Page 115 of Love and Memories

“Shut up!”

The toe of Gunner’s boot struck her in the side, and the pain radiated through her back. She gasped and curled around her stomach as she fell to her side.

The baby.

She had to fight back. She had more to live for than just herself now.

Gunner grabbed her arm and jerked her up, but she pulled against him, using every ounce of her body weight.

Her weapon. Travis taught her how to use knives and guns, and she carried one or the other everywhere. Today, Travis had a gun, and she had a knife strapped to her belt.

The shots she’d heard could have come from Travis. She had to believe he was winning on his side of the fight.

Bella pushed back the side of her coat and grabbed the knife from its sheath by her hip. She didn’t allow herself to think twice as she plunged the blade into Gunner’s side.

He screamed and released her arm. She held onto the hilt and pulled down as she jerked it out of his side.

Gunner cursed at her and slapped the back of his hand across her face so forcefully that she fell to the dirt. Her cheek throbbed, and each breath was tinged with a searing pain in her side.

His fist closed around a chunk of her hair and jerked, pulling her to her back. Rocks stabbed into her spine and shoulder blades as Gunner covered her mouth with his hand and leaned onto it.

“You thought you could get away with it. You thought I’d let you leave.”

He leaned harder on the hand covering her mouth, pressing the back of her head into a rock until a scream hummed in her throat, unable to escape.

Cold tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and into her hair. When she opened them, Gunner’s face was inches from hers. His dark eyes were wild, and a sinister smile spread over his lips.

A smile on a man like Gunner was a distortion of something beautiful. He was happy–happy to be hunting her. He found joy in the sounds of her screams.

He leaned closer until his breath was hot against her cheek. “I’ll make you pay for every breath you’ve taken since you left.”

She bucked beneath him as he positioned his knee over her hand holding the knife. He pried it from her fingers with one hand and pressed the blade against her side.

Bella’s attempts to escape halted. She froze as Gunner locked his gaze with hers.

He pressed a little harder on the blade against her side. “Thisis mine, and I know just what to do with it.”

She stayed as still as possible as he leaned closer to her.

“Try to get away, and this blade kills you both,” he sneered.

Gunner moved the hand over her mouth to her neck and leaned on it. Her vision blurred as she clawed at his hand. She tried to scream, but the words wouldn’t come out. Her heart pounded in her chest as she kicked wildly. The air inside her didn’t move in or out. Seconds ticked by, and darkness tinged the trees above her.

She couldn’t get to Travis, and he wasn’t coming to save her. Her limbs grew heavy, until her kicks stalled, and her hands tingled as they fell from her throat.

The will to live was still alive inside her, but it didn’t matter. Her body had given up, and she sank into darkness.

44

TRAVIS

Time was running out. Travis had spent enough time trying to get Switch out of the way. He wasn’t going to be distracted anymore. The guy barely dodged a swing that could have crushed his skull like a watermelon. A hit to the shoulder wasn’t as effective as a hit to the head.

Travis had done some of his own dodging. Switch wasn’t the best shot, but at this range, it was just a matter of time until he couldn’t miss.

Switch clamored across on the ground toward his gun, but Travis swung again, knocking the guy off his knees and onto his back with a blow to his side.

Travis reached the gun and leveled it at Switch’s head. “Don’t move.”

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