Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 42088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
The first voice is Louis, and the second is Zoe.
Brady pushes into the apartment. Zoe is standing up against the living room wall, eyes wide, and Louis is standing in front of her, a gun held up in the air.
“Louis,” I gasp, eyes wide.
He stops menacing Zoe and turns. His eyes are red and puffy, his shirt is rumpled, and his suspenders are unhooked. He pulls his pants up with his free hand, hiking them up over his hips, eyes wide and frazzled.
“I knew you were here,” he says. “I knew it, I knew this bitch was fucking lying.”
I’ve never heard him talk like this before. “Louis, what are you doing?”
“I need to talk to you.” He steps forward, gun pointed at us now. He waves it like he’s gesturing, trying to make his point. “I just need to talk. The way things went, I can’t, I mean, I need to talk, okay?”
“Okay, let’s talk,” I say softly and go to step around Brady.
But Brady won’t let me past.
“How about you put that gun down first?” he asks Louis.
Louis stare sat Brady. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m just a friend,” Brady says. “Now please, put the gun down. Aria will talk to you without the gun.”
“The gun?” Louis waves it at us. “The gun is my only fucking friend right now. Nobody listens to me, nobody takes me seriously. All day long, I’m told what to do, told where to go. Like I’m a fucking dog or something. I’m tired of it!”
I squeeze Brady’s hand and step up next to him. “Louis, you know I’ve always listened to you, right? Where did you even get a gun?”
He scoffs. “I fucking bought it. This is America.”
“Okay, okay. I can listen. You know I always do.”
“Have you? Do you? I want to talk right now.”
Zoe is creeping away, toward the kitchen. Her phone is on the counter and I can see that she’s going for it.
“Louis, please,” I say softly. “I’m here to help you. I’ve always been here to help you.”
“No, no, no, no. I told you that I love you and what did you do? You didn’t care. You didn’t care at all.”
“I care, Louis. I’m just afraid.”
“Of what?” he screams.
Brady tenses and steps in front of me again as Louis waves the gun in the air. It surprises me how willingly Brady steps in front of a gun, like he’s going to take a bullet for me.
“Put the gun down,” Brady says.
Zoe grabs her phone and Louis suddenly jerks in her direction. He spots her holding it up to her ear and screams.
“Put it the fuck down, bitch!”
Zoe stops and slowly puts the phone back down.
“You fucking bitch! I knew you were going to do this, like everyone fucking does!”
“Louis!” I yell, but he’s raving now, ranting, screaming, waving the gun. Zoe drops to the floor and Brady pushes me behind him again.
Louis turns toward us, and that’s when Brady moves. I scream as he tackles Louis, knocking him to the floor. The gun goes off and I scream again, the sound of it deafening. Brady is on top of Louis, and the fight doesn’t last very long. Brady is way bigger, much younger, and much stronger.
But Louis has the gun. Or at least he did. Brady wrenches it from his hand and uses the one end to smack Louis in the face. The older man groans and goes slack, blood in his mouth from the blow.
“Brady!” I run over as Brady stumbles to his feet. “Oh my god, are you okay?”
He grunts a little. “I’m okay. He didn’t… he missed.”
I throw my arms around him. I pull him close, holding him tight. Louis is on the floor groaning, and all I can think about is how thankful I am that Brady’s okay. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he had gotten hurt for me.
That was the stupidest, bravest thing I’ve ever seen. Brady ran at an unhinged man holding a gun, tackled him, disarmed him, all with his bare hands. He barely hesitated. It was amazing, it was insane.
I kiss him so hard, I can practically feel our teeth touching.
“I love you, Aria,” he whispers to me. “I’m sorry it happened like this.”
“I love you too,” I whisper back, holding him close.
I don’t know how long we stay there. It can’t be very long, because a voice pulls us away from the embrace.
“Is everyone okay in here?”
It’s a tall man, dark skin, wearing a button-down shirt tucked into jeans, a gun held in his hands.
“Bunk,” Brady says, and moves over to talk to the police officer.
Things go fast after that. I check on Zoe, and she’s fine, although shaken up. Bunk cuffs Louis and takes him back to the police station. We follow and spend the rest of the day giving statements.