Page 6 of The Caress

If he can’t get to her, he’ll have to deal with me.

He turns to look back at me, then points the gun in my direction. "Shit," I mutter, diving for a concrete pillar just as a bullet whizzes past the space where my head was. Another bullet ricochets off the pillar, making me wince even though I know I’m relatively safe at the moment.

It’s quiet in the garage.

Too quiet.

"Come over here and get me, you son of a bitch," I yell again, but there’s no response. The only thing I can hear is the sound of his engine and my own thundering heartbeat. "I'm the one you're looking for," I say again. "Not her. I'm right here waiting."

To hell with this!

I can’t keep hiding back here when I know Ella still needs me. I peek around the corner and see the motorcycle a few yards ahead, still running. But the guy is gone.

Moving from the pillar to crouch next to the nearest car, I can see him walking slowly from row to row, his gun drawn and ready to fire. He’s hunting her like she’s his fucking prey.

So now I need to get to him before he finds her.

As quietly as I can, I hurry from car to car, keeping my head low in case he turns and starts shooting at me.

We’ve made it to the end of the row, where the shooter and I spot Ella at the same time. She’s limping away as fast as she can, but it isn’t fast enough.

He starts to aim the gun, and I see red. I run toward him at full speed, my body colliding with his just as he fires in Ella’s direction. "Fuck you," I growl, grappling with him and trying to pin his wrist as we hit the ground. "I won’t let you hurt her."

I’m so worried about the gun that I don’t see his other fist until it’s too late. Pain explodes in my jaw and makes my ears start ringing as we wrestle for control of the gun.

"Let... go," I shout, a primal rage overtaking me as I slam his wrist down onto the pavement over and over again. It’s enough to make him lose his grip. I lunged for the gun as soon as I saw it hit the ground.

His fist connects with my face again, but I don’t care. I have the gun. Now I just need Ella.

He’s already scrambling toward her as I level the gun and try to aim. My jaw is throbbing and my vision is blurry from the second punch, but none of that shit matters right now. If I can just buy her some time, that’ll be good enough.

If I happen to kill this bastard in the process, even better.

I fire at him just before he reaches her. I see him stumble and hear her scream as I stagger toward them. The throbbing in my head is intense. I can taste the metallic tang of blood and adrenaline in my mouth as I aim the gun again.

No, I can’t shoot now. Not when there’s a chance I might hit her.

He looks back at me with Ella trapped in his arms. I can almost see him weighing his options. I’m only a few feet away, and I'm raising the gun again. I might not be able to fire it, but I can still use it as a weapon to hit him in the head.

With a frustrated grunt, he throws her at me, sending her straight into my arms.

"I’ve got you," I say, tucking her behind me so I can get a clear shot at her attacker.

"Why is he trying to kill us?" she asks, her whole body trembling as she clings to my side. "Where did he even come from?"

I fire the gun again, but there’s no way I can hit him. He’s ducking and weaving between the rows of cars. I have to make the choice between chasing him and staying with Ella.

I’m choosing Ella.

"I don’t know," I finally answer as I wrap my arms around her. "But you’re safe now, okay?"

"You got him earlier." You shot him just before he got to me, but he just kept coming at me. "Like a... a monster." She collapses against me, sobbing. "Why, Keir? Why is all of this happening?"

I don’t have any good answers. Even if I did, this isn’t a good time or the right place.

"Let’s go," I say instead. "We’ll talk later." I promise."

My word probably doesn’t mean much to her anymore, but it’s the best I can do for now. At the very least, she's alive and well in my arms.

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