Page 71 of Psycho

I don’t know what the fuck I feel for her, but as Reaper shines his flashlight, I spot what appears to be a giant hole in the ground, and approach it cautiously.

“Hadley!” I yell for the hundredth time, and again there’s no response.

“Shine the flashlight in the hole.”

Reaper moves beside me, lights up the dark space, and I spot her. She appears to be passed out, and my chest burns like it’s on fucking fire. Now I have to figure out how the fuck I’m getting her out of there.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Reaper asks, as I jump into the fucking hole. How we’re getting out, well, I don’t know, but I’m not leaving her alone, so it wasn’t much of a choice.

I land on my feet with a thud. The hole is about six feet deep, and six feet wide. Wasting no time, I sit down on the ground, and take her into my arms.

“I’ve got you, baby. You’re going to be okay.”

Her eyes pop open, wide with fear one second, and the next, she sobs.

“Massimo, are you here to take me to heaven?”

I chuckle against her neck.

“Wrong guy for that, little lamb.”

She reaches up and touches my face, like she’s trying to make sure she isn’t dreaming.

“He said you were dead. I don’t understand.”

My heart feels heavy, as I take in her swollen face. Thanks to my brother’s flashlight, I spot the bruises, as well as the puffiness.

“Are you hurt?”

Hadley grips onto my shirt like it’s a lifeline, and presses her face to my chest.

“I’m okay. My legs and back hurt, but I don’t think anything is broken.”

Gently, I brush the hair out of her face, lean my head down, and kiss her cheek softly.

“How did you find me?”

“You’re mine, Hadley. Finding you was never a question. I would’ve killed every motherfucker on this planet until I located you.”

I brush my lips over hers, when my brother interrupts me.

“Hey, Romeo, think you can climb out?”

Chuckling as I pull back from her, I say, “Probably, but I don’t want to risk hurting her worse. See if someone has some rope.”

Bones and Kage eventually come over with a ladder. Okay, that’s better than rope, I suppose.

“This was in the house. I’m not sure how stable it’s going to be on the uneven ground, but let’s try,” Bones says, and I respond with a lift of my chin.

“I’m going to carry you.”

Rising to my feet, I cradle Hadley in my arms, vowing to myself to never fuck up like this again. Climbing up the ladder slowly, it’s awkward, but I manage to get us both out.

“I can try to walk.”

Bones glances at me with an amused expression. He knows, as well as anybody else, there is no way I’m risking her getting caught in one of those fucking traps.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

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