Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“W…work. You didn’t see?” I asked, figuring this must be all over Brooklyn, the city, the country by now.
“See what?” he asked, and I could hear the sounds of traffic.
He was already on his way. I just had to try to hold it together a little longer.
“News,” I said, sniffling hard.
“No, baby, I didn’t see the news,” he said, making my heart squeeze. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“I’m… alright,” I said unconvincingly. “He’s shot,” I went on, knowing he needed to know what he was getting himself involved in.
“Who’s shot?” he asked.
“The senator,” I said, voice breaking. “It was supposed to be me,” I admitted, thinking if I’d just been a second earlier, or if Michael hadn’t moved exactly the way he had, that it would have been me with the hole in my chest, with my blood streaming out. Too much, too quickly. That I could be in the hospital fighting for my life right now.
“Someone shot the senator?” Elian asked.
“He was aiming for me,” I said in a whisper. There were too many people around. In the hall, talking, crying, hugging, and consoling one another. “Michael accidentally got in the way.”
“You’re not hurt?” he asked, voice tight.
“No. I… I ran into the bathroom,” I admitted, feeling every bit the coward. “And called the police. It didn’t look good,” I said, closing my eyes tight, feeling more tears stream down my cheeks.
“My concern is you right now,” he said, a chorus of horns in the background.
“The paramedics took him away. But he wasn’t conscious,” I went on. “The police got him.”
“Got who, baby?”
“The shooter.”
“The police have the shooter?” he asked, sounding surprised.
“Yes. My coworkers attacked and held onto him,” I admitted. “While I tried to stop the bleeding.”
“Michael is in the best hands right now,” Elian insisted. “Fuck, this place is a zoo,” he said.
“You’re here?” I asked, hope rising.
“I am. I don’t think I can get in, though. There’s cops and news everywhere.”
“Oh, okay,” I said, hearing the defeat in my voice.
“I need you to come down to me, okay?” he asked. “Are you done talking to the police?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Then you can leave. Just grab your things and come down. No one is going to hurt you, not in this mess. Just go outside and turn to the left. I’ll meet you just a couple dozen feet away from all the news crews.”
“I can’t just leave,” I said, looking at the staff.
“Yes, you can. You need to. Dismiss the staff, then come down here to me. Let’s go home.”
Home.
That was maybe the only thing he could have said to force me to stand on my wobbly legs and walk over to my desk to find my purse stashed under it.
“Okay,” I agreed, ending the call as I stared at the mess of my office, feeling like I should clean it up, set things to rights.
But I just turned away from it and into the hall.
“Everyone,” I called, forcing some strength into my voice. “We should all go home,” I said, getting nods from a few of the women who were red-eyed and scared-looking. “Spend some time with our loved ones,” I added. “Say a little prayer for Michael,” I went on. “Don’t talk to the press on the way out,” I added, getting nods from everyone who, by working here, knew how important it was not to leak to the news.
Several of us made our way out at once, and as the cops tried to keep the press back, I slipped away from the crowd, keeping my head down and walking in the direction Elian instructed me to.
Until I felt an arm wrap around me, lips pressing into my temple, then helping me into the backseat of the car before moving in with me.
“I’ve got you,” he said as the driver pulled into traffic. “You’re alright,” he assured me. “We’ll be home in just a few minutes.”
I curled into him, feeling his arms wrap me up tight, holding me together as I fell apart for what felt like the millionth time since I’d met him.
“It’s okay, baby,” he said as the car parked, and the driver climbed out, giving us a second of privacy. “We’re home. Everything’s going to be alright now.”
I never wanted to believe anything so badly.
But there was a knot in my stomach that I couldn’t deny as I followed him into his building, then up into his condo.
Something inside of me was sure that this wasn’t over.
That it never would be until I was dead.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Elian
I walked Elizabeth into my bathroom to wash the blood off of her hands. Then, when she seemed too disassociated to do it herself, helped her out of her stained clothing and into something clean before I took her into my room, and pulled her into the bed with me.