Page 138 of The Reluctant Hero

Dark fuzzy spots take over as my brain tries to figure out what just happened. I was running. I slipped again. No. I waspushed. I’m too stunned to stand up and face whoever did this.

As I lie there, half my body on the steps, the other half flat on the floor, someone leaps over me and runs for it. I squint, trying to make out who it could be but it’s useless. There’s something wrong with my eye.

Everything falls quiet as I catch my breath. The impending doom feeling slowly dissipates. I’d gotten so used toit that the slow withdrawal feels like a tension inside me easing up. And then the pain starts.

My knee and hip. My breasts. My face.

I gingerly sit up, trying to take stock of my wounds. My knee is a little swollen, and the denim of my pants feels tight. The scrape on my arm opened back up but it’s a sluggish bleeding. I reach gingerly to my head and find a painful cut bisecting one eyebrow. It’s bleeding and mixing with my sweat to sting my eye. All in all, I’m damn lucky I didn’t break my neck.

I need to get out of here.

I hurry to my phone and find the glass shattered. I should have paid the extra money for the case. I thought I had good enough luck with phones that I could buy one later. Hindsight. The screen lights up, though. I start calling again, even more desperate and limp out.

No one is in the parking lot. It’s almost dark. A few hours and then the building will open. Even if they’re ignoring me, I can make enough of a commotion to get their attention. I have video proof right in my hands.

An image of each of their faces flashes in my mind’s eye as I take back alleys with no clear destination in mind. Jake will smile innocently. Cade won’t believe me. Ace and Mikael will hover. Gabriel will get a cold look and tell us all what we need to do. Can they hide me? Will they even want to?

Until I reach them, I have no clue.

Bad guys would expect me to go to a clinic to get checked out. Instead, I find a gas station and clean up as best I can. By the time I’m done with the soap dispenser my arms and face are clean. The cut on my eyebrow is hardly noticeable. With the bandages I purchased it gets covered up. The swelling is minor. I look normal if you don’t count the stubborn sand lingering all over me and the messy hair I can’t do anything about. Pulling the hair tie out makes my eyes water with pain. I’ll leave it down.

I wander until it’s fully dark and end up at a twenty-four-hour diner. It’s dim inside, with very few windows—perfect. I sit down in the back and keep dialing. I’m stuck staring at the entrance, sipping coffee that does nothing to keep my hands from shaking, and listening to the phone ring all night. When the battery dies, I set the phone down and wait for dawn.

31

Rest In Peace

Amanda

The first rays of light have me stretching as I stand from the table. My knee has stiffened up with the inactivity. It aches as I walk, trying to find my bearings.

I make it two blocks before I facepalm. It’s a painful reminder that my brow was split. I won’t do that again.

I was two whole blocks away from my apartment this entire time. I must have wandered in a damn circle. I don’t see Ace’s truck waiting for me. I take off towards the office, taking a more winding route through alleys to keep hidden. It’s the best I can do.

As soon as I see Ace’s truck in the VIP section I rush for the front doors. Harriette hurries to unlock them with a confused expression.

“What happened to you?” She asks with a concerned frown.

I ignore her and run to the elevators to swipe my card and bounce as I wait for it.

Vanessa isn’t at the front desk when I get out, but I know someone is here.

When I burst through the doors without any finesse, it’s to find all but Jake hovering around Gabriel’s desk. They’re all facing the door. Almost like they were waiting for me. I glance at the couch and see Jake isn’t there either.

Oh, God. Where’s Jake? Shouldn’t he be back by now?

I get a quick, nausea-inducing flash of that dead body. My chest starts tightening up again. Doom and gloom follow.

Before I can gain a clear thought my mouth is running in panicked fury.

“Why the fuck can’t youanswer your phone?I’ve been trying to call all weekend.”

My pointed glare at Ace turns into confusion. He’s looking at the floor, arms crossed over his chest as he breathes in a slow, calming way. No one responds, which leaves me floundering even more. I look at Mikael, Cade, and Gabriel to take in their combined flat expressions.

“Where is Jake?” My voice hushes in growing dread. Please don’t let something have happened to him.

“Have a seat,” Matthias says coldly and gracefully gestures to the chair across from him.

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