Page 50 of Only The Strong

“We’re almost there, Reesey,” Eli says in front of me as he pulls a little harder on my wrist.

Oh my God, I need to do something. We’re away from Finn so he can't shoot him again, and I cannot get into a vehicle with him. My mind is running, what can I do out here? I can’t see anything to look for a weapon and he has a gun, but would he shoot me? I don’t think he would. I have to take a chance, if I go with him I'll wish I was dead, so I might as well fight now. I dig my feet in hard and yank my hand back, halting Eli.

He turns around. “Come on, Reesey, we’ve got to go!” He pulls my wrist again, turning to run, but when he turns his head I cock my hand back and hit him as hard as I can in the side of his head.

He groans, staggering a little to the side, and I bring my hand back to hit him again. Before I can, a shot pierces the air, the pop echoing, and I scream as I’m pulled to the ground. I fall next to Eli and I use my hands to move over my body and check for the wound. When my hands reach my head I can feel warm liquid splattered on my face, but I don't have any pain. I turn my head, realizing if I'm on the ground then Eli has to be too. Eli lays on his stomach with his eyes closed. I watch him let out one big breath and then doesn't breathe again.

“Help!” I scream, realizing that someone shot Eli and it has to be the club. “Callum!” I yell again and then I hear soft footsteps running on the grass towards me. I sit up, trying to make out who is coming for me.

“Reese.” A rough voice answers me. “Reese, it’s Ronan; you’re okay.” Ronan kneels in front of me and captures my face in his hands, looking deep into my eyes. “Are you hurt?” I shake my head. I can’t force words past my lips, I'm so overcome with relief. It’s over.

Ronan moves his hands from my face to my hands and notices the handcuff on my wrist. He lets go and starts to roll Eli’s body. “He’s dead right? You killed him?” I ask while Ronan searches Eli’s pockets.

He pulls out a small key and slides it into my handcuff. “Yes he’s dead, but Jack shot him. He’s a better long-distance shot.” When the cuff unlocks from my wrist Ronan tosses the key beside Eli’s body and I rub at the raw skin. The cuffs really dug in when Eli was dragging me along behind him. Ronan pulls a dark bandana from his back pocket and lightly swipes at what I can only assume is blood splatter from the side of my face and then slides his arms under my bent legs and lifts me, carrying me back the way we came. “You’re safe now Reese. He’s dead. He can never come for you again.” He talks to me as we walk and I start crying in his arms, laying my head on his shoulder. “You’re safe, Reese. You’re safe. Cale’s coming for you right now. He’s going fucking crazy with worry for you, Princess.”

“Reese! Reese!” I hear a familiar voice yell. A beautiful voice, a voice that slides into my heart and wraps it into a blanket. Warm, strong, full of love, and mine: Callum. “Do you have her? Is she okay?” He yells again, coming closer.

I pat Ronan on the shoulder, asking him to put me down, and he obliges. Setting my feet gently on the ground and then I take off running in the direction of the big body running towards us that I know is Callum.

When we’re a few feet from each other, I launch myself at him and he catches me, pulling me into his strong body and almost crushing me. “Are you okay?” He asks in my ear, brushing stray hair that had fallen out of my ponytail away from my face. I nod my head and snuggle my face into his neck and take in a lungful of his scent. He’s always smelled like comfort, like home; the leather from his cut mixed with his cologne. It’s him and I love it. “Fuck, Red, I woulda died if anything happened to you. I wouldn't be able to handle it if I lost you again. Fuck!” He swears, holding me tighter and turning to keep walking back toward the warehouse.

“Wait. Finn!” I panic, pulling away from his neck to look into his eyes.

His face is grim and I brace myself for what he’s about to say. “I know,” he says. “Saint is with him and they’re loading him into my truck now. We need to get him to the hospital.” With my face not buried in his neck, I can see that he’s almost running with me wrapped around him like a koala.

