Page 117 of Under the Lies

My body starts to shake.

Gabe squeezes my shoulders, shaking his head against my temple. “You’re going to be fine.” His whisper barely audible.

Gabe shifts behind me and I peek to see him reach behind, pulling out a sleek gun of his own. He leans up a little and starts firing back.

I feel something zip by me. A bullet.

And then another one.

More fly.

Until suddenly…

They stop.

Gabe rolls off me as footsteps race toward us.

“Gabe,” I whisper, not getting an answer in return. Gabe gets to his feet, the gun rests casually between his fingers at his side as if he was holding a cell phone.

The footsteps get louder. Until they stop.

Reeve and Thea stop just short of where Gabe is standing above me. Both holding guns.

“The shooter ran off,” Thea pants.

“What happened? Where’s Noah?” Looking around I don’t see him anywhere. Dread settles in my stomach while my words seem to light a fire under Reeve’s skin.

“What happened?” Reeve growls, glaring at me as I get to my feet. “What happened was that some fucker decided to open fire on you and Gabe saved your life instead of going after the fucker.”

His words are accusing. As if he thinks I called up the people with the guns and asked them to shoot at me. Nothing like a little target practice to get the blood flowing.

I hug my elbows as I glare back. “Don’t act like this was my fault. I didn’t ask to be dragged here.”

“You’re fucking bad luck, Brooks. Throwing all the shits and balances off. I’ll blame you however I damn well please.”

Thea tries to put a hand on his chest, to calm him, but he growls at her, smacking her hand away.

“He’s drunk,” she explains.

“So you let him handle a gun?” I balk.

She rolls her eyes. “He’s not that drunk.”

“I’m not drunk at all, idiot,” Reeve growls at her. “My hatred for Sayer trumps my compassion for something that’s her fault to begin with.”

“Reeve!” Thea snaps. “Leave her the fuck alone. She didn’t plan this!”

“Why should I leave her alone?” He steps in her space, tilting his head. “Because you finally like a girl Noah’s fucking? Not my problem you don’t have friends outside of us.”

Noah. His name causes a siege in my chest. He’s still not with us.

Thea’s eyes widen in hurt that she blinks away as I look around the now abandoned warehouse. “Where’s Noah?” I ask again.

“Here.”

Twisting around to the sound of his voice, low and decadent, his face is fierce as he stalks toward us. Toward me. Even with the distance separating us I feel his eyes on my body, assessing it. Drinking me in.

Thea and Reeve continue to argue, but I don’t hear them.

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