Page 52 of Always Been Mine

“Dead. He was shot through the head,” Gabe muttered as he turned to her and practically dumped her into the passenger seat.

Soon, they were burning rubber out of there. Their SUV flew through the gates at top speed, the back of their vehicle fishtailing when Gabe made a sharp turn onto the road. Beatrice looked back and saw a car and several motorcycles tear after them.

“They’re coming after us!”

“I know.” Gabe’s eyes shifted from the road to the rearview mirror. They sped through a deserted stretch of road with abandoned buildings on both sides. A harsh indrawn breath beside her drew her attention from the back of the vehicle to Gabe, and that was when she noticed the spreading map of red on his jeans.

“You’ve been shot!”

“Flesh wound.”

“Bullshit, flesh wound. That’s a lot of blood, Gabe!”

“Babe, calm down,” Gabe ordered. His voice was steady, but the way his jaw clenched tight afterward gave away the gravity of his injury. “The senator’s car is up ahead. If the bikes get any closer, I’m going to run interference. Prepare to brace.”

The words barely left his mouth when there was a loud pop.

They shot out their tire!

Gabe cursed as he struggled to maintain control of the vehicle. The buildings appeared to jar crazily on all sides as their car careened from one corner to the other. Just as the SUV was about to tilt over, it righted itself, and finally jumped the curb. The back of the vehicle slammed into a building before skidding to a halt. Gabe shoved a gun at her. “I want you to get out of here, turn right, and call 911. I’ll provide cover fire.”

“I’m not leaving you.” Beatrice opened the passenger door and was dismayed to find out it opened enough to only allow her lithe form through, not Gabe’s big body.

Gabe quickly exited his side amidst a rain of lead. She watched in horror as another bullet whipped his body around. He collapsed chest first on the hood. Unfettered fear gripped her heart. Their eyes met across the hood.

She loved him.

She was not losing him today.

“Gabe!”

“Damn it, Beatrice. Get out of here,” he growled as he returned fire and tried to get between the car and the building, but he got hit again and fell.

She concentrated on firing rounds in the direction of the enemy’s assault as she made her way to him, assisting him to take refuge behind the car.

“Beatrice, get away from here,” he repeated, his breathing getting more serrated by the second.

“Shut up,” Beatrice snapped, flinching as a couple of shell casings ricocheted and hit her face. She smiled grimly when a voice howled and cursed. At least she got someone.

Gabe pulled himself up and rejoined the firefight. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the back of his head was soaked with blood; he was becoming alarmingly pale as the blood seeped out of him.

They needed to get out of here because they were outgunned and outnumbered.

Gabe seemed to be aiming with cold precision as he felled several of their assailants, but they were not prepared for this type of assault.

It didn’t take long for them to run out of ammunition as Beatrice used up her last magazine.

Gabe said he had a few shots left.

He dragged her down to sit beside him. He didn’t look good. Blood was mixed with sweat on his face. His lips were white, but his gold-flecked eyes were blazing. He handed her his gun before gripping her face with his bloody hands. “Please, Beatrice, I need you to go.”

“I am not leaving you.”

The gunfire ceased.

Words rushed out of Gabe’s lips as footsteps approached. “Goddammit, Beatrice! I don’t want you here.”

“Sully! You dead yet?” a voice called out. There was a cackling of laughter and heckling.

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