Page 42 of Then and Now (The Edge of Retaliation 3)
I finally find my keys and go to put them in my door when something cold presses against the back of my neck, making my entire body freeze. I take a deep, staggering breath and everything in my mind starts spinning. Especially when a voice leans down low and whispers into my ear, “You’re coming with me.”
Oh god.
No.
This is bad.
I spin around quickly, without thought, and the gun slams across the side of my face, sending me tumbling to the ground. Gasping in pain and trying to stop my head from spinning, I scramble backward, desperate to escape.
“I’ll shoot you if you make another move. Now get up,” the man wearing a dark hoodie says, gun pointed at me.
He’s part of that gang, I just know he is.
My cheekbone feels like it’s been split in two, and I can feel blood trickling down my face, he hit me that hard. I keep scrambling backward and consider screaming. It might throw him off. If he gets hold of me, I’m not coming back. I know that for sure.
With an angry growl, he launches forward, curling his hand into my hair and hauling me up like I weigh nothing. I let out a shrill scream as the gun is pressed to my temple this time. “Scream again, I’ll blow your brains all over this fuckin’ floor and be done with it.”
Tears burn under my eyelids and I try to kick my way free, which only earns me another hard whack to the face.
“Is someone down here? It’s security, I heard a scream?”
Oh, thank the ever-loving lord. The man holding me lets me go quickly, muttering a curse before taking off, leaving me standing on shaky legs.
“Hello?” the voice calls out again.
“Over here,” I croak.
A security guard rounds the cars and sees me standing, bleeding, and his face drops. He rushes over, asking, “Miss, are you okay?”
“I’m … There was a man in here. He had a gun,” I whisper, without thought.
“I’ll call the police. Are you injured any further? Did he take anything?”
“I think he just wanted my purse,” I lie.
“Sit tight, I’ll get someone over right away.”
I close my eyes and lean against my car, feeling more than a little shaken up over how damned close that was. If that security guard hadn’t come down, I’d likely be either shot or in the back of that man’s truck by now, going god knows where.
I didn’t think we needed Tanner here, but I’m starting to see that they made the right call.
We’re in danger.
They’re not going to stop until they get what they want, and what they want is us and revenge.
The officer walks away to make a call, and I do something so incredibly stupid. I get into my car and drive out. I don’t know what I’m thinking, except that I don’t want the police involved. If they get involved, and these men find out, I could potentially make everything that much worse, and I’ve already done enough of that for one day.
I don’t look back as I exit the parking lot, my head pounding, my cheek bleeding, my hands trembling.
It takes the entire drive home for me to calm down. In that time, I figure the security cameras probably have my plates and will likely call and ask why I drove away, but I’ll just say I was really scared and shaken up. I hope that doesn’t happen, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.
When I reach my apartment, I hurry inside, just needing to breathe in a place where I feel safe. I close and lock the door, snapping the new deadbolt closed that Jo had installed, then I hurry into the kitchen, completely forgetting that Tanner and Madeline are staying in my apartment. Tears are burning under my eyelids when I reach the kitchen and turn on the tap, using the water to wash my face, the tears finally falling and flowing down the sink with my blood.
“Callie?”
Tanner’s voice has me jerking, but I don’t look up.
“What the fuck happened?”
I still don’t look up. He doesn’t deserve to see me crying, to see me hurting and weak.
No.
“Are you bleeding?”
He’s moving quickly now, coming around to my side of the counter and grabbing my shoulders, jerking me upright so he can look at me. My cheek is sore, and my wound is burning, probably from the tears mixing in, the saltiness adding a sting.
“I’m fine,” I say, shuffling out of his grips.
“Who did this?”
“I said I’m fine.”
“Callie, who the fuck did this?”
“Leave me alone!” I scream, stepping backward, my hands trembling, tears rolling down my cheeks. “Just leave me the hell alone, Tanner.”
I turn and rush toward my room, feeling like a complete idiot. Knowing I’m acting like a damned baby right about now, but my emotions are all over the place, and I’m struggling to get my mind right. I can’t think straight, I can’t focus, I just … can’t.
