Page 95 of Unbearable

“You’re not going in either,” she stated firmly, pointing a warning finger at me.

“Try to stop me,” I retorted, my voice edged with urgency.

Colt gave Lilah a pointed look and shrugged. “I’m not holding him back. That’s my sister in there.”

“Fine,” she conceded reluctantly, her gaze narrowing with concern.

“You followmylead,” she said, and I nodded.

The heavy doors of the barn creaked ominously as she pushed them open. Inside, the dim light barely penetrated the darkness, casting long shadows that seemed to writhe with malice. At the far end, I could make out the silhouette of Chris, his back turned as he worked under the hood of a weathered truck.

“Chris,” I called out, my voice echoing against the barn’s walls, filled with a mix of anger and dread.

He turned slowly, a sinister smile spreading across his face. “So you’ve come for her, haven’t you?” he sneered, his voice dripping with malice.

“Where is Dotty?” I demanded, my fists clenched at my sides. Chris’s eyes gleamed with madness, his demeanor chillingly calm.

“I knew you were dumb, but are you really blind too?” His voice dripped with venomous mockery as he nodded over to the corner of the barn where she sat.

She was tied to a post, unconscious. Blood trickled from her nose. I fought the urge to charge at Chris and throttle him with my bare hands right there.

“Might as well wake her up for the show, don’t you think?” Chris taunted, walking over to Dotty and slapping her roughly.

Dotty groaned, her eyes fluttering open. Confusion clouded her face until she spotted me and Lilah. Recognition and fear flickered in her eyes.

“Trent,” she said, her voice hoarse.

Chris’s hand moved to his gun, leveling it at Dotty with chilling intent.

“Don’t even think about it,” he warned, his voice cold and deadly.

Lilah’s gun was already drawn, her aim unwavering. “Put the gun down,” she commanded with lethal authority.

“We all know I can’t do that,” Chris replied, his gaze flicking between us with a manic gleam.

He leaned closer to Dotty, his arm steady. “If you’re not my redemption, what good are you?”

His words dripped with a threat that cut through the tension like a blade.

My mind raced, searching for a way to defuse thesituation, but Chris’s finger tightened on the trigger, and I knew I had to act fast.

“This is for trying to take what is mine,” Chris declared coldly, his aim shifting away from Dotty, past Lilah, and toward me.

In an instant, everything blurred into motion. The sound of gunfire echoed through the barn, deafening in its intensity. Pain seared through me—a sharp, burning sensation that stole my breath.

I staggered back, barely registering the impact, my mind reeling in shock. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, each heartbeat echoing loudly in my ears.

As if from a great distance, I heard Dotty scream my name, her voice a lifeline in the chaos. Lilah caught me as I stumbled back.

The world swam in and out of focus, the barn spinning around me. I looked down numbly to see blood spreading rapidly across my chest, staining my shirt.

“You deserve to be as dead as your mother,” Chris spat, his voice filled with venom as he turned the gun toward Dotty.

Shouts erupted around us, voices blending into a cacophony of chaos.

“No, Chris. This is for trying to take someone who belongs to no one but herself,” Colt’s voice rang out as another shot shattered the air.

The barn fell silent, the echoes of gunfire fading into the night, leaving behind a haunting stillness.

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