Page 137 of The Good Girl

I stumble in shock but use it to get myself into position. He reaches out to steady me, lowering the gun instinctually. I use my momentum and stab the knife as hard as I can into his inner thigh, leaving it embedded in his leg. I can only pray I hit my intended target.

He drops to the ground with a bellow. I don’t hang around, not while he still has the gun clutched in his hand.

I take off running, heading for the back of the house as he fires the first shot. I know I won’t make it into the woods before he shoots me, not unless he bleeds out. Clearly, I’m not that lucky.

I need a weapon and somewhere to hide. I run up to the door and yank it open. I make it halfway down a long hallway when I notice a figure standing at the other end.

My hand covers my mouth as the ghost takes me in and does the same.

“Citlalli?”

“Nevaeh? Oh my god, what are you doing here?”

I stand frozen on the spot as I take in her white, thread-bare dress and bare feet. Around her too-thin ankle, a metal cuff and a chain limit her movements.

“Oh god, I thought you were dead,” I whisper, tears running down my face.

She stumbles toward me. “I’m not dreaming––you’re really here?”

I swipe my hand across my cheeks and run toward her, wrapping her tightly in my arms as she sobs. Pulling back, I cup her face with my hands. “We need to get out of here.”

The sound of gunfire makes us both jump. What little color she has in her gaunt face drains away.

“You can’t be here. He’ll kill you.”

“I’m not leaving without you, Citi.”

“You have to. Please just go.”

The gun fires again, splintering the wood of the door. Citi screams and runs.

“Citi, wait!” I run up the stairs after her, trying not to trip over the chain that trails behind her. I know she’s scared, but I have to make her see reason.

All those thoughts fly out of my head when I find her in one of the bedrooms with a little girl in her arms.

She looks around four or five, but it’s hard to tell with her face buried against Citi’s shoulder. It’s the color of her hair that has my stomach churning. It’s the exact shade and color as mine––as Citi’s.

“Oh, Jesus.” It’s all right there, the evidence that my sister’s been violated in the worst possible way. She’s been held captive all this time, of course, she’s been raped. I can’t?—

More gunfire snaps me out of my horror. She cradles her child protectively. I don’t know if it is from me or Mr. Markham, but I know Citi will fight tooth and bone to protect her.

“I have a niece?”

“I won’t let him hurt her. He can do what he wants to me, but I won’t let him hurt her.”

“He’ll have to go through me first,” I tell her with a snarl.

Another shot rings out, followed quickly by another.

I was too young to save Citi before, but I’m not a kid anymore. I’m an old lady to the president of the Raven Souls MC. I’ll die before I let him near my sister or niece.

“Stay here.”

I hear the gun click as he shoots, followed by two more clicks. I smile. He’s out of bullets.

“You can’t go out there, Nevaeh. He’ll kill you.”

“Not if I kill him first.”

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