Page 22 of Bulletproof Love

The thing he’s referring to is my now bedazzled balaclava. He laughed for a full minute straight when I first put it on. “Yeah, well, I volunteered yours for her next creative burst. You’re welcome.”

“Oh, hell no.” He pokes at the studs along my forehead. “I’m hiding my mask when we get home. The whole point of masks is to be incognito. This,” he gestures to my face, “is the opposite.”

“What was I supposed to do? Tackle her to the floor, glue gun and all?” I smirk beneath my mask. “And hey, at least it’s not boring anymore.”

A gust rattles a nearby container and Damon instinctively grabs his gun. “It’s nothing,” I say.

Tonight has been a bust. The place is pretty dead—only a few ships getting unloaded. Looks like shipments of produce. That’s going on far enough away from where we’re camped out that we haven’t gotten close to any employee. The only living things near us are a few relentless pigeons poking around a nearby dumpster. Between the cold, and Damon’s shitty mood, I’ve lost most of my high. The rest of my pills gnaw at the back of my mind like an unscratched itch. My thoughts are swimming again, mixed with the weight of guilt sitting on my chest.

“I’m gonna take a walk around, see if we missed something west of here.” I have to move my body, do something other than stand in the shadows.

“We should stay together. It’s too quiet. I don’t like it.”

“Bro, this place is fucking huge. There’s acres that we haven’t checked. I know you want to focus on the area Lee told us to, but he’s not always right.” I don’t know where this speech came from, but from the look in Damon’s eyes, he might relent.

“Go ahead. I’m gonna check on Blake, but call me if you see anything.” He pulls his phone out and holds the screen in front of his face to wake it up.

“Sounds good.” I shove my freezing hands in my pockets and step toward the darkened space between containers. “Check on Falin too,” I add at the last second. I don’t wait for his teasing remark before I slip between containers.

This place is fucking creepy. I feel like I’m a character in a mafia movie, finding the perfect spot to off someone. Come to think of it, I’m going to stash that idea away for the next time I need to do that.

I make my way to a broken down crane sitting in an empty lot. Far enough away from Damon that he won’t easily find me. Once I’m behind the wheels, I pull my pills out and crush up another, my heart pounding with each passing second.

I know I shouldn’t. With the straw pinched between my fingers, I lean my head back and count down.

“Five.”What the fuck am I doing?

“Four.”Is this who I want to be?

“Three.”Damon might need me.

“Two.”If I’m high, I’m no good to anyone.

“One.”Fuck!

As I bring the straw to my nostril, my phone vibrates in my pocket.In a split second decision, I throw the straw containing the crushed up pill as hard as I can into the darkness. My chest heaves and hands shake as I pull out my phone. It’s Damon. “Hey, man, miss me already?”

“We need to go.”

He sounds like something sharp is lodged in his throat. No hint of humor or casualness, just fear and urgency.

“What’s wrong? Is it the girls?”

“It’s Blake. She’s in the ER.”

What the fuck?

CHAPTERNINE

FALIN

I pacethe waiting area of the emergency room, too scared that if I take a moment to breathe, somehow Blake will take a turn for the worse. Damon showed up a few minutes ago and I’ve never been so grateful to see him rush to Blake’s side.

I lift my eyes to find Jasper maneuvering his large frame around a family who look to be in a similar state as me. When we lock eyes, I can’t hold in the emotion anymore. It all comes pouring out like a fucking floodgate. Tears spill down my cheeks, smearing my makeup, and my body shakes uncontrollably.

This isn’t me. I’m the one to keep my cool. But seeing Blake that way was the single worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and that’s saying a lot.

Jasper quickens his pace and wraps me in his arms. His scent envelops me, calming my frayed nerves. “Shh,” he whispers. “It’s okay. She’s going to be okay. You did so fucking good, Falin.”

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