us, holding the little worn-out horse up to her.

“I kept him safe for you. Don’t worry,” he tells her, kissing her cheek as she lights up in excitement. This little girl holds our hearts just as much as her momma does. “Can you keep your eyes closed and be very quiet for me?”

She squeezes her eyes shut and nods her blonde little head before burying it in Maddox’s neck once more.

“Royal, have you checked in?” I ask as we all file out the door and head towards the treeline we walked out of. Jasper and I carry the board with Dax as carefully as we can. Ronan takes the lead ahead of us, with Maddox, Em, and Laurelyn behind us. Royal’s at the tail, watching our backs.

“I will when we get to the truck. Let’s just get through these woods,” he replies as we cross the shallow river bed.

We fall into a comfortable silence until we make it back to the SUV. We get the seats laid down in the back for Dax on the makeshift stretcher, and Jasper climbs in beside him. The rest of us pile in, and we take off back towards the main road.

“What’s the plan?” Ronan asks.

“Head back to Twisted. We have a med room there, and we will find a doctor to help him,” I tell him, keeping my head on a swivel and making sure no one follows us.

Chapter 6

Royal

“Something’s wrong,” I say, panicking and re-dialing Raena’s phone again. “She’s not answering. Why isn’t she answering?”

“Breathe, Royal. I’ll call Ella and see what’s going on,” Alek says from the front seat, pulling out his phone from his pocket.

My mind whirls with all the possibilities of what could have gone wrong. I know she is sitting there waiting by the phone. If she’s not, something is definitely wrong. She wouldn’t miss this phone call for anything. I know she wouldn’t.

A boulder of dread sits in my stomach, anchoring me to the seat as I try to call her yet again.

No answer.

“Alek!” Ella’s hysterical voice cuts through the speaker of his phone, turning my blood to ice. “Get back here. Now!”

Gunshots pop in quick succession in the background, and my heart beats wildly in my chest.

“What the fuck is going on, Ella?” Alek shouts back.

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