Page 99 of Mortala
Footsteps echo from around the corner, and my head snaps up.
“Over here!” I shout, as Nate and Morgan come running over.
“Oh, fuck!” Nate yells, immediately reaching for his phone and stepping away to make a call. I pull Morgan down to Hudson's side, pressing her hands over Hudson’s wound.
“Keep pressure on it!” I order her and grab my gun. I have to fucking find him.
“Boss, we got a huge fucking problem here. I need backup. Now!” Nate says into his phone, and my neck snaps in his direction.
My entire body freezes. Who in the fuck is he calling ‘boss’ when I’m standing right here. “Nate, who the fuck are you talking to?”
He doesn’t answer. He just stares at me for a long second, something unreadable flashing across his face before he finally drops down beside Hudson, taking over with Morgan to help her keep pressure on the wound.
My stomach twists. I open my mouth to ask him again, to demand to know exactly who the hell he was talking to, but before I can get the words out, something catches my attention.
There’s a figure breaking through the trees in the distance, running away from us. The second my eyes lock onto him, everything else disappears. I sprint in his direction as fast as I can, heavy emotions crashing into me all at once.
I think about all the things he’s done to Maddie, all the messages he sent her, all the tears he’s caused her to shed. I can feel my blood boiling as it’s coursing through my veins and all Ican focus on is how I’m going to rip this man apart limb from limb until there’s nothing left of him but a fucking torso.
I run up to the fence line and start looking in every direction. There’s nothing fucking out here. My breathing is erratic, my hand vibrating from how tightly I’m holding the gun. Nate runs up behind me, his pistol gripped firmly in his hands, as he looks around.
“He’s not here,” I murmur softly, still looking around, hoping I see him.
“What?” Nate asks, and I kick at the dirt on the ground.
“He’s not fucking here!”
Red hot rage runs through me as the image of Maddie sitting in our room hits me like a ton of bricks. She’s still alone in the house with Kaitlin.
“FUCK!”
I take off running towards the house, Nate following behind me.
“I’m gonna check on Hudson!” he yells, but I don’t stop running. I fucking can’t, even though all I want to do is drill him on who he was talking to. But Maddie is more important. My chest starts aching at the thought of her not being okay.
What if he got to her? What if all of this was Kaitlin’s fault?
I bust through the front doors and sprint towards the stairs, taking them two at a time until I reach the second floor. Our bedroom door is locked and I bang on it with everything I have.
“Maddie, baby, it’s me! Open up!”
The bedroom door swings open, and before I can even process it, Maddie launches herself into my arms.
Thank fucking God.
I catch her and pull her against me, holding her tighter than I probably should, but I don’t care. She’s here and safe, and the bastard didn’t get to her. The thought alone makes my stomach turn. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d walked in andfound something different. She pulls back slowly, and that’s when I notice the gun still clutched tightly in her hands. A surge of pride cuts through the fear still sitting heavy in my chest.
That’s my fucking girl.
“He was here, Miles. He tried to get in the door, then we heard the gunshots and I thought it was you. I was so scared, Miles! God, I don’t know what I would have done if it was you.” She cries into my chest and I kiss the top of her head, holding her close to me.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m okay. I’m so fucking proud of you, baby. You did good.”
She holds onto me and doesn’t let go. I know she needs this right now. Shit,Ineed this right now. He was so fucking close to her, I can only imagine how she felt in those moments.
I look up and see Kaitlin sitting on the bed. I can’t help but feel like this is all her fucking fault. I just know it is. If Maddie would have never brought her here, the stalker would have never found our location.
Kaitlin looks over at where we stand in the doorway. Her phone is in her hands and I can see them shaking. Her eyes are watery and she gives me a weak smile. Fake. It’s all fucking fake, I just don’t know how to prove it yet.
