Page 145 of Always Red (Chasing Red 2)

Heart racing madly, I crawled on the floor, but the shooting pain in my leg made me cry out in pain. She grinned at me, confident now that I was injured, and went for the gun.

Gritting my teeth, I rose and, with a desperate cry, hobbled and threw myself at her, stabbing her in the

back with my knife. I felt the sickening slide of the metal as it buried in her flesh.

She bellowed in pain, spun around, and punched me in the jaw. I staggered back, dazed. My injured foot gave out, and I fell on the floor, hitting the back of my head. Nausea rose in my throat.

“I’m going to kill everyone you love, you fucking bitch!” she screamed.

Swallowing the bile, I got up. The world spun. I blinked away the blurriness and saw Beatrice-Rose crouched on the floor by the couch, the knife obscenely sticking out of her back Her right arm rested on the cushion of the couch to support her, her left hand groping blindly underneath for the gun.

With rage and adrenaline fueling me, I rushed at her, pulling the knife from her back. She shrieked in pain. Without hesitation, I stabbed her hand. I felt the tip of the knife as it wedged itself in the couch. She was trapped.

She howled like an animal, flailing around. When she dragged her free hand from under the couch, I saw the glint of metal. She turned her head and glowered at me with hate in her eyes—just as I grabbed her hand holding the gun.

The deafening sound of a gunshot rang in my ears.

* * *

Caleb

Slamming on the brakes, I jumped out of my car and ran toward the house where Beatrice-Rose had seen me earlier. And then I heard the gunshot.

The pungent taste of mind-numbing fear was ripe in my mouth, shooting through my limbs like ice as I ran to the front door and kicked it open. I shouted for Red, sprinting through empty rooms.

She had to be okay. She had to.

“Red!” I yelled.

From the basement, someone screamed. I raced through the basement door and down the stairs. When I reached the bottom, I froze at the sight in front of me.

Jesus. Jesus. Blood soaked Red’s hand where she held her arm protectively against her chest. Beatrice-Rose’s face was ravaged with loathing as she held the gun to Red’s head. Her other hand was stretched behind her, a knife pinning it to the couch.

“I’m going to kill you. Then I’m going to kill everyone you love. Every one of them, you fucking bitch!” Beatrice-Rose shouted at Red.

“Beatrice-Rose,” I whispered softly. “Put the gun down.”

Her eyes were wide with horror as she turned her head toward me, her arm swinging in my direction. The gun pointed at my chest.

“Caleb! It’s not what you think. Veronica tried to kill me—”

Red let out a bloodcurdling scream as she leaped on top of Beatrice-Rose. The gun fell from Beatrice-Rose’s hand, landing a few feet away from them. Red twisted Beatrice-Rose’s arm and pulled, dislodging the knife, then shoved her to the floor.

Beatrice-Rose screamed in pain as she landed on her back, cradled her bleeding hand in front of her. Red straddled Beatrice-Rose, punching Beatrice-Rose’s face with her good hand. Blood gushed from Beatrice-Rose’s nose, but Red wasn’t done. She kept on pounding, clawing, hitting viciously like a wild animal.

“Jesus. Red.” I grabbed Red’s waist and dragged her away kicking and screaming. Her arms and legs kept striking, even as Beatrice-Rose lay unconscious on the floor. I turned Red to face me as my arms wrapped around her.

“Red. It’s okay. You can stop. It’s over. It’s over.”

When she stopped struggling in my arms, I held her close, tucking her head under my chin.

“Caleb?”

“Right here, baby. I’m right here.”

“She had the gun pointed at you… She was going to shoot you… She was… She…”

“Shh. Baby, it’s all right. She didn’t. She didn’t.”

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