Stay(60)

“Stop!” I cried at the same time Rosie yelped. She looked at Nate, trying to figure out what she had done to upset him. “Stop it! She’s just an animal!” The shovel slipped from my hands, and I rushed over to Rosie, protectively wrapping my arms around her.

Nate grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled. Jackson raised his shovel. His body tensed and he jerked forward. Nate raised the gun, pointing it at Jackson.

“Drop the shovel, Jackson,” Nate said so calmly his tone edged on boredom.#p#分页标题#e#

Jackson’s eyes flew from the gun to me. Nate tightened his grip on my hair. I gritted my teeth against the pain. Looking defeated, Jackson let the shovel fall from his hands.

“Move over there,” Nate said and used the gun to point to the path. Jackson stepped over the bushes and stopped on the cobblestone. “Get up, Adeline,” he ordered.

I pushed myself up. Nate pressed the gun to the back of my neck. Terror paralyzed me. I looked at Jackson and felt tears well in my eyes. My breath clouded the air as I shakily exhaled. Nate reached inside his jacket and pulled something out. I heard a metallic click and. He stepped closer and removed the gun, only to place a cold metal blade against my neck.

“Jackson, shoot the dog.” He extended his other hand, holding the gun by the barrel. “You so much as point the gun at me, I’ll slit her throat.”

My body shook. I was scared to breathe, afraid the slightest movement could cause the knife the cut open my skin. It would take less than a minute to die.

“Jackson!” Nate bellowed, causing me to jump. The sharp blade bit into my neck. Stiffly, Jackson walked over. He took the gun from Nate. “Her blood will be on your hands,” Nate reminded him. “Shoot the dog and throw the body in the woods.”

Jackson nodded, his mouth opening in horror. He blinked and turned to Rosie.

“Come here, girl,” he said softly.

Hot tears slid down my cheeks. A knot formed in my chest, painfully squeezing my heart. How could Nate do this? Not only to Rosie but also to us. Rosie jumped at Jackson. She was so innocent. She did nothing wrong.

A tremble ran down my spine. I clenched my jaw, terrified of moving and having the cold sharp metal cut into my skin. Jackson took a step away from us. Rosie followed, tail wagging as if she was playing a game. All she had done was give me a few minutes of happiness, and now she was going to die.

Jackson’s eyes met mine, pleading. I held his gaze, his face blurry through my tears. I wanted him to know it wasn’t his fault, that I wouldn’t blame him for what was going to happen. He turned his head down, his brow pushed together. He didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want to take away the one thing that had made me happy.

But he didn’t want me to die, to watch the blood spray from my neck and my lifeless body crumble onto the cold hard ground. He swallowed, jaw quivering. He turned and cocked the gun. I closed my eyes, imagining where Jackson was, and began counting.

One, two, three …





CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR





I KNEW IT was coming, but my body flinched at the sound of the gunshot. My tense body pressed backward into Nate. Rosie’s final yelp resonated, breaking my heart. Nate twisted the blade so the flat end was against my skin. He pressed it into my throat before slowly dragged it away. He suddenly released me, shoving me forward. I fell, my knees hitting the hard stone path.

Jackson stood frozen with horror, the smoking gun still raised in his hands. His body swayed, and I could hear his rapid breathing as he stared at Rosie’s body. His arms faltered, and his hands dropped to his sides. Nate strode past, pushing me over. I fell onto my side.

I planted my hand against the ground and started to push myself up. The breath caught in my chest, and it hurt to breathe. Rosie was dead. Nate forced Jackson to murder a harmless animal. I looked up and Jackson. He was so dejected, so ashamed of himself. He still hadn’t moved from where he had been standing. He turned, his mouth was slightly open in shock, and his brown eyes were misty.

Nate laughed, flipping the switchblade opened and closed. He walked over to Jackson and took the gun from his hands.#p#分页标题#e#

“Get back to work,” he snarled.

Jackson blinked and snapped his hand back, recoiling from Nate’s touch. Suddenly Jackson’s demeanor went from despondent to angry. Very angry. Nate’s smug face went blank. His eyes widened when Jackson pushed past him.

“Jackson!” Nate snapped. But Jackson didn’t listen. He rushed to me, dropping to his knees. With tears in my eyes I turned my head up to him.

“Addie,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”