Page 196 of Teacher's Pet

Sliding to a stop in front of the wreckage, my heart hammers against my ribs. My gun is up, my teeth bared, breath coming in sharp, ragged bursts.

I peer inside the vehicle, my stomach plummeting.

No one’s inside.

Where is she?

The realization slams into me like a freight train, dread clawing at my insides.

The driver’s side is torn apart, glass shattered across the pavement, the air thick with the acrid scent of burnt rubber and gasoline. But no body. No Ana.

Roman jumps out, his own weapon raised as he scans the wreckage. We move quickly, clearing the vehicle, our eyes sweeping the area. And then...

Blood.

A trail of it. Leading into the forest.

"She ran," I whisper, tracking the booted footprints in the dirt. My chest tightens. "Jake went after her."

My legs coil, ready to run, but Roman throws up a hand, blocking me.

"Wait, my men are almost here-"

The gunshot rips through the air.

A single, deafening crack.

Everything Roman was about to say doesn’t fucking matter anymore.

My breath catches, just for a second. Then instinct takes over.

I shove past him, sprinting into the woods.

Branches whip against my face, the cold burning my lungs, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop.

Because if I lose Ana.

If Jake killed her.

I will gladly take his life and end it all.

Because that future.

That life Roman fought for.

I need it.

I want it.

But there is no point to life if Anastasia Burns is not in it.

Chapter 37

Anastasia

Run.

Hide.

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