Page 39 of Chaos
One tall, Fiend, holding something. One smaller, Rowan, backed against the cliff edge. He’s holding a gun on her.
I signal to Zeus to head around to the left. Before he moves, I clasp his shoulder and look him in the eye. "Don't miss,” I tell him. His face scrunches in confusion, but I just take off to the right.
As I creep closer, I unholster my Glock, checking the chamber.
The wind carries snatches of conversation.
"...dead before you hit the ground..." Fiend's voice drifts toward us.
I watch, frozen in horror, as he presses the gun to Rowan's forehead. Her beautiful face is streaked with tears, but her spine is straight. My brave, defiant girl.
"FIEND!" I roar, stepping into the open.
He whirls, eyes widening. In a split second, he drags Rowan against him like a shield, his gun now pressed to her temple. "Stay back!"
"Let her go." My voice drops to a dangerous growl. "This is between usmen.”
"You think I'm stupid?" Fiend laughs, the sound wild and unhinged. "The second I let her go, I'm a dead man.”
"You're dead either way." I take another step forward. "Question is, how many people are you taking with you?"
His arm tightens around Rowan's neck. She gasps, hands clawing at his forearm, eyes locked on mine. There's terror there, yes, but also trust. Fucking trust. She believes in me. Believes I’ll save her.
I can't fail her. I won't.
"Here's how this plays out." Fiend starts backing up, dragging Rowan with him. "I'm taking her with me. Insurance. Once I'm clear, I'll let her go somewhere safe. You have my word."
"Your word?" I spit. "The word of a fucking rat?"
Rage flashes across his face. "You don't understand. They had me by the balls. I owed?—"
"I don't give a fuck what you owed." I keep my gun trained on him, looking for an opening, any opening.
He's edging toward his truck, Rowan still trapped against him. "I'm sorry it came to this. Really am. But I can't go back now."
I know two things with absolute certainty. One, I need to get that gun away from Rowan's head. And two, Zeus is out there somewhere, waiting for a clear shot. As long as Fiend has that weapon against her temple, it's too risky.
When I raise my Glock, Fiend’s eyes widen, surprised I’d take a shot at him while his finger’s on the trigger and the muzzle is trained on my girl.
I wouldn’t.
Holding Rowan tighter, the slimy bastard lowers himself slightly, crouching behind her. Then he does what I predicted. He points his gun at me.
Two shots crack through the night almost simultaneously.
Fire explodes in my chest. I stagger backward, a strange numbness spreading from the impact point. Through blurringvision, I see Fiend jerk violently, a neat hole appearing right between his eyes.
Zeus. He always was a good shot. The best marksman in the club.
Fiend's body topples backward, arms windmilling as he falls—almost dragging Rowan with him as his hand clutches at anything for purchase. But she breaks free, scrambling away from the cliff edge as he disappears over it.
I try to stay upright, but my legs won't cooperate. I sink to my knees, then fall onto my back, staring up at the star-filled sky. Weird. Never noticed how many stars there are out here.
"JACE!" Rowan's scream pierces the night. She appears above me, tears streaming down her face as she presses her hands against my chest. "No, no, no!"
The pressure hurts, but I can't seem to get enough air to tell her. Can't seem to get any words out past the blood filling my mouth. Brothers materialize around us, shouting orders, calling for medical help.
"Stay with me,” Rowan pleads, her tears falling onto my face like raindrops. "Please, Jace. Please don't leave me."
