Page 113 of Not Your Little Girl Anymore

He points to the living room. “Was that…” he doesn’t have to finish his question for me to know what he’s talking about.

“Yes…”

A gunshot.

Alec doesn’t waste a second, slipping on a pair of athletic shorts. “Stay here. Don’t move. You understand?”

I shake my head, panic clawing up my throat. “No. Alec, please.” I try to reach for him, but he slips out of my fingers.

“Stay here,” he repeats and the next moment, he’s not in my sight.

Fucking breathe. All I need to do is breathe.

I can’t stay here and wait. What if he gets hurt, or worse… I swing off the blanket, wrapping myself with a thin sheet, and get off the bed. The pain in my ankle isn’t as bad as it was yesterday, but it’s still there, throbbing. I bite through it and limp my way into the living room. When I round the couch, I see Alec in the kitchen with a baseball bat in his hand.

He hears me and looks back. “What the fuck, Summer,” he whispers, rushing toward me and grabbing my arms. “You need to get back into the bedroom.”

I go to answer, but we both jump, ducking slightly as another fire is shot. My wide eyes stare at the bullet hole in the door and each breath I take my heart speeds faster.

“Summer, get the fuck in the other room. Now!” Alec keeps his voice low, but his aggressive tone has me doing just that.

My heart surges up my throat as I scramble through my backpack. I never bothered to unpack and pull out a tank top and a pair of shorts. I rush myself, putting them on.

Another loud band goes off; this time, it’s not a gunshot. My stomach drops, turning and tumbling low at the sound of a man’s deep voice.

My father.

“You think you can screw me and take my daughter along with you?” he shouts, and I rush as fast as I can into the living room and back into the kitchen, only to stop in horror when I see Alec pinned against the wall with a gun to his head. “You have another thing coming,” he continues.

Alec doesn’t remove his eyes from my father. “Summer, get back in that room.”

I can’t think, I can’t speak, and I have lost all mobility in my body.

My father chuckles. It’s deep and gruesome. “Yes, Summer. Why don’t you leave us be? As a matter of fact, get your ass down those stairs and into the car. We are going home.”

I managed to find my voice. It’s dry and rough. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

My father tilts his head, his eyes darkening as they lock onto Alec. “You dare to disobey your father? Again?” He cocks the gun, his grip tightening around the handle, and presses it harder against Alec’s temple.

“Dad,” I choke out. “Please.”

“One,” he counts.

My body shakes, and for a second, I almost feel like there is nothing left of me. I can’t go with him. Brentley ordered me to stay as far from my father as I could until everything got sorted out. He promised me he would call me as soon as everything was cleared and he had more information.

“Two,” he speaks louder.

No. Oh, god no.

Alec keeps quiet as my father holds the gun tight against his head. My heart pulses through my ears and as soon as I see my father’s mouth open to spit out the next words, I panic.

“Fine. OK. OK,” I shout, and then lower my voice to a whisper. “I’ll go with you.”

“Summer.” Alec’s voice is wary.

My father’s lips tilt up, and it’s far from anything nice. It’s cruel and menacing. “What was that?”

I swallow through the sting in my throat. “I said, I’ll go with you,” I say louder.

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