Page 64 of Chasing Redemption

Enough.

My arms were too short to reach his head, but my legs weren’t. I slid them through the gap between our bodies, bringing them up until they were on his shoulders. The position had my body angled too far up, resting more on my shoulders than my back. Lyle had no leverage to bash my head down, so he tried for my throat again.

I wrapped one leg around both his shoulders, stabilizing him. As fast as I could, I crunched up, placing a hand on either side of his head, snapping it up and to the side with every bit of strength I had.

Lyle’s hands went limp, life drained from his eyes, and his dead weight came crashing down. With a hard shove, he landed next to me, unmoving.

I stood up. Or tried to. Pain in my side made me hunch over.

“Peyton!” The scream, so full of panic and terror, reverberated in the barn. I turned and realized why the scream was so afraid.

Chad stood a few feet away, aiming my gun at me. His hand shook, and he brought his other one up to steady it. I braced, ready to use the residual smoke as cover and throw myself off to the side.

Reaper appeared out of nowhere, blocking my view of the gun. Two gunshots rang out. Everything slowed down as Reaper’s body jolted twice and fell.

A scream, so broken and inhuman, erupted out of me as I tried to catch him but only managed to fall with him and soften the blow.

His eyes were squeezed shut, and his breath rattled. A crimson spot on his shirt spread until his shirt was soaked and darkened with blood. I sat frozen, my brain trying to catch up to what had happened.

I jumped into action, refusing to let my panic and fear of losing him take over. Two gunshots, one to the gut and one to the shoulder. I was frantic, trying to apply pressure to both wounds to no avail.

“We need a medic.” My voice came out broken from my screaming. So, I repeated my order, louder.

Reaper’s eyes finally opened. “Hey Einstein.” He smiled. His skin was already losing color. He’d lost a lot of blood. Too much blood. His breathing was labored, and his eyes fluttered closed again.

My stomach dropped like a lead weight. Tears pricked my eyes, blurring my vision. “No. No. You keep your eyes open. If you do, I’ll tell you a secret.” I needed to keep him awake until help came.

His eyes opened a fraction. “I want to know all your secrets,” he whispered. “Were you the one who released all those bunnies in the clubhouse a few years ago?”

Oh, god. I’d forgotten all about the time I drank too much tequila and decided that silly prank was the best payback I could get for them ignoring me. A sob ripped out of my chest, and I brought my bloody hands to his face, bending down so our faces were inches apart. “Maybe,” I choked out, barely able to speak as my tears flowed freely. I pressed kisses over his face and whispered, “I love you. I’ve always loved you. I decided when I was eight and you found me in the woods that I’d marry you someday.”

He brought a hand up and held my wrist. “Say it again.”

“I’ll only say it if you stay awake. You have to keep those eyes open and stay with me until we get you some help.”

Reaper coughed and blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. His eyes fell shut, his hand falling from my wrists.

“No. No. Reaper please.” My voice broke as I shook him by the shoulders.

I couldn’t lose him. I wouldn’t survive it.

Gunshots rang out. Screams. It was all background noise as I tried to stop the bleeding. Hands grabbed at me, forcing me off him, but I fought them, scrabbling back to Reaper’s motionless body.

Multiple hands grabbed me, pinning me down as I screamed for Reaper to stay with me.

ChapterThirty-Six

REAPER

Screams.Cries. Everything muffled, like I was underwater.

Peyton. Where’s Peyton?

I tried to open my mouth but couldn’t. Tried to open my eyes but they wouldn’t budge.

More darkness

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