Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I was out of the SUV first, Sully taking a moment to put the taco bags on the floor well as I made my way inside the building, the little chirp of the door chime making a smile pull at my lips.
“Bonnie?” Courtney asked, coming out from the back room.
It was the look of confusion on her face that had my stomach bottoming out.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “I mean, not that I don’t love seeing you, but—“
Bon.
The text had called me Bon. Courtney never called me that.
“You texted me.”
“What? No. I actually lost my phone somehow yesterday. Wait, someone texted you from it? Can you ask them where—Bonnie?” she asked as I turned and ran toward the door.
Anxiety could only be considered a superpower in extreme situations. When we needed our minds to race, to wrap themselves around a situation; when we had to force our bodies to spring into action, they were already surging with adrenaline.
“Bonnie, what—”
“Stay inside,” I cut off Courtney as my hand slammed into the door.
Sully was halfway to the door, shooting me a big smile. Until he saw the look on my face.
“What’s—”
“Get inside!” I screamed.
But it was too late.
It was too late.
The bang had my belly tightening.
I’d been around guns a lot growing up. My father used to get drunk and shoot beer bottles in the backyard, a habit that made it impossible for me to play on or around my swings.
I used to slide under my bed, terrified the bullets might cut through the thin walls of our ancient mobile home and wedge themselves into me, and read my books with a little flashlight, trying to ignore the booms.
So, yeah, I knew the sound of a gun firing when I heard one. Hell, I sometimes still heard them in my nightmares.
“Get down!” I pleaded even as Sully dropped to a knee.
But not to get down.
To remove something from his ankle.
I hadn’t even seen him strap on a holster, let alone slip a gun inside of it, but there it was.
But then it was in his hand.
“Get inside, Bonnie,” he demanded, starting to stand.
The SUV roared to life again.
But it was drowned out by another bang.
And another.
And, finally, one that had Sully’s body jolting, then falling to the ground.
But not before I saw the blood blooming through his light yellow Hawaiian shirt.
“No!” I screamed.
Normally, my instinct would have been to run, to seek cover, to hide until the trouble passed.
I was not, by anyone’s definition of the word, brave.
Except, in the past, the man I was beginning to think I was falling for wasn’t lying on the ground, bleeding.
Tires squealed, and I was vaguely aware of blackness in my periphery.
It wasn’t until I was on the ground leaning over Sully, my hands pressing into his shoulder, that I realized the blackness was actually the SUV pulling up beside us, blocking us, guarding us.
“Get inside,” Sully said, breathing heavy, his handsome face twisted in pain.
“No. No, you’re shot.”
“Just a little bee sting.”
“It’s bleeding a lot for a bee sting,” I said, sniffling, willing the stupid, pointless tears to stay in my eyes.
“Bonnie, help me get him in the car,” Valen said.
Looking up, I saw he’d thrown open the door after climbing through the car.
“Cars aren’t bulletproof,” I objected.
“This one damn near is,” Valen told me, hopping out.
“I can get up,” Sully said when Valen tried to reach for him, jostling his shoulder. “Get Bonnie in first.”
“No, I—“ I started, trying to keep putting pressure on Sully’s shoulder.
But Valen was grabbing me, yanking me up and off my feet, then all but shoving me into the backseat. “Get on the floor,” he demanded, turning toward Sully.
“Baby, get down,” Sully said, already on his feet. “Please.”
The pained ‘please’ was what did it.
I got down on the floor well as Sully slipped into the backseat, moving flat on the seat.
Valen crawled back across the front seat, his phone pinned to his ear as he barked out a quick explanation of what happened.
“Wait! Courtney!” I said, panic gripping my chest again.
“Okay. I’ll go in and stay with her,” Valen offered. “Until reinforcements get here. Bonnie, climb up here and drive back to the clubhouse.”
“What? No. I need to—“
“Baby, focus for me,” Sully said. “You got this. You can do it.”
“Okay. Alright,” I said, panting for breath. My vision was a little swimmy, but if I just… took a few deep breaths, I could do it. I could drive the SUV back to the clubhouse.
With my bleeding… sort of boyfriend in the backseat.
I climbed up from the floor well as Valen drove closer to the doors.
Through them, I could see Courtney ducked down behind the front desk, eyes wide.
I fumbled for my phone as Valen climbed over the seats again, heading toward the passenger side door.
I could see when the phone inside the shop rang, making Courtney jump.