Page 122 of Ravaged Saints

I kneel near the puddle, a scrap of fabric lying in the water. “I’m sorry, Bryn.” The words break, cracking under the weight of the pain. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

The tears come, hot and relentless, and I let them fall. She deserves them—and the next thing to spill will be Ethan’s blood.

“We need to move, Grit.” Knox’s command slices through the fog of grief, dragging me back to reality.

I wipe my face with the back of my hand and push to my feet. Fuck, it hurts like hell.

Knox drags Aspen along, and she turns her face away, refusing to let go, but she has to. We all have to if we want to survive.

The radio crackles.

“The base is taken!”Max’s grits through heavy static, background noise swallowing his words.

We freeze while gunfire erupts through the speaker.

“Are those fucking gunshots?”I step closer to Knox.

“Pull back!”Knox orders, his pace picking up into a sprint, and Aspen doesn’t hesitate. She runs too, but her face doesn’t show fear. No, she’s gone full fucking anger mode.

As we follow Knox, I yank the spare gun from my holster and shove it into Aspen’s hands.

“You know how to use it, right?” I ask, remembering Knox telling me she had a great aim.

She nods, fingers tightening around the grip.

“Shoot to kill,” Knox grunts.

“I will.” Her lips tremble, but not with fear; it is with rage. “I will kill Ethan.”

Knox and I exchange a glance. We both know Aspen has killed her rapist before, and she’ll do it again to avenge Bryn; we will be right next to her.

“Recon, where’s your twenty?”Knox calls through the radio.

Silence.

The hairs on the back of my neck rise, and Knox speeds up, but Aspen falls back.

Fuck.

She stops, chest heaving. “Go!” she yells.

“I’ll be safe! Just go; they need your help!” She orders, her eyes red from crying full of pain and shadows.

I exchange another look with Knox.

“Don’t go near the base, Aspen. Head for the river,” I order. “Promise me.”

She nods, and I shove the radio into her hands. “Stay in contact at all times.”

“I will. Just—please, save them.” She pleads.

“We will,” Knox reassures her, but we both know the odds of getting out of this alive are slim.

Aspen takes off in the opposite direction, and we storm forward, boots slamming hard into the dirt.

“Are you ready, Grit?” Knox growls.

“I’m ready, Reaper.”

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