“Fuucckkkk.” He retreats toward the kitchen. “Motherfucker,” he mumbles, watching a thin line of blood run down his arm.
I pull my legs up to my chest, trying to cover my naked body from him while sniffling.
“I’ll call Colt.” He pulls his cell from his pocket. “Is that okay?” he asks me through gritted teeth.
I don’t nod or shake my head because I can’t. All that matters is that I keep the one weapon I have to survive. He’s going to have to pry it from my restrained hands. And if I have to pull the trigger again, I won’t stop until it’s empty.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
COLTON
THE GUYS AND I stand down in the basement of Blackout when Alex’s cell rings.
“It’s Mike.” He frowns, looking up at me.
What the fuck does he want? None of us ever talk to him.
“Put it on speakerphone,” Finn suggests.
Alex answers and holds it out so we can all hear. “Hello?”
“Hey, man. Is Colt with you?” he asks, sounding out of breath.
“What the fuck do you want, Mike?” I’m not in the mood for him right now. Especially after the morning I’ve had.
He grunts. “I have a situation here at my house.”
“Why the fuck call me?” I demand, watching Tyson cut open a man who is strapped to a metal table. The body not even cold yet.
“Because it involves Raylee.”
I yank the phone from Alex’s hand. “What the fuck do you mean it involves Raylee?” As far as I know, they don’t talk. I know this because I go through her cell sometimes. After what he did to her that night at his party, she’s never cared much for him.
He takes in a few deep breaths and answers, “She’s here.”
Alex’s eyes widen, and I grit my teeth. He has to be mistaken. Mike got released from jail earlier this morning and is already high. “Why would she be—?”
“You guys need to get here, and now,” he interrupts me.
Finn is already grabbing our backpacks and shoving shit in them.
“How the fuck did she get there?” Alex demands.
But Mike ignores the question. “And Colt. She’s going to need medical attention.” He hangs up.
“What the fuck is going on?” Jenks asks.
“Let’s go.” I snap my fingers. Medical attention? What the fuck is going on? Why wouldn’t he answer Alex on how she got there?
“Colt?” Tyson hollers my name as we go to leave the basement. We turn to look at him. “Bring her to the Cathedral. I’ll call Gavin and meet you there. It’ll save you time.”
________________
“WHAT THE HELL is going on?” I demand, rushing into Mike’s house but come to a stop at what I see.
Mike sits at the kitchen table, holding his right arm as blood runs down it, dripping on the floor. A man who looks like Nate is lying facedown on the tiled floor. Raylee sits up against the side of the couch next to him. Her knees pulled up to her chest. She’s got her arms resting on them with a nail gun pointed at me. Duct tape is wrapped around her wrists, mouth, and head, and she’s covered in blood.
The sight of her has my heart racing. My legs momentarily unable to move.
“What the fuck?” Finn whispers, entering behind me.
Blinking, I pull myself out of whatever daze I’m in and take a slow step toward her. “Princess…”
“Be careful, she’ll shoot you,” Mike warns, grunting.
I swallow and crouch down to her level, staying several feet away from her. “Hand me the nail gun, Raylee.” I reach out my hand.
It starts shaking in her grasp, and I look over her busted face, wondering what the hell happened. How did she end up here? Tears silently run down the tape that covers her cheeks, and she sniffs. “Hand it to me, princess. And I’ll remove the tape,” I tell her.
“I think she’s in shock,” Finn states, looking her over.
Jenks moves to my right, and her eyes go to him. He throws his hands up and slowly walks over to the other side of Nate and lowers himself, checking for a pulse. He shakes his head at us, and I swallow the knot that forms in my throat. Is this what Mitch tried to warn me about? I should have taken him seriously. But instead, I was blinded by my anger toward her.
She rejected me, so I ignored what could have prevented this.
“What the fuck happened?” Alex demands, removing his belt and securing it around Mike’s arm to help stop the bleeding.
“I don’t know. I just showed up, and they were like this. I tried to help her get the tape off her mouth, but she shot me.”
Her watery eyes to go him, and they narrow.
“Raylee?” I demand, and they snap back to mine. “Hand me the nail gun.” I reach out farther. I could rip it from her hands, but I don’t want to do that. I want her to trust me enough to hand it over. Let her know that she has control of the situation. “Give it to me, princess. Come on. I’ll get the tape off your mouth and your wrists, okay?” Whoever wrapped it around her face didn’t intend to take it off. It starts under her chin and wraps all the way around right up to her nose.