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Penn

One minute after I lost her…

“Lisa!” I roared into my empty bedroom My phone shook wildly in my hands as I watched in horror on the tiny five-inch cell phone as she hit the floor, blood pouring from her neck Unable to tear ed aniuishing any hu destroy you!”

They couldn’t hear me—not with her headphones still connected to the phone But they didn’t have to hear ment to be cast

My heart stopped as she suddenly coughed, gurgling blood

“Oh God,” I choked out, dropping tome closer to her I couldn’t fathom how much pain she had to be in I wasn’t the one covered in stab wounds, yet the pain radiating insideburned at the stake “It’s okay, baby I’ on” My voice cracked “Just…a few more minutes”

She was on her side the way she so often slept It looked like I could slip into the space in front of her and sleep for all of eternity Her liled up over my hip, her chest flush with ether

I would have gone Willingly If for no other reason than just to go with her

My desperatefor what had to be the h the phone and carry her to safety

But rational thought? It tore me limb from limb

I was vaguely aware of the twothe roo my syste other than her

I couldn’t stop blinking

As if each millisecond of darkness would erase the last twenty-nine minutes

As if I could rewind tie the present

As if I could actually save her

Suddenly, the door to her hotel rooers poised—charged inside

My whole defeated body ca h the speaker on my phone

The darker blond of the two men dropped immediately

The one in the grungy T-shirt stor another round of bullets

A victorious war cry tore from my throat as he collapsed to his knees and swayed from side to side for a moment before the knife fell from his hand Then he keeled over on top of it

“Yes!” I screa into me “Oh thank you, God” I breathed as my head became dizzy

That was it