A commotion at the trailhead cut off my words. I didn’t want to leave Birdie and Sage, but I had to see who it was. How badly they were injured.
I hugged the girls a little tighter. “Can you stay here? Just for a minute.”
A truck pulled to a stop, and Shiloh jumped out, jogging towards us. “Hadley?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Can you stay with Birdie and Sage?”
“Of course.”
Shiloh, the woman who avoided all physical affection, didn’t even flinch when the girls piled into her arms. She met my gaze. “I’ve got them.”
“Thank you.” The words were barely audible.
She carried them away from the melee and towards the edge of the woods, not once loosening her hold.
I moved to where a team carried a backboard out of the woods. I saw blond hair matted with blood first. Bile crept up my throat as I moved in closer. Addie’s face came into view, her eyes fluttering.
“She’s waking up,” one of the rangers called.
Hayes and I were there in a flash as the team set her down. He leaned over her. “Addie, can you hear me?”
Her eyes opened fully, panic dancing through them.
“It’s okay, Addie. Hayes and I are here. You’re going to be okay. But we need you to tell us what happened.”
“Calla. She has Hadley. She’s going to kill her.”
48
Hadley
“Walk.”
I winced as Calla jabbed the gun into the spot just below my ribs. I had a feeling I had some bruised kidneys. Likely a concussion, as well. The trail in front of me blurred every few steps. “If you wanted me to move fast, you probably shouldn’t have bashed me in the head with that gun.”
“Keep talking like that, and I’ll do it again.”
I stumbled over a tree root, falling to my knees. I cried out as rocks bit into my palms.
Calla snorted. “A little less of adaredevilthan usual, aren’t you?”
I looked up and saw that her phone was pointed directly at me. “What are you doing?”
“Recording this for posterity. One final video to show everyone what a sniveling little bitch you really are. Smile pretty for the camera.”
“Is that what this is about? My channel?”
Calla tapped something on the screen and dropped her hand to her side. “It’s about you being a liar and a thief. Stringing Toby along, making him think there could be something between you. You used him.”
“He’s my friend, that’s it.”
Her foot struck out so fast, I barely saw it coming. It connected with my ribs, forcing all the air from my lungs. I curled in on myself, wheezing and coughing, trying to catch my breath.
“He’snothingto you. You treat him like dirt. But he never sees the truth. Always talking about how cool it is you do all those stupid tricks. I’m the one who’s always there for him.”
I let my eyes close for a moment, focused on my breathing. It hurt to inhale. A broken rib? More than one? “I’ll never be what you are to Toby. He loves you.”
Calla gripped my t-shirt, hauling me to my feet. “You’re right. He does. But it’s not enough.” She shoved me farther down the path. “Toby saved me, took me away from my asshole parents. He’s my everything. We were happy. Then he wanted to come back here after he finished school. Said he could make good money editing videos for hisfriend.”