Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
I hear boots.
I hear my name.
“Fuck. Scarlett. No.”
Maverick.
Maverick.
Help me.
I’m sorry.
~*~*~*~
MAVERICK
“Call a fuckin’ ambulance!” I roar, dropping to my knees, tearing holes in my jeans as I scoop up the broken, bleeding girl, that just got launched from a truck onto our driveway.
There is so much blood. She’s covered in it.
Head to toe.
Fuckin’ covered.
Pain rips through my chest as I pull her into my arms. There is too much blood. Way too much blood.
“Call a fuckin’ ambulance!” I roar again, vision blurring.
“One is on the way.”
Mal’s voice.
“Fucking Jesus Christ.”
Koda.
“Scarlett,” I say, trying to swipe the bloodied pieces of hair from her face, but there’s just too much.
She’s going to die.
No.
Fuck.
“Scarlett. Baby. Wake up. Please, fuckin’ wake up.”
She makes the most horrible, pained sound, I’ve ever heard come from a woman in my life. My heart feels like someone has ripped it from my chest.
“Baby, wake up. Fuckin’ please. I’m so sorry.”
Everything happens quickly after that. The ambulance arrives. Someone takes her from my arms. I stand there, numb, covered in her blood. Mal moves me. Then we’re driving. To the hospital - I think. Fuckin’ bright lights. People screaming at each other. Someone keeps grabbing my arm, squeezing my shoulder. Then I’m sitting.
Waiting.
This is my fault.
All my fuckin’ fault.
I should have listened to her.
I should have never let her leave.
She’s going to die because I fuckin’ failed her.
I failed her.
~*~*~*~
SCARLETT
Everything hurts.
The lights, they’re too bright.
Someone keeps calling my name. Touching my face. Poking my body.
My eyes flitter open, but I can’t see anything for a long time. Just those blinding lights.
Someone takes my hand. A husky voice calls my name.
A female voice flows in.
Where am I?
I blink. A few times. Maybe more.
Then I see him. Maverick. Sitting beside the bed, eyes red, staring at me. His big hand is curled around mine, and it feels really nice. Really, really nice.
“She’s awake. Nurse.”
I’m being poked again. A woman is asking me questions. Who is she? What does she want?
“Scarlett, you’re in the hospital. Can you hear me?”
Of course I can hear you. It sounds like you’re shouting.
Did I say that out loud?
“Scarlett?”
“Yes,” I croak.
“Very good. Can you focus on my finger?”
I blink some more. My eyes burn. My throat burns. Everything burns.
I focus on her finger. It’s blurry, but I can see it.
“Good. Can you tell me your full name?”
I tell her.
“And your date of birth?”
I tell her.
“I’m going to get the doctor. We will be back soon.”
Someone puts a cup to my mouth. I sip it. Water. The burn eases from my throat. There are more voices. More questions. A doctor. He tells me what happened. Broken ribs. Stitches. Internal bleeding. Too much for me to make sense of.
Treyton.
That’s all I know.
I turn my head to the side, and focus on Maverick. He’s staring at me. Face broken. Green eyes hurt. The doctor finishes up. “We’ll come back to check on her soon.”
Then we’re alone.
Maverick moves first, taking my hand into his, standing up and curling the other one around my cheek. “I’m so fuckin’ sorry, baby. This is all my fault.”
I shake my head, voice hoarse, “No. It isn’t. We both screwed up.”
“I didn’t give you a chance to tell me what happened. I was so fuckin’ angry. Could have cost you your life.”
“And I didn’t trust you,” I tell him, focusing on his pained eyes. “We both screwed up.”
“Who did this to you?”
I swallow.
“Treyton.”
His jaw gets tight, and he growls, “I will kill him. I will rip every bone from his body. He will suffer for hurting you. I swear it. I fuckin’ swear it.”
“It was a warning, Maverick.”
His eyes swing to me. “What?”
“Can you get Mal in here?”
He narrows his eyes. “Yeah.”
He leaves, and a few minutes later, returns with Mal and Koda by his side. Mal looks equally as pained, Koda keeps his expression blank.
“So fuckin’ sorry, girly,” Mal tells me. “We fucked up.”
“It isn’t your fault, Mal.”
“How are you feelin’?” Koda asks.
“I’ve been a whole lot better,” I croak. “It’s going to hurt for a while, but I’m strong. I’ll get through. Is there any media attention over this?”
Maverick shakes his head. “Nobody knows. Susan made sure of it.”
I nod. “Okay.”
“Treyton did this,” Maverick tells Mal.
Mal nods. “Thought as much.”
“It was a warning,” I tell them. “He thinks I told you about the drugs. He said if you wanted a war, you’ll have one. If you don’t stay out of his business, what happens next will be far worse.”
“This was his fuckin’ warning?” Koda growls. “Fuck. What sort of cold monster is he?”
“He’s dangerous,” I whisper. “So damned dangerous.”
Maverick looks to Mal. “What do we do? Your call.”
Mal looks to me, then back to the guys. “He can’t get away with this. He wants control over the town, the drugs runnin’ through it, but I can’t give that to him. Mostly, he won’t get away with hurting any member of this family.”