I did what Parker’s dad had taught Fallon and me to do if we were ever attacked. I slammed my head backward and was rewarded with a grunt of agony as I connected with Carter’s nose. Then, I dragged the heel of my cowboy boot along his shin.
He screamed, “Fucking bitch!”
His hold on me loosened just as I let my muscles go slack, becoming dead weight in his hold. He dropped me, and I hit the ground. I rolled and kicked at the same time, my foot landing another blow to his leg.
Carter retaliated, his foot landing in my rib cage, as Chelsea flicked the whip again. It slashed through my biceps, drawing blood, and I screamed.
Vader’s bark was desperate as he leaped up against the door of the stall. The wood cracked, the sound mixing with the bang, bang, bang of the fireworks and the stomping and snorting of the horses.
The scent of gas and the sting of it on my hands increased my fear. Not just for me, but for all the animals. Vader and Titan and the dozens of horses housed here.
“Idiot!” Chelsea snapped at Carter. “You couldn’t even hold on to her for two seconds?”
The whip hit me again, this time on the thigh, ripping my jeans. I bit back a cry as Vader’s barks grew even more frantic.
“This is a lot more fun than I was expecting it to be,” my sister said, flicking the whip again and laughing when she saw me flinch. She glancedup at Carter. “What are you waiting for? Dose her.”
She tossed the needle at him, and he caught it deftly. My mouth went dry. My heart thudded.
I kicked again as he got closer, and the whip slashed, missing me but shooting dust into my face. As I coughed and blinked, Carter grabbed my ankle in a viselike grip and used his mouth to uncap the needle. He had the point pressed against my thigh as my sister closed the distance.
He hadn’t even had the chance to realize she was there before she plunged a second needle into the side of his neck.
Shock coated his face. He blinked. “What the hell, Chel—”
He fell on top of me, his lifeless body making it almost impossible to move, as his needle rolled away. I stretched my arm, desperately trying to reach for it, and the whip hit the back of my hand.
“I can’t believe he fucking missed!” Disgust dripped from her voice. “He had one job and couldn’t even get it right.”
She swept the needle up as Vader tore at the wood of the stall. Chelsea shouted, “Shut up, you mongrel!”
The dog didn’t listen. If anything, he became more savage.
With her attention turned toward Vader, I pushed Carter off me and rolled over, rising to my hands and knees. The whip hit my shoulders, and I screamed again.
Another series of booms filled the sky outside the barn as the fireworks show moved toward its finale, and tangled in with the noise came another. A noise that made me want to weep. A deep voice filled with deadly intent.
“Don’t take another fucking step.”
Chapter Thirty-five
Beckett
WE DON’T RUN
Performed by Bon Jovi
ELEVEN YEARS AGO
HIM: You sleeping?
HER: Can’t. I keep hearing that sound Dad made at the graveside. It was unearthly. Horrible.
HIM: You’re right, it was horrible. Worse than the sounds my dad made when Liza left. But it just reinforces what I already knew—love is pain.
HER: Maybe it is. But I also saw the joy they had when they were together. The smiles and laughter. The way he held her pinky when they walked together. The way she kissed him goodbye before each gig. So maybe having that is worth the pain later.
PRESENT DAY