Page 135 of Forever After All

Jess spotted Ryan’s gun on the floor and ran for it, grabbing it before he’d even had the chance to get up.

Linc was beside her, panting and slumped. “Nice shot.”

Jess held the guns with shaking hands. Linc’s side was covered in blood, but he wrapped her in a quick hug with his other arm.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine. What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me. Go to the neighbor’s house.”

“I’m not leaving you. The cops are on their way. So is Brett,” she said. The words gave her a surge of hope that they’d make it through this.

Ryan tried to push up onto his elbows, and Linc crouched next to him. “Give me something to tie him up with.”

Ryan spat and shouted through a string of curses as Linc pinned him to the ground.

Jess ran to the laundry room where she kept all of the odds and ends. She stood in the small room and stared at the cabinets on one side. “Come on, come on, come on,” she mumbled.

“Zip ties.” She tucked one of the guns under her arm and pulled a pack of them out of a cabinet. She darted back to the living room where Linc fought to contain Ryan while he thrashed.

Ryan’s teeth were bared, and his eyes were wild. With the next jerk, a flash of silver caught Jess’s attention.

“No!” she shouted as she lunged for the two men.

Linc seethed when the tip of Ryan’s blade cut into his side. Losing his grip, Linc fell to the floor.

Jess jerked to a halt, dropping the zip ties and one of the guns.

No. Not Linc. They’d just found each other. They were about to start something new.

Heat boiled in her middle. It was a familiar feeling. One she could harness.

The cool metal of the gun lit up her hand. The courage to use it again rose inside her.

Ryan was scrambling to his feet, and she lifted the gun again. Her hands were still shaking, but she would make a better shot this time. The confidence settled over her, and she took one last breath.

Squeezing both hands on the gun, she squeezed the trigger.

It moved, but the loud shot didn’t fill the room.

Jess pulled it again, but the gun only clicked.

It was Ryan’s gun, and it was empty.

Ryan’s grin only fueled her fire, but she only had a second to brace herself before he lunged for her.

The back of her head hit the floor, jarring all of her teeth as the old wound took another hit. She gasped for air, but Ryan’s weight pinned her down.

He lifted onto his arms, and she tried to follow his movements. Stars flashed and danced on the edges of her vision.

He looked over his shoulder, then back at her. “Had to make sure he was watching,” Ryan said. His dark hair hung over his forehead, casting a dim shadow over his dark eyes, and his grin spread wider. “He needs to know what it feels like to lose it all.”

A numb warmth spread over the back of her head, but she held his gaze as she stared up at him. Teeth bared and ready to fight to the end. “He’ll kill you for this.”

Ryan chuckled, low and sinister like he’d won the day. “I’d like to see him try.”

Chapter43

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