Page 1 of Vengeful Guard

1

PAIGE

One month ago

“Paige!” a familiar voice screams from the distance with fear so clear it almost strikes me in the face.

Declan?

I’m about to get in my car after a little shopping spree, but my eyes fly to him.

Declan, Gray, and Jimmy are running toward me, guns drawn.

What are they doing? Are they insane?

Declan is waving his hand. “Get down! Get the fuck out of the way!”

I frown.

Out of the way? Of what?

Takes a second for the words finally click, but when they do, I lie down, belly to the floor, and cover my head with my arms.

Oh god, oh god, what is going on?

Gunshots start going off all around me, making me flinch and cower.

I can’t stay here. I need to get to my brothers, they’ll protect me.

Lifting my head to locate them, I use my elbows and legs to start crawling their way.

My leg is yanked upward and back, and pain radiates from my chin as it hits the ground.

I kick and flay and try to hold on to any part of the floor I can, but there is nowhere to grip.

Pain rips through me as my head is pushed back, and my hair is ripped by the roots.

A scream rips out of me, but it comes out thin and reedy to my ears instead of strong. I don’t even know if my brothers can hear me.

And out of nowhere, pain explodes in my eye.

Son of a bitch, he punched me.

The pull on my hair intensifies.

The pavement scrapes my hands and knees, but I can barely feel the sting, too focused on trying to escape.

I can’t think, can’t breathe.

Is this one of Murphy’s men?

I look at the guy hauling me, and he has a red beard and only one eye. I heard of him, even if I can’t remember his name to save my life, which I really need right now, but my focus is on the hand in my hair, the way it drags me across the street.

I’m fighting tooth and nail, scratching and kicking, but it’s like I’m nothing I do even affects him.

He is too strong, His hand is too tight around my hair,

I’m never going to get away.

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