One more after this!
Song for this chapter: Cry: by James Blunt
~Nora~
I sat there for hours, unable to move so much as a muscle. My hands were bound uncomfortably tight behind my back, and my feet were zip-tied together. I felt my limbs beginning to go numb hours ago, but without much ability to move or get the circulation flowing again, I was stuck dealing with the tingling sensation as I watched my captors plan my demise. I could barely hear what Erin and Ryan were talking about, but I knew it had something to do with how they would get me to the bank in Arizona. All they wanted was a payday, and I was just a pawn in their game—a chess piece they needed out of the way so they could go on with their fucked up Bonnie and Clyde thing. The only problem was, there wasn't actually any money in that safety deposit box. In fact, I was pretty sure money was one thing most banks didn't allow in safety deposit boxes, the reason being it probably meant the money was acquired illegally and you were trying to hide it from the IRS. Say for example your ex-husband got this money by stealing it from the outlaw motorcycle club he was a part of, stashing it in a safety deposit box was definitely not a smart idea. Thank God Ryan and Erin didn't seem to think of that.
Instead, all they seemed concerned about was the fact that my phone kept ringing and beeping with text messages. I wasn't sure what possessed Ryan to leave the cell-signal on, but he didn't seem the least bit concerned about anyone tracking my phone, so he must have had some kind of insurance policy as he continued to let it ring for hours on end.
I couldn't help but wonder who it was.
Was it Joanie, trying to get in contact with me because my boys knew something was wrong?
Was it Carter, wondering what in the hell was wrong with me for running off and dumping Cash?
Or was it Cash himself, hurt and confused beyond explanation?
I desperately wanted to avoid talking to Cash again. I knew some of the calls and texts had to be from him because both Ryan and Erin opted to ignore him and laugh at his attempts to reach me. It physically hurt me to know that I would probably never see him again, and talking to him would just feel like a torturous reminder that I didn't need. And yet, after he must have sent some kind of ominous message, Erin and Ryan both exchanged nods when he called again.
"Let her talk to him," Erin confirmed. "If it means he'll fuck off for at least the next couple of days, it will be worth it."
Ryan nodded in agreement and held the phone up to my ear on the second ring.
Hearing the desperation in Cash's voice as he begged me to explain what was really going on turned my stomach into knots. I wanted desperately to tell him what was really happening, but I couldn't. I thought he might have caught on from my hints earlier, but it didn't seem like he knew what they were supposed to mean.
I had all but given up hope that he would understand I was being held against my will when he said it.
"Have you been having bad dreams again?" he asked, catching me completely off guard.
Ryan and Erin both exchanged a confused expression, but they had no idea what dreams we were referring too. Part of me wasn't even sure that Cash was on the right track either, but it was worth a shot.
"Wh-what?" I stuttered. I needed him to repeat his question and make it very clear to me that he knew something was wrong.
"Are you having bad dreams?" he repeated. "Are your dreams why you want to end this? Are they why you're so scared to tell me what's really going on."
It was then that I knew for sure that Cash was onto them. Maybe he didn't know who had taken me or where I was, but he knew that I wasn't breaking up with him on my own volition. He sensed that something deeper was going on here, and he was asking me to confirm it in a way only he would understand.
No one but Cash new about my dreams. I had never shared the reality of them with anyone other than him.
"Yes," I confirmed. "I keep having that same dream, and every time it reminds me why we can't be together," I said, praying he would remember exactly the dream I was referring too.
"And there's no way we can just forget about them and move forward?" he asked cryptically.
I knew he was trying to ask if there was any way I could somehow escape, but I had given up on that hope back when I locked myself into an old bathroom and got shot at as a result.
"No," I confirmed. "My dreams are right. We can't be together Cash, and you're just gonna have to accept it." I said to him, hoping to convey the severity of my predicament. This wasn't just some low-level thug trying to get even with me for killing their buddy Rigs, or even one of his whores who thought fucking with me would be a fun pass-time. This was a well thought out and elaborate scheme orchestrated by my husband's sister, who very much wanted me dead. I knew Erin had every intention of killing me, whether she got her money or not, so my time was running out.
"I guess this is the closure I needed then," he said, letting me know that this conversation was everything he had needed to confirm his suspicions.
