Page 148 of Play Pretend

My finger twitched on the trigger. “You don’t want to hurt her, do you?” I said, taking a hesitant step forward. “You love her, don’t you?”

He blinked a few times, his brows crashing together. “But?—”

“She’s special, isn’t she? She’s sweet, and gorgeous,” I continued. “You want to be with her, right?”

“Ye—yeah,” he mumbled. Roughly, he shook his head, his blond hair swaying. “You’re her boyfriend. She lied to me. She lied—” Willow whimpered as he pressed the gun harder into her side.

“Hey, hey,” I said, taking another step forward. “She didn’t lie about anything. Look at me. Braydon, look at me.” He blinked a few times before focusing on me. “Drop the gun.”

My finger twitched again. One more move from him, and I’d shoot. I’d never fired my gun on duty before, but for her, I would. I didn’t have a choice.

“Come on, Braydon,” I said calmly. “Drop the gun. Don’t hurt her.”

His thumb slid over the gun, and the click was deafening as he cocked it.

Everything happened all at once—one moment, Willow was standing, and the next, she rammed her elbow into his side. A gunshot rang out, and I lurched forward as she fell to the ground.

I kicked Braydon’s gun away as blood seeped from his shoulder. He screamed as he clutched it. Smoke still poured from the tip of my pistol, my heart hammering in my chest.

“Blackrock Bay PD!” someone shouted from behind me.

I dropped my gun to the ground and kicked it away, lifting my hands. “Sheriff Ronan Caldwell, Cedar Ridge Sheriff’s Department,” I said, my voice low.

There was so much blood soaking into the carpet. It was all I could focus on—but then Willow made a sound, and everything else melted away as I turned toward her.

She pushed up onto her knees and peered up at me. I dropped in front of her, gathering her in my arms. Tears fell from my eyes as I held her trembling body against mine.

“Are you okay?” I rasped. “Willow, baby. Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I pulled away, clasping her face between my hands. A deep red mark bloomed across her jaw, and her lip was split open, but otherwise she seemed alright.

“A little,” she breathed. “I’m fine, though.”

I glanced over my shoulder as an Blackrock Bay cop handcuffed and dragged Braydon out. He kept muttering to himself, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. EMS filed in after that, a group of three men and one woman. I blinked as Dean Barlowe kneeled beside us.

“Trinity isn’t going to like this,” Willow mumbled, her head falling forward to rest on my chest. “She doesn’t like you, Teenie Weenie.”

He reached for her, and she flinched away. I grabbed his wrist, stopping him. “Do you have to touch her?” I asked, but he just stared at me.

“To make sure she’s alright? Yeah. I do.” He shook my hand off and lowered his face closer to Willow. “Do you want to talk to me alone, Willow?”

My hold on her tightened. I didn’t want her to leave my sight, my arms, but if she wanted to talk to him alone—I took a deep breath. I had to let her.

“I want to stay with Ro,” she said, and Dean nodded.

“Can you tell me where he hurt you?”

She pointed at her face, her wrist, her ankle, then her stomach. “He kicked me,” she whispered.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

My fingers tapped together.

I wasn’t here.

I pushed those thoughts away. Now wasn’t the time. I’d spiral later, not now.

“We should go to the hospital,” Dean murmured. “Just to make sure you’re really alright.”

“I don’t need?—”

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