I see Ronan and Jack running behind us, Ronan reaches forward and squeezes one of my hands that's wrapped around Cale’s neck, and Jack is carrying a big rifle with a scope on the top. I turn to see where we’re running and see headlights up ahead and the sound of bikes and Callum’s truck. “Put me down, we can get there faster,” I say, turning back to look at him.

“Absolutely not. You’re not leaving my side for the next, probably fifty years.” He huffs, his eyes briefly switching to mine before back to the direction we’re running in.

We reach the truck and Callum finally puts me down but he quickly grabs my hand and keeps a firm grasp on it. Mason and Leo are sitting on their bikes ready to go and the back door of Callum’s Raptor is open. I can see Finn laying across the seats with his head in Saint’s lap while Saint holds his bunched-up shirt to Finn’s shoulder. Ronan steps up into the back and Callum and I take the front seats with him driving. Jack tosses Ronan his rifle before running to his bike and we all speed away from the warehouse.

I turn around in my seat and look at Finn laying on Saint, sweating, and kind of pale. He’s already looking at me and the tears that I managed to stop, start again seeing him shot and in pain because of me. “Nice to see you, Princess,” Finn says softly. His eyes locked on mine.

“He shot you.” I squeak.

He scoffs, scrunching up his face. “You think this is the first time I've ever been shot?” He jokes, but his usual banter tone is weak. “You’re hurting my street creed with that shit.”

I laugh through the tears, and he laughs softly trying to reach me with his opposite, non-injured arm.

“Quit moving, dumbass!” Saint snaps, flicking Finn on the forehead.

Finn huffs and lays back. “Yes, Doctor Viotto.” Saint rolls his eyes, but Finn keeps eye contact with me. “I’m sorry I didn't do more,” he almost whispers. “I was just so—”

“Scared for her.” I finish for him, knowing he means Huntley. I knew Eli must have threatened her in some way when Finn asked about her. “I know. I wouldn't have done anything differently had I been in your position.”

“He said he had her, that he was going to do what those frat guys did to her.” His eyes close shut in what looks like agony. “I couldn't let her go through that again.”

“She's okay, brother,” Saint says, his voice softer than I've ever heard it. “Leo called her, she’s meeting us at the hospital.”

I turn back around in my seat and look over at Callum, his knuckles are white around the steering wheel, and his eyes flit up to the rearview mirror and back to the road over and over.

When we pull into the hospital's emergency bay, nurses rush out and Saint and Ronan help load Finn onto the gurney, Saint runs alongside them through the sliding doors, speaking to the nurses and Ronan gets back into the backseat of the Raptor. After parking, Callum hands me a black Devil’s Outlaws hoodie from under the backseat to pull over my blood-spattered sports bra. I cleaned up my face and chest the best I could with Ronan’s bandana, but I won't be clean until I have a shower. Knowing this is a person's blood on me, a person I used to think of as a friend still makes my skin crawl. We walk into the waiting room with Callum holding onto my hand with a steel grip.I guess he was serious about me not leaving his side.When we walk through the sliding door, a blonde blur smashes into Callum and grabs him by the shoulders.

“Where is he?” Huntley growls.

Ronan steps around us and grabs a hold of Huntley's hands. “We just brought him in.” He leads her to a chair and they sit down, still holding hands. “Saint went back with him and he’ll be out with an update soon.” She nods, seeming to calm down for the moment and then her gaze turns to me.

She stands and walks slowly towards me. I’m ready for her to hit me or tear into me; it’s my fault Finn is hurt. She stops in front of me and bends slightly so we’re more eye to eye. This is a really inappropriate time to notice this, but she’s stunning close up. She looks like a walking filter. Her skin is pale and flawless, like literally no flaw in sight. She looks angelic with her deep blue eyes, long dark lashes, and high cheekbones.Shit, wrong time to check her out, Reese. She places her hands gently on my arms. “I’m so glad to see you, Reese. I was so worried when Leo called and said you were taken.”

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