49. Why don't you let her rest? - Nick

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Chris nods at me as he swallows hard. "Here we go."

Gun poised, Chris stands from where's he crouched on the ground, his tall frame fluidly striding toward them. "Police. Drop the gun."

Doug's face contorts with anger as he spots the three of us joining them, but Sierra looks crushed, her shoulders shaking as she weeps. "Nicholas, no!"

My eyes fill with tears and I touch my fingers to my lips to keep my sob inside. I hold out my other hand, then point two fingers at my eyes. Look at me, I mouth. Everything hangs in the balance for the next few moments as Doug refuses to put the gun down.

I step forward, nodding my head up at Doug. "Hey, you love Sierra, right?" A sour taste rises in my throat as he steps back, then pulls her closer. "She's been through enough. Why don't you let her rest?"

"Sierra, come over here, honey. We need to get you checked out at the hospital." Dad's confident voice seems to confuse Doug like he's contemplating whether he's willing to let her go for that reason.

"Let the girl go," Chris demands. "Place the gun on the ground slowly, then put your hands."

"No. She loves me, too, and I'm so sick of everybody getting in our way." He kisses the side of her head and holds her tighter. "Everybody go away so we can leave."

She whimpers, sliding her eyes shut. "You guys," she says, opening them again. "Just let us go. I said we'd go because it's not safe here."

Doug cocks the gun and all the air rushes from my body as he aims it at my girl. "We're going. Or I'll kill us both."

"Okay, okay," she says, squeezing her eyes shut. She opens them and sniffles, clutching her fingers around Doug's forearm as they sidestep in unison.

"No!" I protest.

She sternly holds my gaze. "Nick, we're heading for the car. Chris?"

My heart tears as she squeaks his name out, and I hold my breath. Chris shifts his position, and his strong reply carries as Doug steers Sierra further. "What?"

The world stops as Sierra halts. It's a split-second of breathtaking perfection as she holds my gaze.

"Now."

She stomps the heel of her shoe on his toes, drives her elbow into his stomach, then pummels her fist backward to crunch him in the nose before diving to the ground facedown.

Time is precious. If I stayed with Christina in the alley that first night, I would've missed seeing Sierra on the quad, or if we had shown up five minutes later today...things could've gone very differently.

And if she and Chris hadn't executed everything at the exact right second, Doug wouldn't be cursing, doubled over after taking a clean shot to the gut.

Sierra scrambles to her feet and straight into my arms as Eric bolts to secure the other gun

I pull SiSi away as Doug wrestles Eric, and steer her a few steps backward. "You're safe now," I say, my throat aching.

Weeping, she clutches me tighter. Tears slip down my nose as I press my forehead to hers. "That was the worst moment of my life. Are you okay? Are you alright?"

She shudders and nods, her voice tiny. "Yeah."

"Sierra!" Doug's voice is desperate, and I glance over my shoulder before shielding her further after I spot him pressing the gun to his temple. "This is all your fault," he hisses, and I turn away.

"Don't look, just listen," I murmur, wrapping her tightly in my arms, ensuring her ears are covered up as we huddle together. "I'm going to keep talking because I don't want you to hear anything else. So, let me tell you that I texted Brian, and—"

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