“Come on!” I scream in frustration, pulling at my hair. I stare at the blaring red headlights through the windshield window. We have been stuck in stupid traffic for over fifty minutes. If I’m not quick enough, the tournament will be over, and I’ll miss Grey before he goes off the grid again. He did just that after I betrayed him the first time. But this time I really didn’t. I was framed, and he has to know that. But he won’t know if I am here for the rest of my life.
“Fuck!” I curse and kick the seat in front of me.
“Hey.” Jake peers over the passenger seat, and I mutter an apology, crossing my arms. “I’m sorry about this, and what happened…”
“Yeah…” the guys agree in a low mutter.
I sigh and bounce my legs and run a hand through my hair. I bite my lip and peer around his head. We move an inch, then that’s it. More red lights. “Thanks for the ride, but I’ve got it from here,” I thank the driver, and he nods at me.
“You sure?” Jake frowns at me.
“Yeah, I have to fix this. Now.” I unbuckle my seatbelt and am opening the door when a hand touches my knee. I look back and find him unlatching his belt.
“I’ll go with you,” he says, and I flush.
“You don’t have to.” I rather do this alone.
“There is no way I’m not coming with you,” he says like the gentleman he is.
He and I exit the car and say a brief goodbye to the other guys. We zig-zag through the basically parked cars. We run along the sidelines, and all I can think about is what I am going to say to Grey. He has to believe me when I tell him I never did anything with Noah. God! I still can’t believe this. I did not see it coming. And Mason…fuck! I truly thought he was my best friend. I could have never seen him betraying me like this, in the worst way possible. Destroying the relationship between Grey and me. We have only just begun to glue the jagged pieces of our last disaster back together. But then this had to happen.
I am too late. We arrive about fifteen minutes later, and the large stadium is being cleared out with hundreds of people. Fuck! I really wanted to see him fight. It’s the biggest time of his career, and I had to miss it because of…ugh!
“I’ll go see if he’s still inside,” Jake tells me, rubbing my shoulders.
“Thanks,” I mumble and give him a small smile. I watch him nod and rush past the mounds of people into the stadium. I groan and pull out my phone. I wish I had discreetly recorded Mason, but like I said, I did not see it coming.
Even though he has not answered any of my hundred calls and texts, I call Grey. I pray and hope he hasn’t turned it off or has already left the venue. Because I know that when I go back to the beach house, he won’t be there. He’ll be gone…
“Please answer—” I close my eyes.
A loud ringing bursts my bubble of hope with my granted wish.
“Fuck!” I hear a familiar voice curse.
I look up, and my eyes fall on Grey. He’s standing tall about ten feet away from me, glaring down at his phone. The call is ended by him, and he looks up. His eyes lock on mine and they roll. He curses again, but I can’t hear him this time.
I make my way through the crowd to him, my eyes focused on him. I bump into a few people, but I can’t find my voice to apologize. He scowls down at me as I finally reach him.
“Grey, I…” I gulp and shrug, smiling softly. “D-did you win?”
“Yes, not that you should care.” He rolls his eyes and looks away from me.
I bite my lip and sigh. I have to fix us, I have to fix this. “Grey, I didn’t do what you think I did.”
He turns away from me and begins walking away. “Fuck off, Olivia.”
That stings. He’s said that to me many times before we reconnected, and it hurts ten times worse, if possible.
“Please, you have to listen to me.” I push through people and grab his hand, pulling him to face me.
He snatches his hand away and balls it into a fist. “I don’t have to do anything you say!” he snaps.
“Let me speak!” I snap too, angry he won’t even let me speak. He clamps his mouth shut and crooks his head to the side. Finally. “I did not have sex with Noah.”
He laughs dryly. “The photo says otherwise.”
“Rose took it! But it was staged,” I tell him, but he doesn’t look like he believes me. “I swear! Mason confessed to me and everything. I was drugged, Rose put something in that shot she gave me, but not in yours. Or, yes, in yours. I don’t know.” I grip my hair, frustrated, as I watch his blank expression. “I swear it, Grey! She said she had this plan to hurt you worse than you hurt her all those years ago. I would never ever sleep with anyone other than you. I l-love you.” I begin tearing up and take a cautious step forward, watching for his reaction.
He doesn’t move back, which is a good thing.
“Please tell me you believe me. Please, Grey. I didn’t know what was going on. If I did, I would have come running to you, never from you. Remember when I said that?” I risk it by taking his hand and pressing my lips to his bruised knuckles. I close my eyes and whimper, “Don’t you believe me? I love you so much it hurts. You can’t believe her. Please, please don’t believe her.”
“Liv,” he breathes. I cry hard as I wait for him to finish what he has to say.
A familiar voice screaming his name cuts us off. I sniffle and we both look behind him. Lots of cars are rolling up, honking people out of the way. Men hang out the window with bandanas around their mouths and glasses covering their eyes.
I feel my heart drop as one of the men scream, “No one leaves the gang, pussy! Have some fireworks to celebrate your victory!” Dean. His voice is indistinguishable, his words haunting.
The world freezes as he raises a huge gun in the air.
Suddenly, the world resumes and goes crashing through space. Shots are fired into the air and all around. People begin screaming, and a stampede ensues. The men in the cars are driving everywhere, mowing people over and shouting crude remarks. My heart is pounding dangerously fast. The men begin viciously shooting people and hitting the glass building just behind us.
I feel my eyes widen as I am frozen, unsure of what to do. I think I’m screaming and gripping Grey. He’s pushing me behind him to protect me, but a woman rushing my way pushes me away from his arm wrapped around my waist, pushing me to the ground. The shooting is so loud, it crackles in my ear, and I can feel the air grow tense.
I try to stand, but someone steps on me. I scream in pain as I hear something crack. I push myself up but am kneed in the face. I yell in utter and sheer pain before I finally grab a man’s pant leg, and he helps me up. He pushes past me, running in fear. I whirl around and run back over to Grey but stop when I feel a prickle sensation crawl through my skin.
The shooting has finally stopped, and I can clearly hear the ambulance and police sirens. Screaming people everywhere, dead people littering the ground. A massacre.
Grey is a few feet in front of me, clothes messy and eyes bloodshot, tears running down his face.
“Liv,” he croaks, voice shattered. He’s gawking at me. And his eyes are wide, and he looks like he’s seen a ghost. I don’t get it—what’s wrong? Was he shot? God, I don’t know what I’ll do if he’s hurt. “Liv!” He launches forward and grabs me into his chest. I was fainting, but I don’t remember feeling light-headed.
I don’t understand until I am saying, “What?” and I feel a thick, gooey substance that tastes like metal on my tongue. I bring my fingers up and gently touch my mouth, then bring my hand out. My eyes widen when I see blood and a lot of it. “What?” My voice is hollow. I look down at a crimson red spreading through my shirt, near my heart.
And then I understand.
I’ve been shot.
The realization hits me, and I begin to panic. I look up at the beautiful man cradling me. He’s calling, screaming, barking—nearly letting out his wrath—for an ambulance, for help. I smile as he faces me, but frown when tears leave his eyes.
“Grey, I—” I mutter. “I…love…G-grey…”
And then, darkness.