Page 111 of Riot

“You obviously care about your brother,” Ivy says. “Do you think he’d want his daughter to be hurt? She’s upset. She needs me. Please, let me take her.”

His eyes, the only part of him able to move with my gun to his head, swivel towards her. “Sweetheart, it’s cute that you think you can appeal to my heart, but I don’t fucking have one. I don’t care if she lives or dies. The only thing I care about is my fucking brother. You tell me where he is, and I’ll willingly give you the brat back.”

“Is that what this shit is about? You’re lookin’ for your fuckin’ waste of space shithead brother?”

His head tilts just a fraction, and murderous intent flashes in his eyes. “Watch your mouth.”

“Ivy doesn’t know anything.”

“I know she fucking killed him. He disappeared off the face of the earth as if he never existed. Not a trace of him anywhere.”

My lips peel back into a snarl. “She didn’t kill him.” I take a slow, deliberate step back, letting him think he’s in control. “I did.” His eyes darken. The exhale through his nose is ragged. “I chopped his body into pieces and I?—”

He roars a feral sound and shoves—more than passes—the baby at Ivy. Then he launches at me before she’s steady on her feet.

The flash of metal is all I see as I pull the trigger. His body jerks, the shot finding its mark before he slams into me.

White-hot agony rips through my side as the knife drives deep into my flesh. My world tilts before my knees hit the floor, taking us both down. Move.Get up.

Seren’s screaming. Ivy too. I’m drowning in the sound of their terror, suffocating.Where the fuck is the gun?

My hand is too heavy to lift, and I roll my head to the side. He’s shifting, getting to his knees. I don’t know how he’s still moving. His shirt is soaked with blood, but he’s still fucking moving.

Fuck.He’s gonna kill me and then he’s gonna kill Ivy.

I force my body to move, turning to my side. The gun is just there, just beyond my outstretched fingers. I reach for it, the pull on my wound making the world spin for a second. Black spots flood my vision, but I don’t stop until I feel the metal against my fingertips.

I turn onto my back, point through my blurry vision, and fire. The shot barks through the room, and my ears ring as blood pours from his head. Then he slumps forwards onto his face and doesn’t move again.

Ivy scrambles to lay Seren on the bed before she drops next to me. My back arches, pain knifing through me as she slams her hands over my wound.

“I need to call an ambulance.” Her voice wobbles. I try to reach for her, but my arm’s heavy.

I shake my head instead, and the world tilts.Fuck. I hear Seren screaming close by, but I can’t see her.

“Call Mace.” I’m weak, my voice barely more than a whisper. Black is creeping into my vision, stealing her face from me. “No ambulance.”

Then, the darkness claims me.

TWENTY-THREE

IVY

There isno blood on my hands, but my skin feels coated in it. He saved us, and he almost died in the process.

He still could be dead.

I rub my neck, the tension so tight, I can barely turn it without pain.

How long have I been sitting here?

How long have I been waiting for him to wake up?

How long can I wait before my control slips?

The room is dark other than a light hanging above the steel exam table. Pictures of golden retrievers and posters about worming cover the walls. But it’s the dogs barking somewhere down the hall that shreds my nerves.

We should’ve gone to the hospital.

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