Page 75 of Now Until Forever
Arms wrapped around her from behind, one across her throat. Panic sparked in her mind like a bolt of lightning.Faith.
“No.” She croaked the word, hardly able to make much of a sound.
The solid press of Faith’s arm across her throat made her want to hurl. She tried to breathe, and her lungs burned.
Sarah grabbed the gun from her hand, twisting Eliana’s fingers painfully in the process. She cried out, Faith’s arm still across her throat. The other woman held her in a tight grip. Determined to—what?—strangle her? Eliana had to get out. Now.
Eliana patted against Faith’s arm, trying to push her away.Let go, let go.
“It’s done.” Laptop Guy shut the lid and scooped up the computer into his arms.
“Once she kills Eliana, we can shoot her and then go.” Sarah backed up toward the door.
Lights flashed at the edges of Eliana’s perception. She was losing this fight to stay awake, and there wasn’t much she could do but bend forward and try to dislodge the other woman. She kicked at Faith’s legs. Stumbled back and tried to shove her against whatever was behind them—all to get her to loosen her grip enough for Eliana to gain the upper hand.
Faith’s back hit the counter behind them, and she cried out. Her grip against Eliana’s throat barely loosened.
Muscle Guy looked out the window. “There are cops down there! The street is crawling with ’em!”
“Let’s go!” Laptop Guy ran to the door. The other guy followed him, and they disappeared out of sight. The door slammed shut.
Sarah pointed the gun at Eliana. “Finish it, Faith! Kill her!”
Eliana brought one arm forward, her hands clasped together, and slammed her elbow back into Faith’s side in a last-ditch effort. A second later, she shoved her hand up between her shoulder and Faith’s arm and forced them apart. She pushed hard enough to break the clasp of Faith’s hands.
Bang.
The gunshot eclipsed everything in the room. It sounded like a firework went off in front of Eliana’s face, the flash of light blinding. The concussive sound made her ears ring. Faith’s hold loosened, and she fell to the floor, dragging Eliana down with her.
Faith’s body went limp. Sarah had shot her.
They landed awkwardly on the floor, and Eliana gasped, fire erupting in her hip. Tears in her eyes. Clawing for breath, but hardly able to pull in enough air to get her thoughts straight. The world spun around her, and she tried to inhale. Dragging in more and more air until the spinning stopped and the lights quit flashing behind her eyes.
The apartment door flung open and crashed back against the wall. Thunderous noise followed as cops with heavy boots and gear rushed in. Their yelling morphed into one mass of sound.
Sarah brought the gun up, yelling. Eliana just managed to make out her pointing the gun at the cops before a barrage of gunshots opened up. A second later Sarah’s body quit jerking and she fell to the floor.
Eliana twisted enough to see Faith on the floor near her. She rolled the other woman to her back and saw a gunshot wound in the center of her forehead.
How…
Cops rushed over, and she scrambled back, knocking into one of the chairs. All of them started getting in her face and yelling.
Eliana clapped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. Each breath was work to drag in, her throat thick and aching with pain. All she could see behind her eyes was blood, sneering faces, and evil eyes.
Someone touched her hand, and she flinched.
The ties binding her wrists broke. Her mind registered the warm hug of cologne that was purely Carlos. She opened her eyes. Warm brown ones greeted her, worry and relief in his expression.
He tugged down her wrists. “Hey.” The word was soft, like a balm to her seared nerves. “Hey.” He dragged the word out. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
Eliana took a breath, but it broke in the middle.
He lowered her hands and looked at her wrists, then dipped his head to look at her neck. “All right, that looks bad. Let’s get you out of here.”
Carlos slid an arm under her knees and another around her back and stood, holding her against his chest.
She clasped the collar of his leather jacket and held on.
