Page 154 of Dark Tangled Truths
The sound of fists smacking into flesh comes from the other room. Cam checks the other room, probably to make sure Hawk doesn’t need help. I use the tip of the knife to jimmy open the handcuffs. As soon as I have a wrist free, I go to Evan’s hands to cut the rope tying her to the headboard.
Cam sinks into the chair, holding the leg with a knife sticking in it out straight. “Fuck, that’s weird.”
“Are you okay?” I release her ankles.
“I will be.” She takes the knife from me and strides out the door.
“Fuck,” Cam says.
Cam and my eyes meet before I hurry after her. Jackson lies on the floor of the dining room, wheezing breaths. Hawk hovers over him with bloodied fists.
“The cops are on their way,” Cam yells from the other room. “Don’t murder him.”
Evan pauses for a second with the knife in her hand, clearly torn, but then she sinks down on the floor beside Jackson. “I’ll never choose you.”
She slices down through his shirt. He hisses when she cuts him in the process. But it doesn’t faze her as she peels his shirt open. Without a word, she carves his chest with the knife. He cries out after the first few cuts, but she doesn’t stop until she’s written all the way across his chest.
When she stands, her hand trembles, and I take the knife from her, setting it on the table. She turns into my arms and puts her head against my chest with a sob. I close my arms around her as she trembles against me.
Hawk puts his hand on her back. We both look at the words on Jackson’s chest. It’s written backwards, but it saysNOT YOURS. Hawk takes his phone out and takes a picture of it.
Guess I don’t need to pay him back for hurting my girl.
“Remind me not to piss you off, Annie.” Hawk strips off his hoodie and helps her shed the tattered one and put on his, but her arms and her head return to my chest, and I honestly don’t want to let her go.
Ever.
“Check on Cam,” I say to Hawk as we hear movement outside the house. He disappears into the room as the first cops come into the house.
“Freeze.”
Evan looks at the cop, not releasing me. “The guy on the ground kidnapped me. My guys saved me. Cam needs medical attention.”
Her voice is strong, but she trembles against me. She digs her fingers into my sides.
I run my thumb over the track of her tear and she looks up at me. “I’m ready to go home now.”
CHAPTER 48
Cam
Ridingin an ambulance driving on fields is a crazy experience. The EMTs decided the placement of the knife wasn’t a problem probably, but they still left it in for the ride to the hospital.
Evan sits next to me with her leg bandaged. They looked over the bump on her head as well.
Jackson gets the next ambulance. Damon and Hawk are stuck talking to the police about what happened, but from the look on Damon’s face, they’ll be with us shortly.
Evan holds my hand like she’ll fall off a cliff if she releases it. I’m probably holding her just as tightly. There aren’t enough words to explain how I felt when I heard Jackson asking Damon to cut his legs.
Damon knew we were coming, so I assume he was bluffing, but there was such conviction in his voice. Standing outside that room, knowing what was happening and being powerless to stop it, was brutal.
We had to wait for the right opportunity. Wait until the knife was away from Evan. Wait until it was safe-ish. Obviously, I would have preferred not to get stabbed. But when Evan realized I was there, she gave me the signal.
I didn’t think. I just acted.
We finally reach smooth highway and speed to the hospital. They unload me first and then help Evan down. I’m staring up at the sky before they push me inside, and then my mom and dad’s faces hover over mine.
“Oh my god, are you okay?” Mom grabs my hand and pales as she sees the knife sticking out of my leg. “You were stabbed?!”
