Real Girl (Aston Creek High 4)

My gaze drops to my bloodied hand, feeling so fucking ashamed of myself for having to tell him this, especially considering the tone in his voice suggests that he had all the faith in the world that I would get her. He didn’t think giving up was an option for me, and really, I never thought it would be either.

I feel fucking sick.

I let out a heavy sigh. “I…I couldn’t man.”

Blake goes quiet. “She’s still there?” he questions with a whisper.

“Yeah. He had a fucking gun to the back of her head. I couldn’t risk that.”

“FUCK. What now? Are we supposed to just leave her? Let her marry some rich douchebag and forget about her?”

The fuck is wrong with this kid? Does he even know whom he’s speaking to?

“Fuck, no. Never. She ain’t marrying that sick fuck. I will get her back, but it won’t be today. We just have to play this right. We need a plan or…fuck. I don’t know, we need something but storming in like I just did isn’t the answer. He won’t hesitate to kill her.”

“I could have told you that. Oh, wait…I fucking did.”

“Fuck off, Blake. At least I’m here. I fucking tried to get her and now she knows that we’re not leaving her behind…except…”

“Except what?”

“She thinks I’m dead.”

“The fuck? What the hell went down over there?”

“Lucien shot me in the fucking back and promised that if I show my face around here again, she’ll be next. We need to play this right.”

Blake groans and the frustration coming out of his tone is as clear as day. “What the fuck are we supposed to do? We’re fucking high school kids and Lucien is at the top of his fucking game. Not to mention that Marcus Mahony is a step above that. Scrap that, he’s ten fucking steps above Lucien. These guys are un-fucking-touchable.”

I shake my head to myself, lost in my own fear of not knowing. “We’ll work it out,” I promise him. “But for now, you need to tell me where the fuck I can get this damn bullet out of my back without a damn hospital asking questions.”

“Shit. It didn’t just go through?”

I glance down at my shoulder despite knowing damn well it didn’t go through as if it had, there’d be a fucking hole in my chest and I’d probably be dead on Lucien’s lawn. “Nah,” I say with a groan, the slight movement being enough to remind me how much fucking pain I’m in. “It’s lodged against the bone. It fucking kills, man. I need someone to fish it out.”

“Um…” he goes quiet for a moment, thinking over his options. “Your best bet is Lucy Carroway but I don’t have her number anymore. Sky made me throw my phone when we ran.”

“You know where she lives, right?”

“Yeah, but she’s not the best with surprises, especially ones in the form of you.”

“Just tell me her fucking address.”

Blake sighs. “Shit. She’s going to fucking kill me for this.”

Blake finally rattles off directions and I end the call without so much of a goodbye. I start my truck and get the fuck out of there before Lucien decides to come and finish the job, making me feel sick with every passing second that I get farther away from my girl.

Chapter 8

Slade

Every rumble of the truck and every fucking bump I fly over tear me apart and make it hard to remember where the hell I’m going.

Blood spills all through my truck and by the time I reach what I think is Lucy’s place, I’m a fucking mess. I pull into the drive and am grateful to find the gate wide open. At least there’s one bit of luck in my otherwise fucked-up day.

I pull right up to the front door of yet another mansion and pull myself out of the truck.

Sweat drips down my forehead as I clutch onto my shoulder, desperately trying to ease the pain.

If this chick isn’t here…fuck. I’ll be in a shitload of trouble.

I don’t know how I do it, but one minute I’m standing on her drive and the next, I’m at the top of the grand stairs, standing at her front door. Maybe I blacked out while I struggled up here, I don’t know, but honestly, I don’t fucking care. All that matters right now is getting inside and making the pain go away.

My fist slams against the heavy door and I lean into it as I wait.

“Come on,” I groan under my breath before pounding on the door again.

“Alright, I’m coming,” a voice says from the other side as I hear her fiddling with the door handle. “Keep your fucking knickers on.”

I clench my jaw, not having the patience for her attitude. Hell, I still haven’t seen her face and even then, I know this chick is made from the same cloth as Skylah. But either way, I don’t care for her ramblings.