Page 85 of Sincerely, Your Enemy

Gabriel starts to drag me to the car, choking me so hard I’m getting dizzy. I catch myself eyeing the tattoo of a broken human skull on his forearm as he’s asking the other guy to pass him the knife. He’s got the blade pressed to my neck in no time, and I squeeze my eyes shut to try and maintain a semblance of composure.

“You’re not taking her,” TJ barks through a clenched jaw and takes a step forward.

“You take another step, I’m bleeding the bitch out,” Gabriel spits, digging the knife further into my skin, not deep enough to cut me but deep enough to leave a mark.

TJ sticks his hands up in surrender. “Okay, fuck, don’t hurt her.”

“You’re going to keep your fucking mouth shut and let us leave, you got it?” one of the men commands.

“Please let me go,please,” I beg, making myself cringe. This isn’t me. I would rather never speak again than let them hear me beg. But I have to do this. Ithasto work.

“Shut up before I cut off your tongue,” Gabriel growls.

“Don’t you have a heart? I was just trying to save my sister. Please let me go,” I continue to push him.

“I said shut the fuck up.” Gabriel smacks his hand against my mouth, and I don’t think twice.

I take a big bite out of his hand, digging my teeth into his palm until the taste of his blood floods my mouth, and he screams out, taking his hands off me for a split second.Thankfully, a split second is all I need to slide out of his arms and toward TJ.

TJ’s arms close around me the moment I reach him, and he holds me impossibly close to his body, his hand falling to my back as if to make sure I can’t move away.

“You slut!” Gabriel erupts at the same time we hear police sirens blaring in the distance. I have no idea who called them, but it seems to scare them to no end.

“Fuck,” one of the men blurts out, and the three of them exchange glances, communicating quietly.

Then, without another word, they shoot us bone-chilling glares and get back in their van as fast as humanly possible.

Before I know it, the black van is taking off at top speed, and my sister’s almost kidnappers are vanishing into the night, leaving us to wonder if any of it really happened.

If we really just saved my sixteen-year-old sister from a human trafficking ring.

“Lacey, fuck, your neck… you’re bleeding.” I hear TJ’s voice, but his words aren’t registering.

All I can do as the adrenaline leaves my body is glance at Chance lying unconscious on the ground.

“Is he okay?” I start to walk toward him, but my legs are too weak. They buckle with every step, and TJ has to grab my hips with both hands to keep me upright.

“Lacey,” TJ repeats and spins me around, clutching my face to get me to look at him. “He’s fine. He’s going to be okay, I promise.”

I nod, struggling to steady myself.

“He’s going to be okay. We’re all going to be okay,” TJ says.

“I… I don’t feel good.”

I grip the fabric of TJ’s shirt.

Then it all goes dark.

Lacey

“I’m so sorry, Lacey. Please, please forgive me.”

There’s buzzing in my head.

“I’ve been such a bitch to you. This is all my fault.”

I can’t hear a word the person says next. I’m too busy chasing my senses, all of which seem to be just outside of my reach as I emerge out of the darkness.

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