Page 94 of Heal Me

“A bad guy doesn’t have a sense of humor,” he says with a smile that sends a chill down my spine. “Bitch, you’re not leaving here alive.”

“Gabe won’t allow this,” I say with a trembling voice.

“Gaberick doesn’t know about this. Remember, we didn’t tell him?” he whispers in my ear with a demented laugh. “What you don’t know, little girl, is that I’m the one who killed Gabby.”

“No,” I breathe, not wanting to believe it.

“She’d become too attached, and when I found out she was pregnant, I didn’t want a little Nephilim running around here, ruining the party.” Oh my God, I’m going to be sick. “I set up Kabel to take the fall. That bastard had it coming for centuries. Gaberick doesn’t know about that either, and let’s keep it that way.” He laughs against my ear. “And so, Charlotte, you must die.”

Channeling all my strength, I rear back and headbutt him with all my might. He curses, loosening his grip, and I give him another headbutt.

Sam stumbles back just a bit, and I go with him just like he taught me. Now with one hand free, I toss my fist behind me and gouge his eye with my thumb. My nail connects with the soft orb, and he curses as his arms loosen their grasp on me. Not wasting a moment, I squirm out of his hold and take off in a dead sprint.

Ducking behind some trees, I crouch down through the dense tree coverage, trying to make as little noise as possible. Seeing the clearing up ahead—and the training facility—I take a deep breath and break out in a sprint. Reaching the locked door, I punch 7777 on the keypad and it opens. Every time Sam entered the code, he didn’t realize I was watching. Of course, I didn’t realize he was a psycho killer!

Lunging inside, I lock the door behind me. Running over to the arsenal wall, I frantically search for a weapon I’m familiar with. Grabbing a gun I recognize from my training with Amer, a 45 caliber, I check the magazine. Yes, it’s already loaded!

Releasing the trigger lock, I snag a pair of protective headphones from the wall as I run to the corner of the room, crouching behind a weight bench. Funny I’m concerned with hearing safety considering I might die today. Slipping the headphones on and shaking away that thought, I try to steady my trembling hands.

My eyes are locked on the door, but a movement catches in my peripheral vision. Jumping up and spinning, I unload, the sound of shots reverberating in my ears despite the noise-canceling headphones. I keep pulling the trigger until there’s nothing but empty clicks.

It takes my brain a moment to catch up as I rip off the headphones. Turek’s standing in front of me, headless. He bends down, grabbing his bullet-ridden head from the mat. “What the hell, Charlotte!” his mouth says, his head in his hands.

“Oh my God, attach that thing,” I cry, covering my mouth, willing myself not to throw up. “You’ve got to get me out of here! Sam’s trying to kill me! He killed Gabby!”

Sam’s now in front of us, smiling smugly. “Little girl, calm down. I was just testing you. I wanted to see if I could get you to stop freezing up like a deer in the headlights. Good job, by the way.”

“What?” I say.

“Glad you were paying attention with the passcode. Good job.”

“What?” I can’t seem to find another word.

“I would have never harmed a hair on Gabby’s head. She was my heart,” he says sadly, his wings falling and now dragging the mat. The smirk on his face vanishes, replaced by devastating pain.

“Sam, you prick,” Turek chastises. “Gaberick is going to lose his head when he hears about this.”

I would laugh at his choice of words, considering Turek just lost his head. Instead, I reach in the back of my waistband and pull out the 9mm I also snagged from the arsenal wall as backup. Amer warned me I needed a gun with enough firepower that would kill, not just piss off. But piss off is exactly what I’m going for. Aiming at Sam’s balls, I unload.

He crumbles to his knees, screaming bloody murder. Amer appears with a confused look, and I shoot him in the kneecap. “Fuck, Charlotte,” he yells, going down.

“That’s for throwing a knife at my head.” Kneeling down beside Sam’s withering body, I rip a feather off his left wing. “And that’s a peace offering for me not telling Gabe about this,” I say, sticking the feather in my pocket.

“Not telling me about what?” Gabe says, standing by the door, his face unreadable but his voice laced with fury.

“Cupid, relax. I’ve been training Charlotte in the art of self-defense,” Sam says, now standing in his human form, looking unscathed. “Finally got her head out of her ass this afternoon.” If I had any more ammo left, I’d shoot him again.

“And your girlfriend blew off my head, shot Sam’s balls off, and then took out Amer’s knee. So I’d say she’s turned the art into a science.” Turek whistles, still headless.

“Charlotte, I’m happy with the way you handled the gun, but you know a headshot is the goal,” Amer says, giving me a critique.

“I think she’s got the headshot down pat,” Turek says, using his fingers to tap the top of his head.

“Turek, please put your head back on.” I shudder. “Gabe, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Sam thought you’d be opposed to the idea of me training here.”

“And do you now understand why I would be opposed to the idea?” Gabe says with venom, cutting his eyes to me. “Sam, you and I are going to have a discussion.”

“Can’t wait,” Sam says, cracking his knuckles.

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