Page 104 of Fractured Fear

A scream causes me to turn my back to the windows. I start to shout at Iris to hide, but Asher is already there diving over the desk and tackling her to the floor.

“Spencer, get down!” I don’t know how I hear Rio yell over the sound of bullets. It’s almost like he whispered directly in my ear. When I whip around to Rio, his arm is outstretched ready to pull us to the ground, but he sinks down to one knee, his face twisted in pain.

I take a step towards him ready to save us both, but before I can take another step the wind is knocked out of me as the side of my body connects the hardwood floors.

“Stay down!” the man above me shouts. Liam. I blink and his gun is out as he spins around on his knees and returns fire. My ears are already ringing, so the sound of his gun firing doesn’t affect my already damaged eardrums.

When Liam lowers his weapon, all the breath returns to my lungs. I shoot up to a sitting position as the blood drains from my face. My gaze shoots around the destroyed room unable to truly focus on a single thing.

“Z, get back here!”

My head snaps and I see Zane sprinting through the shattered windows and down the sidewalk with his gun in hand.

“Spencer? Spencer, look at me, Mama.”

Two hands hold my head and turn it to the side. I try to scurry backwards, but I’m met with soft chocolate eyes and the tightness in my chest eases a little.

“Are you hurt?”

My eyes are blank and my brain isn’t able to formulate words to answer him.

Rio checks me all over. “A few cuts and scrapes, but nothing serious,” he lets out a breath of relief. “You’re okay. You’re not hurt. I’m right here.”

A whimper escapes my lips and Rio pulls me into him. I settle my hand on his thigh and he lets out a small hiss. I jerk back, looking down at my hand I see smears of deep red acrossmy palm. I realize he’s hurt and I know I need to get my shit together.

“Rio! You’re bleeding!”

“I’m fine, Spence. It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing! You were shot!” My breaths come quickly now causing a black haze to creep into my vision, blurring the world around me.

“Hey, hey,” Rio’s hand lifts my chin and his other rests over my hammering heart. “I’m okay. We’re all fine. I need you to breathe, Mama.”

There’s another boom and I flinch, this time it’s the metal door leading to Clay Creations cracking against the wall with Hayes standing in the doorway. “Iris!”

Asher lifts Iris in a bridal hold and hands her over to Hayes when he makes it across the room. Hayes settles them in the computer chair behind the desk and whispers peace in her ear as she sobs.

Before long I’m being lifted into a set of thick tattooed arms and resting against a hard chest. My big guy. He doesn’t offer sweet words or empty promises. He gives me what he can, comforting me with his body. Asher nuzzles his face in my neck and breaths deep.

I draw my head back when I peek over Asher’s shoulder and notice a familiar beige suit laying limp on the ground covered in red.

Lance?

“Oh God,” I whimper.

“Shhh. Don’t look, Princess.” Asher guides my face so it’s nestled in his chest, obstructing my view.

Sirens are audible in the distance as we stay like that until Zane walks back through the devastation of the gallery with Liam on his heels.

“They got away, but we got a make and model on the car and Liam got one of the shooters in his hand,” Zane reports.

“I saw three of them. One driver, two shooters,” Liam adds.

“Same,” Zane agrees.

Three people. It only took three people to destroy what I hold dear. My safe space.

Two shooters. One driver. Sixty seconds. That’s all it took.

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