Page 51 of Wrecked By a Devil

I pull my gun immediately and shoot without a warning. The bullet misses, hitting the door frame. “Fuck!”

The man runs away and I sprint after him, as the chase continues through the labyrinth of the Eden’s backstage corridors. He’s fast, taking the sharp turns with the familiarity of someone who’s studied the blueprints of this place.

He bursts through the double doors leading out onto the main floor and I track the silhouette of his jacket as he clears the VIP booths. I raise my gun again, steadying my target.

This time I’m not going to miss.

“Mr. Kavanagh?” The voice is a sharp, sudden friction against my ears.

When I look to the left, I see Mia standing near the edge of the bar, holding a pair of white headphones in one hand. Her eyes are wide with absolute terror as she looks at the gun in my hands.

Before I can say anything, I notice another shadow jumping from behind the bar, aiming his gun at Mia. Every protective instinct in my blood takes over and I don’t take my time to think about it as I run towards her, diving sideways, my weight colliding with Mia’s small frame as I throw her behind the heavy hardwood structure of the bar just as a second round splinters the wood right above our heads.

Then I feel the hit of a violent, white-hot iron rod driving straight into my shoulder. The force of the impact spins me around, my back hitting the floorboards hard. I can taste the copper flooding my mouth.

“Damn it!”

“Mr. Kavanagh!” I hear Mia shriek, but everything has become a blur.

I have to force my eyes open, and my vision clears just enough to see one of the guys disappearing through the front exit doors. But the second one, the one who shot me, is raising his weapon to finish the job.

With a painful roar, I lift my right arm, ignoring the agony in my shoulder, and pull the trigger three times in a rapid succession. The bullets hit him square in the chest, his lifeless body dropping to the floor like a sack of stones.

“Oh my God, oh my God,” I notice Mia trembling, her arms wrapped around herself as if she’s trying to calm herself down. Even in the low light, I can see how terrified she is. “You’re bleeding, Mr. Kavanagh, you’re bleeding really badly.”

I look down. “It’s not that bad,” I force a smile, hoping to help her calm down. But the front of my shirt is completely soaked and the pain isn’t getting any better, telling me I need to get it treated immediately.

“This can’t be happening, Riley is going to kill me!” She cries. “You got shot because of me.”

“No!” My voice is firm as I speak. “Listen to me! None of this happened because of you. Those people would have hurt anyone who was in their way.”

“But you’re bleeding…” Mia sighs. “You have to go to the hospital, Mr. Kavanagh.”

Before I can answer, we’re interrupted by the loud sirens approaching us at an incredible speed. “Damn it! Someone must have reported the shooting. This is the last thing the club needs.”

“You can’t be here when they arrive!” Mia is suddenly determined. “The least I can do after you took a bullet for me is help you out of this mess. Literally…” Her eyes drop again to the wound and she covers her mouth as if she’s going to be sick.

“It’s better for you to leave,” I try to push myself up, but my legs are suddenly heavy.

“No,” she shakes her head, insisting. “If I stay, your name will be cleared. I’ll say I came for my headphones, which is the truth, and I ran into these two guys who had broken in. They turned on each other and one of them shot the other before running. I didn’t see their faces and have no idea who they are.”

“Are you sure? Once you lie to the police, there is no going back from there. You can still leave.”

“I’m sure,” she reaches down, her small hands gripping my uninjured arm, helping me leverage my weight against the bar. “Now go!”

I swallow the blood in my mouth, nodding once. I hold her gaze, ensuring she understands the weight of the situation.

“Go!” Mia insists, pushing me towards the corridor leading to the back door.

“Thank you.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Riley

“But this is totally rigged!” Lexi shouts at the TV. “She should have chosen the lawyer dude!”

“At this rate, anyone else would have been a better choice,” Elena sighs, covering her eyes dramatically. “I can’t believe she went for that arrogant guy.”