He picks me up and carries me through the crowded basement and up eight floors while I keep my eyes closed. Bruno barely huffs as he steadies himself on the concrete steps. At the final door, he uses his key and unlocks it. I made it.
The light blinds us as the door swings open, and I squint at the massacre that’s become Sutton’s usually well-organized floor. Bodies lay everywhere, some alive and some dead. Nurses sprint from room to room with bloodied scrubs. I don’t think anyone even notices us as we wait outside Sutton’s door.
“What happened to her? Are you all right?” Sutton’s voice sounds concerned, yet frightened.
“She’s fine—needs some care, but overall okay. We need to talk,” Bruno says.
“Hurry, come in.” Sutton opens the door to his office and locks it behind him. He doesn’t even bother sitting as he smears his gory hands on his jacket and attempts to clean his glasses.
As Bruno explains what happened, Sutton doesn’t react. His face remains stoic. As he listens, I notice how exhausted he looks. His hair looks a shade whiter than it used to and his hands shake while holding his glasses. He examines the cut on my cheek, swabs it, and hands me a bottle of water to hold against it.
“I knew it would come to this,” he says. He steps away from me, looking pensive and edgy. Then he picks up the phone and next thing I know, Cole stands outside the door.
I brace myself for his reaction.
When Sutton lets him in, I can see pure rage on his face. He immediately wraps me into his arms as Bruno and Sutton watch. My lungs feel crushed and my heart rips apart with fear for him.
“Did he touch you?” Cole demands.
I can’t bear to look him in the eyes as he grimaces. He puts his hands on my shoulders and insists. “I swear to God if he hurt you—I’ll kill him!”
When I look into his face, he knows immediately that Wilson didn’t just hit me. He launches his fist into the wall, forcing a hole through it, and starts yelling.
I begin to cry. “Cole, I’m okay, really.”
“No, you’re not okay! Don’t lie to me! I know you—you’re not okay!” Cole’s face looks like it’s going to explode with fury. The vein in his forehead pulses and his fiery eyes look possessed. He paces around when Sutton stops him.
“That’s it. I’ve had enough,” Sutton says. All traces of compassion leave his expression. “It’s apparent you two have failed to listen to me. Now, I have no choice.” He motions to me. “Too many people’s lives are at stake here and the two of you are going to get us all killed. I have no other choice until things settle down. Lexi, you’re going to your brother.”
“The hell she is!” Cole says.
“This isn’t your call and you know it! I’m doing what needs to be done here. You couldn’t stop whatever it is you two have going on—so I am! It’s over and she’s going to Keegan. I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
I give him a questioning look. “You know where he is?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. Why would you know where—?”
“There’s no time to explain. I’m calling for transport now.” Sutton mashes a button on his phone. “Cole, Bruno, please make sure she gets there safely.” He squints as he reads something on his phone. “Oh, good. There’s a black van waiting for you outside the side entrance.” He pulls a drawer open and reaches out his hand toward me. I take the book. “I saved this for you. Thought you might like to have it.”
“Thank you,” I say.
I take the book from him and press it against my chest. The Last Silk Dress, the book that Alyssa loved so dearly and wanted me to read to her every night. My heart crumbles thinking about her. “See you soon… I hope.”
Sutton nods as he opens his door and sends us away without a good-bye. “Hurry!” At that, he briskly walks away and I meet the eyes of Amber, standing, staring at all of us in the hall.
Her murderous glare gives me goose bumps, and immediately I know we need to move or she’ll be the one to report us.
Bruno, Cole, Zeus, and I hop into the rusted black van idling outside the side entrance. There’s no joking around as we drive, just anxious glances through the filthy tinted windows. Zeus whines so I pull his head into my lap.
I rub my watering eyes and see a dead body lying alongside a building. It’s a younger man. Even through the heavily tinted windows, I can make out the vivid colors of death. His long blond hair partially covers his face, and his clothes are a dusty, faded blue color. Blood pools around his midsection, seeping from gunshot wounds. I turn away, feeling sick.
I feel suffocated. The world is crashing around me, taking everything away that I ever cared about. Now I’m going to lose the only person I want more than anything—the man I love.
My chest tightens with fear of the unknown. I twist my ring around on my left finger while waiting. It’s a turbulent ride. The lack of a seatbelt makes it hard to sit in one spot, and I keep sliding into Cole. He finally wraps his arm around me to console me, but I can see in his eyes that he’s afraid too.
Suddenly, the sound of bullets tinging off metal rings my ears. Cole pulls me onto the floor as the van swerves left and right. All of our bodies lie jumbled in the middle, and we cover our heads with our arms, as if that’ll help.
“Stay down. Stay down!” The driver shouts from the front seat.
Cole puts his arm over me and I begin screaming with fright. I just can’t handle any more in one day. I can’t breathe, think, or begin to digest what’s happening. I peek over and Bruno lies against Cole. His eyes meet mine for a second and he smiles. Zeus huddles against me, barking and whining.
The van hits a ditch and the driver begins cussing furiously. Cole crawls to the front and checks on him as blood pours from his arm.
“Let me drive,” Cole yells.
We hit another pothole and lurch into the air, slamming back down. My brain collides with my skull, rattling my senses, and darkening my vision momentarily.
“It’s just my one arm. I can still drive,” the driver yells.
Cole hunkers back down, startled each time the bullets pierce the body of the van.
My screaming turns to whimpering as my face throbs. I check Alyssa’s book under my stomach to make sure I didn’t damage it and groan with each bump. The shooting gradually fades into the distance and Bruno sits up with Cole. They count fifty bullet holes, which miraculously didn’t kill any of us.
Finally, some freaking luck in this forsaken place.
Cole grabs my arm and gently pulls me against him. I collapse in his arms, feeling fragile and emotionally exhausted. He brushes my matted hair away from my eyes and grips my arm tightly. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him. Or Zeus. Or Bruno. Even he’s become part of our inner circle.
But there’s no rest, even for the very, very weary.
The driver hits the brakes and I slam into Cole with enough force that he stumbles onto the floor. Tires squeal, smelling of burned rubber, while male voices scream all sorts of profanity outside. Cole’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me back to my seat, and Zeus starts barking wildly.
“Your stop’s here. Keep low to the ground. Head five blocks east and they’ll find you.”
I want to ask what he means, but next thing I know, the sunlight blinds me and we step into the unfamiliar street.
CHAPTER 16
The landscape looks like a concrete jungle with tin shacks shoved between large buildings. The contrast of the gray dust and the faded red of a nearby tarp draw my attention. It captivates me for no other reason than the fact that it looks like art. We had all kinds of paintings and photos hanging on the walls in our High Society condo. They were all names of famous artists that I can’t recollect, but I know beauty when I see it, even if it is in the slums.