Chase the Pain (Amatucci Family #1) - Sadie Jacks Page 0,111

couldn’t bother her. Steal her. Hurt her.

I crossed a juncture point, blazed forward. Movement out of the corner of my eye drew my attention. I backed up. Winced at the strain on my body. I was going to get Willow and we were going to go rest and recover some place with no phones, no internet access, and no one else but personal medical staff.

I crept down the short hallway where the movement had come from. Their voices were closer. Softer. “You should have stayed. You should have been better. You should have listened to me.”

Fury and searing pain lit up my belly. How could he blame it all on her?

You mean just like you did, asshole, my inner voice said.

I flinched away from the truth. It might not have been in the exact same way, but I’d done the same thing. Pushed her away, punished her when she didn’t do what I thought she should.

I’d make it up to her. I would. I would live at her feet if she’d let me. Treat her like the hero she was.

Errington’s soft voice broke my internal torment. “Tsk, tsk, Willow. I’m in charge. You will be my next subject. But the avenue of research has changed. I’m more interested in the body’s ability to withstand tremendous pain. What it does to the mind.”

I eased around the last corner, my gun up and level at the back of his head. I exhaled slowly as I sighted down the barrel of the gun.

“Your mind has been honed in the flames of earlier research. I had no idea I was training you. Molding you into my greatest experiment.”

He leaned forward, ruined my shot when he bent down to her face. I pulled the gun upright. I couldn’t risk her. Not this close to finding her. Not this close to saving her. Saving myself.

His body jerked as she pushed him away. Her hand caught his, her fingers a vise around his free hand. As I watched, his body began dancing and jerking. Twitching so hard his bones probably shook together.

Her tone was venomous when she said, “That’s right, love. You have been honing me, training me, molding me. But in the end, you are the experiment. Tell me, what does that excruciating pain feel like?”

Part of my heart broke to hear her words. To understand. But the other part of me rejoiced. She’d saved herself. My Willow didn’t need anyone.

Not even me.

“On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?” Willow asked as the doctor’s body continued to dance near her feet.

“What the fuck, cupcake?” I said.

She looked up at me, her face bone white, beads of sweat forming on her brow and upper lip. “You found me. You’re here.”

I nodded. I eased down to my knees beside her. “You’re amazing.” I reached for her hand. Wanted to rip it away from his.

She pulled back. “I can’t let go. The electrode is in his mouth. If I let go of his hand, he could get me.” She shook her head, her sage eyes wide with fear. “I have to get away, Ry. I can’t stay here.”

I tugged her head to me. Eased her face into my shoulder. Lifting my gun, I shot Ethan Embry Errington in the head.

“He can’t hurt you anymore, cupcake. Not ever again.” I pulled her hand from his, pushed it from her skin. “Never.”

She catapulted herself into my arms as the Amatucci brothers sent up enough yells to raise the man from the dead.

We crashed through the wall behind me. As my head bounced off the cement floor, I looked up just in time to see Rafael pull his gun up and shoot at the ceiling. “Fuck, Penn.”

I shook my head, my gun forgotten as I pulled Willow’s trembling body into my arms. “Are you hurt?” I asked her, my lips against her ear.

She was trembling so bad, I couldn’t get anything more than sobs as an answer.

“Rafael, check her over,” I said as my vision went a little bright and hazy. “Her leg feels like it’s wet.” I tried to turn us over, but the stab wound in my side decided I’d done enough for the day.

Rafael pulled her from my arms. Or tried to. She shook her head as her arms turned to steel against my neck.

“I had to get it out. He was using it against me. I had to get it out. Don’t be mad. Please don’t be mad. I didn’t mean to