"I guess so. Please don't call me again, Cash," I said, hoping to limit the number of times Erin and Ryan listened to us. I didn't want to risk that they would catch on to what I was doing and kill me before Cash and the club even had a chance to come and find me.
"I won't, but there's one last thing I need to tell you," he added.
"What is it?" I asked, eager to rush him off the phone.
He was silent for a moment, causing my nerves to shoot up to an all-time high. Part of me worried that he was about to say outright he was on to whoever was holding me here and threaten their lives, but all that would do was let them know they had a target on their back and probably cut the time they kept me alive in half.
But no—Cash was smarter than that.
"I love you, Nora. Don't ever forget that," he mumbled, catching me completely by surprise.
Ryan cut the call short moments after he'd said it, and I almost couldn't believe those words had just left his mouth. We had agreed just this morning to wait to say that to each other until we could do it in person, but I was sure that Cash probably worried he might never get the chance. Hell—I worried I still wouldn't get the chance to tell him that I loved him too, but right now, he and my sons were the only things I could hold onto.
"Aww, how cute," Erin teased. "You actually got Cash McPherson to fall in love with you?"
I stared at her blankly, because I almost couldn't believe myself.
Ryan let out a laugh, leaning in so close to me that I could feel his stale breath on my cheek. "I had you for months; you weren't that good."
I narrowed my eyes, gathering enough spit in my mouth to shoot it out on his face. "You never had me, asshole," I reminded.
Ryan winced, using the back of his hand to wipe my saliva off his cheek. His face had twisted with anger as he let out a menacing laugh and lifted his right hand, bringing it forward, so it connected to my cheek with a firm slap.
I winced, feeling the angry burn on my skin, but I didn't make a sound. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of knowing that he'd hurt me, even though I could taste the blood on my tongue from where he'd surely split my lip
"Don't fuck with him," Erin warned, proudly standing by his side.
"What more can you do to me, Erin?" I asked. "You've already ruined the last few months of my life by terrorizing me, you've taken me away from my kids, and the man I love. I know you're gonna kill me. "What else do you want?" I asked helplessly.
Erin held back a smug smile as she took a step closer to me. She pushed Ryan out of the way, taking his place directly in front of me. She kneeled to my level, her smile never faltering.
She really was one sick bitch, but I shouldn't have been surprised—the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
"I want you to suffer, Nora. And after we go to Arizona and get this money, I plan on making sure that whatever pain you caused my brother, you get to experience first hand. Then, I'll kill you. Exciting day tomorrow, huh?" she teased.
I bit back a remark because I knew this was just the beginning of the torture she planned to inflict on me, and if I could save myself some abuse by shutting my mouth, I probably should.
I stayed silent, even when Ryan and Erin went off to where I couldn't see them. I could hear their voices in the distance, but I wasn't sure where they were—probably making plans for tomorrow when they would force me into a bank to get them their "money."
As bad as everything was beginning to look, Cash's call breathed a new life into me. It might still go to shit, but at least he had given me hope. Hope, that I might live to see my sons grow up into men. Hope that I might have actually found the love of my life and get to see him again.
It was all I had to hold onto and to make sure it happened; I needed a plan.
As far as I knew, Cash was still in Florida, and it was late. Even if there were a flight sometime in the next few hours, he still wouldn't be back in Utah till at least very early morning, and he would still need time to figure out who had taken me and where I was.
I needed to stall somehow; I just had no idea how to do that.
I watched the sunrise through the dusty old windows as I went in and out of sleep all night. The chair I was bound to wasn't the most comfortable thing, but I was so exhausted that I couldn't help it when I dozed off. I had spent hours of the early morning brainstorming how I could stall Erin's plans for at least another day. I needed enough time to make sure that Cash got back to Utah and had time to find out where they were holding me before we moved.
So far, I had come up with nothing.
Anything I thought I could say as an excuse was a sure way to let them know that I had tipped off Cash, and that was the absolute last thing I wanted to do. So far as I could tell, the only benefit we had was that they thought no one was onto them. If I ruined that, I could pretty much consider myself dead in the water.
Apart from that, I had run out of ideas, but I was also running out of time.
