Dominic pulls a long black gun from the hidden floor well, followed by a rifle and several clips.
With a pile of weapons and ammo ready, he kicks open the back door, the edge of the large hatch scraping against the ground.
I want to yell for him to stop.
To come back.
But then he’s crawling through the opening to the outside. Where the bullets are.
He’s crouched just beyond the interior, staying low, keeping his head down.
His eyes flick to mine, then he moves over, out of my view, to the back corner of the downed SUV.
And he unleashes. The sound of bullets leaving his barrel is almost deafening.
I can’t lose him.
My fingers fumble with the phone. I don’t even remember when I started to cry, but my vision is blurry as I look at the screen, which unlocks with my facial recognition.
I have to try twice before I click on the phone icon.
And I have to try three times to hit the letter K to find KV.
Dominic reaches through the open back to grab a new clip.
I press King’s name just as Dom opens fire again.
At the same time, I hear new gunfire from somewhere else outside. And the vehicle I’m sitting in rocks with it.
I press the phone hard against my ear and cover the other ear with my other hand.
“What is happening?” King’s voice vibrates against my eardrum; I didn’t hear him answer.
“K-King.”
“Val!” His voice is more startled than I’ve ever heard it.
“We need help,” I cry. “P-please help.”
“Val, where are you?”
I look around. “I don’t know. Some a-airport.” My breaths are coming shorter. “I don’t know.”
“It’s okay. Val, it’s going to be okay.” King doesn’t sound okay. “I’m tracking your phone now. You called me on Dom’s but is your phone there, too?”
I nod because I can’t form the right words.
“Fuck,” Dom grunts, and he rolls back into the car through the open back door. “We have to move.” He grabs the clips that are left and slides them into his pockets. “Can you carry this for me, Shorty?”
He holds out the rifle, and I take it, sliding the phone, King still connected, into my pocket.
“Stay right behind me.” Dom brings his face close to mine and grabs my neck, his grip tight, owning. “I love you. Stay right fucking behind me.”
He’s telling me now?!
A sob traps my response in my throat.
I love you, too.
I want to scream it. But I can hardly breathe.
Dom lets go of me and crawls back through the opening.
I quickly yank off my flannel, not wanting to be a bright red target, and crawl after Dom, rifle in hand.
The noise is even louder out here.
Dom stays crouched, and I stay behind him, right fucking behind him, as he moves around the roof of our SUV.
He must be aiming us toward the half-caved-in culvert.
It’s the only place to go.
