cooperate with her. His pained sounds make me flinch. He dwarfs Phoebe as she stays behind him, making a clear shot almost impossible.
“You can’t win, Dani. I wrote the fucking rules myself,” she taunts.
I pull back the top of the barrel, loading a bullet from the clip into the gun, and stabilize it with my left hand. An insane idea enters my mind. I’m scared to do it, but it might be my only choice to save Parker.
“I’m sorry, Parker.”
“Do what you have you do,” he replies through clenched teeth.
Phoebe’s eyes grow wide, peeking over Parker’s shoulder. I point the gun at his left arm and pull the trigger. He yells out in pain before dropping to one knee. I pull the top of the barrel once more and point the gun at Phoebe. I try to ignore the pain surging through my leg as I steady my aim. With her directly in my sights, I release the breath I’m holding and pull the trigger.
BANG!
The bullet blows straight into her forehead, sending her flailing toward the window. All I hear is the sound of glass crashing on the floor as she smashes through it, falling outside.
I shuffle over to Parker. He leans up against the wall and holds pressure on where I shot him. Thankfully, it looks like the bullet only grazed his arm.
“I can’t believe you shot me,” he says between gasps of pain.
I place my hand over the one resting on his wound. “I’m so sorry. I had no other choice,” I reply, placing a soft kiss on his cheek.
“I know.” He turns to capture my lips with his before I can move away. His mouth quivers during the embrace, and I can practically feel the amount of pain he’s experiencing. “I’m pretty sure we’re overdue for a trip to the hospital, don’t you think?” he jokes with a weak laugh followed by an achy moan. “And you should probably untie your dad.”
I release a small giggle at his comment while tracing his face with my fingertips. I smile when he musters enough strength to show me his famous grin. Pulling out my phone, I dial 911 and request an ambulance.
The instant I hear my father’s moan, I leave Parker’s side and hobble over to him. I begin to rip through the duct tape that binds his hands, legs, and feet. With him free, I rub my hand along his hair until he opens his eyes.
“Dani?” he asks wearily.
“Yeah, Dad.”
Instead of replying, he smiles at the sound of my voice.
I take in a deep breath, lying in the recovery room while musing over the fact my nightmare is officially over. Parker enters my mind, and I wonder how he’s doing…wherever he is right now. I feel really guilty for shooting him, but I panicked and saw that as my only option at the time.
To distract myself from my thoughts, I stare around at the heavy-duty medical curtain surrounding the bed. I begin to feel paranoid and claustrophobic by being walled in like this.
I hear the door open, followed by the squeak of hospital bed wheels rolling in. It sounds like the bed gets parked right next to mine on the other side of the curtain. I wait for the orderlies to leave. When the door closes, I take my index finger and push the heavy fabric to the side to catch a glimpse of the patient next to me.
The first thing I see is Parker’s face. His eyes are closed and he’s resting peacefully. I smile when he grumbles just before turning his head to face the other direction.
Tossing the blanket back, I move my legs over to dangle off the edge of the bed. Thankfully, I’m wearing thick socks when I touch down on the ground since I know this tile floor is freezing. When I feel balanced after standing up, I grab a fistful of the curtain and pull it out of my way.
I stumble over to Parker’s bed and stand there, staring down at him. Taking his hand, I cup my other one over it. He stirs a little, but still remains asleep.
“Thank you…for everything,” I say, and bend down to kiss his forehead. As I pull away, I see that his eyes are wide open and he’s grinning at me.
“You’re welcome,” he replies, reaching up to pull me in close for a kiss. When we separate, he adds, “I’d say thank you for everything too, but then I’d be thanking you for shooting me.”
I