Sempre (Sempre 1)

Carmine reached up and opened the passenger door a crack. “It’s gonna be fine.”

Yet another gunshot cut through the stifling air. He flinched at the sound and took a deep breath. They were taunting them, he realized. Whoever it was could have easily killed them both by now.

He started counting, and Haven’s eyes widened as she clutched him. “Wait!”

“Christ, we don’t have time to fuck around here!”

“I love you.” The words caught in her throat and escaped as a sob. The sound of it burned, like she had taken a knife and plunged it straight into his chest, twisting it.

“Don’t act like we won’t see each other again in thirty seconds,” he said, grabbing his gun from his waistband. “Get in the goddamn car, baby. Three.”

He stood and aimed at nothing in particular, firing off rounds in the direction the shots had come from. Running to the driver’s side, he cursed when he tripped over Nicholas. Shame overwhelmed him as tears stung his eyes, but he fought to hold himself together for Haven’s sake.

Bullets whizzed by him as he ducked inside the car. Haven curled into a ball in the passenger seat, sobbing. He fumbled with the keys as he laid the gun down between them.

He threw the car in gear and swung it around, slamming the gas to get away from the house. He reached over and brushed Haven’s hair aside to get a good look at her as he flew down the driveway. “Are you okay, tesoro? Talk to me, please.”

She flinched when he touched her. “Nicholas! We can’t leave Nicholas!”

“We have to,” Carmine said. “It’s too late for him.”

She shook her head hysterically. “But he was just helping!”

“I know, hummingbird.” He swung the car onto the main road. He wasn’t sure what else to say. “I know.”

He tried to focus on the road, but something caught his eye in the rearview mirror. A black car sped straight for them. “Fuck.”

Haven glanced behind them. “Oh God.”

“Put on your fucking seatbelt,” he said. She froze for a split second before snapping it on. Carmine wanted to say something to comfort her, but he wasn’t sure those words even existed. The vehicle rapidly approached as gunshots cut through the air again, bullets hitting the back of the car. The right rear tire blew out as it was struck, the car jolting, but Carmine managed to keep it on the road. A moment later the left tire shredded, the screech of metal rim against the highway drowning out the sound of gunfire. Sparks flew, and Carmine’s panic deepened when he realized they couldn’t outrun them now. He grasped the steering wheel to brace himself and looked at Haven, unparalleled devastation reflecting in her eyes.

the tests were collected, Carmine headed for the exit, rolling his neck to get the tension out of it. He strolled out to the parking lot with the rest of his classmates, where the sound of squealing tires stopped him in his tracks. He looked up, his brow furrowing in confusion when the old pickup truck pulled into the parking lot.

“Isn’t that Nicholas?”

Carmine cringed as Lisa spoke behind him. Nicholas parked his truck and climbed out, glancing around in a rush. He looked in Carmine’s direction, muttering to himself as he approached. “Carmine, I need to talk to you about Haven. She—”

He didn’t have time to finish before Carmine swung. Nicholas’s head snapped to the side when the fist connected. Staggering backward, Nicholas glared at him. “There’s something wrong with you! I told her you’d go psycho if I came here!”

“Excuse me?” Carmine grabbed Nicholas’s shirt. “When did you talk to her?”

Nicholas pried his hands off, shoving Carmine away. “Twenty minutes ago when she called me.”

The words stung. “What do you mean she called you?”

“I mean—ring, ring—she called my phone,” he said. “What else would ‘she called me’ mean?”

Carmine lunged at him, but Nicholas was prepared this time. He barely stumbled before striking back, jabbing Carmine hard in the ribs. He gasped at the unexpected shot. Before he could recover, Nicholas struck him in the nose. Carmine’s vision blurred as sharp pain shot through his face, blood flowing instantly. Someone grabbed his arm before he could get his wits about him, and he turned to see that a crowd had formed.

Carmine wiped his face with the back of his hand, smearing blood all over himself. He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pinched his nose with it, trying to stop the bleeding.

“You know, you’d think you’d show some damn gratitude,” Nicholas said. “I didn’t have to come here.”

“Why did you? You’re wasting your time.”

“Maybe I am, but I came here because Haven asked me to. She didn’t have anyone else, and she needed you to come home. I try to do her a favor, and instead of listening, you’d rather fight for no reason.”

“Why did she ask you to get me?”