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"You want to die, sweetness?" he asked casually, ot plans for you, but if you continue to give me problems, you won’t arrive in one piece"

They, he’d said The people at Ani the guy Down he went, crashing into the gravel road His hold on me loosened, and the photos he held scattered in the wind

Shooter reached out to catch one, leaving himself wide open; I sucker punched hi, he curled into hirabbed asto my feet

I meant to run, I did, but a door slammed, and the driver of Shooter’s car raced around the area, trying to gather up the rest of the photos while keeping a gun trained on ht red hair, a shade I’d never before seen "I’ll shoot you in the back without a moment’s pause"

He’d shootto ainst s burning

Pop!

I cringed, expecting an explosion of pain ButI felt nothing and looked back The driver of Dr Bendari’s car had crawled out from the rubble to shoot Red

I slowed down and tried to catch , "Keep running,his weapon at the first guy, Shooter

Pop!

Pop!

Dr Bendari’s driver collapsed, and my eyes ide Why How Then I watched as Shooter fought to get vertical; despite his obvious pain, his focus was sharp as it landed on me That hy That was how One pop had come from Shooter, and the other had come fro so so it at Dr Bendari’s car Grenade!

I spun and ran--

Booust of white-hot air pickedwhat little breath I had, shaking e of dizziness Sht to a hazy black and white

A slight ringing erupted inlouder, louder still, until it stopped as quickly as it had begun, and the world around me came back into focus

I stood, alulfing both cars--and Shooter still standing Sing bile, I rushed into the forest

Rearrange list: call Cole, then hide

I stuffed the photos into rabbedthe path ahead ofat the names in my contact list Around a thick tree trunk The Cs Over a rock COs Ragged breath scraped s

I almost shouted with relief when I found COLE

"Answer," I"Please answer"

"Ali," he said a moment later

A sob left me "Cole"

His concern ca?"

"There was a car crash They shot him Shot him He’s dead A bomb Now they’re after me, and I don’t knohat to do"

I could hear the static over the line, kneas running as quickly as I was "Where are you?"

"What’s going on?" I heard Veronica ask in the background "Where are we going?"

He ith her

"I don’t know," I said, too nu that had happened to react "I didn’t watch"

"What’s around you?"

"An abandoned road A forest I’m in the forest"

"Where were you before? What direction were you headed before the crash?"

"Nana’s house" The words left hborhood South, toward coffee shop Picked me up Farther south Followed Crash Smoke There’s so ine roared to life Tires squealed

"Cole," Veronica called

That was the last thing I heard I tripped over a lirace of a china shop bull, lance over n Maybe he’d passed out froers crossed<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>