Erin and Ryan emerged from the hallway with a fresh set of clothes and a duffle bag in hand.
"I still think it would be better to fly," Ryan attempted.
Erin rolled her eyes at him as she approached me. She whipped out a pocket knife and swung it open as she walked behind me. "And I still think you look better when you're not talking."
I could feel her up against me from behind, her cold hands making contact with mine as she used the knife to cut through the zip-tie. I felt relief for finally regaining a free range in motion, but I also knew this meant we were heading out, and that meant it would be even harder for Cash to track me.
"Driving is gonna take five times as long," Ryan protested. "If we fly, we can be in Tucson by this afternoon and have the money in our pockets just in time for dinner. We'll get rid of her, and we can by a villa on some little island and be done with all this shit."
Erin groaned, seeming to disagree with her little side-kicks logic. "Yes, but do you really think we can make it through an airport with a hostage, and no one will think anything of it? Use your fucking brain," she scolded.
Ryan's face fell, but he nodded his head in agreement.
"Driving gives us privacy and the ability to control her any way we see fit," Erin went on.
"You're right," he agreed. "We'll drive."
Thankfully for me, driving also gave them a reason to keep me around a little longer. Now all I had to do was figure out a way to make them postpone this trip until even tomorrow.
When Erin moved around to the front of my chair so she could cut the zip-ties at my feet, I knew it was now or never. Just when she cut my legs free, I took my shot, forcing my very asleep leg to kick her as hard as I could in the face. I hadn't delivered the kick with as much force and intensity as I wanted to, but my legs were still tingly from being asleep for so long, it was all I could do.
Thankfully, it seemed to suffice. Erin fell to the ground with a loud thud as I watched the blood seep out of her nose. I made no move to run, even though I was free of my restraints because I didn't want to avoid her wrath.
I wanted her to hurt me.
She stared up at me with both disbelief and confusion, almost as if she was in shock that I had actually made such a bold move.
"You fucking bitch!" she yelled, wiping away at her bloody nose.
I let out a laugh as I watched Ryan run to her aid like a fucking puppy, and she only swatted him away. Erin stood to her feet, getting the gun out from the waistband of her jeans. I couldn't hide the amused smile on my face, mostly because I knew I had her right where I wanted her. She was pissed and very ready to hurt me. I just need to push her a little bit more.
"You'll never get my money," I teased. "Your brother was a complete waste to the world, and all he left behind was that money. If there's anyone who deserves to have it, it's my sons and me. You can go fuck yourself if you really think I'll let you run off with it."
I sold that shit like it was my job, and she was eating up my every word.
"What did you just say to me?" she questioned, taking a step towards me.
I shrugged. "You heard me, Erin. And while we're at it, why don't I tell you how I loved every second of watching them torture your brother. How I smiled when that sick son of a bitch opened his eyes for the last tim—"
Before I could finish, I felt the brutal blow to my face. Unlike the slap I had received last night, I couldn't hide the pain of this one. Erin had used her gun to violently bash me on the side of the head before I even saw it coming. The strangled sob left my throat involuntarily as my eyes welled up with tears. I could feel the burning on the whole left side of my face. I could feel the warm blood running down the side of my forehead, but it wasn't enough. I needed to push her a little bit more.
"He deserved every fucking thing they did to him!" I raged.
Erin's eyes darkened with fury—much like her brother's used to. Ryan must have noticed it too, because right when Erin lift her hand to strike me again, he stepped in, attempting to hold her back.
"Erin, don't!" he warned, but it was no use.
With another blow to the face, I felt myself on the verge of losing consciousness. I probably had a concussion, which was even better for me. They couldn't bring me to a bank like this, especially if I were passed out. On the flip side, they might just decide to finish me off while they were at it, but I had hoped their greed would outweigh their intelligence.
Just my luck, it did.
"How the fuck are we supposed to take her to a bank like this?" Ryan raged, finally seeming to grab hold over his woman.
Erin stared at him in a daze, almost as if she had blacked out for a second.
Yup, she and her brother shared a lot of the same psychopathic qualities.
"Hello?" Ryan pressed. "Why the fuck did you do that?" he asked, throwing his arms up in the air with frustration. "Now what?"
Erin stared at him, completely dumbfounded.
I was still free of restraints, but I knew if I tried to run, especially now that my head was all fuzzy, they would have me back in this chair in seconds anyway. Instead, I opted to stay put, hoping I could keep myself conscious. My head was pounding, my ears were ringing, and I felt like everything was one big fog, but I was fighting every temptation of shutting my eyes. I knew if I did that, it might just be the end for me, and I wasn't ready to give up fighting.
"Erin?" Ryan yelled, waving his hand in between her eyes, trying to gain her attention.
Finally, she seemed to snap back to reality, able to look him in the eyes for the first time since she'd assaulted me.
"What?" she snapped.
He narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "What do we do now?" he asked. "If we take her anywhere like this, you know people will ask questions."
She nodded in agreement, seeming to try and reformulate a plan in her head.
"I don't know," she admitted. "I need some time to think," she said, before running off, leaving Ryan and me alone for the first time.
Ryan stared at me with both confusion and skepticism as he pulled new zip ties off of the table and carefully approached me. He went for my hands first, carefully making sure I wasn't about to try anything now that he was this close. He re-fastened them even tighter around my back and was cautious as he kneeled to do the same to my feet.
"Don't try anything," he warned.
"Wouldn't dream of it," I teased, as I allowed him to fasten my feet together without protest.
Once he was sure that I was safely bound to the chair again, he took a seat across from me and let out a scoff. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" he asked, shaking his head.
I nodded in agreement. "I purposefully kicked her, yes," I agreed.
He rolled his eyes. "You wanted her to bang up your face. You got the drop on her, and you didn't even try to run."
I shrugged. "There's nowhere to go, right?"
"Right," he confirmed.
"I just wanted to hurt her a little bit," I explained.
He shook his head. "Stupid move, Nora. All you did was piss her off."
I let out a laugh, feeling the room spin as I did it. "It was worth it," I confirmed.
"Doubt it," Ryan disagreed. "She's just gonna make it even worse for you when she finally gets her money."
Jokes on them because there was no money.
"At least I'll die knowing I got one good shot in," I remarked.
Ryan fought a smirk as he went off to find where Erin had run off to.
Time went by slowly as I waited for my punishment, the state of my head continued to get worse and worse. My headache had intensified tenfold, I was on the verge of throwing up even though I hadn't eaten anything for over twenty-four hours, and I was beginning to grow very confused. One minute I knew where I was, the next I had to remind myself what was really going on here. Judging from what little I knew about concussions, I was pretty sure I was experiencing all the telltale signs.
Just fucking great.
If I could somehow get the chance to make a run for it, I probably wouldn't even be able to do it, but it was worth it just to cause Erin even an ounce of pain.
Speaking of Erin, she appeared in the dusty old doorway with Ryan at her side without warning. Their smug smiles had returned, but this time I could tell that it was a front. Almost as if they were trying to play off how confident they actually were.
"You think you're so fucking smart, huh?" Erin asked.
I shrugged. "I'm no genius but I got a few more brain cells than you two," I mocked.
Erin narrowed her eyes, while Ryan only shook his head.
"This may have dragged it on for a few more days, but it's inevitable Nora," Ryan promised.
"Exactly," Erin agreed. "So you'll live to see a couple more days, but it doesn't change the end result. Once I get my money, you're as good as dead. So we'll clean you up, make sure you don't die for the next few days, but after that, your ass is mine."
I shook my head in disbelief, trying to sell the act. "Joanie will know something is wrong," I attempted, hoping to keep Cash and the guys as far away from this as possible for now.
Erin lit up with a smile. "Oh, don't you worry about that. We've been texting with Joanie all morning. We told her that you are so sorry for leaving the boys on her like that but you really need some extra time to get things ready over here. She ate it up," she bragged.
Joanie was naturally curious, and to be honest, a major meddler. She would have asked a million questions if that was the truth. Cash must have filled her in and coached her on what to say so that they weren't suspicious.
Maybe I didn't have to give up after all?
"She'll know!" I promised, forging tears just to sell the act.
My bad liar streak seemed to end in the last couple of days because I was selling this shit like an Oscar award winner.
"Doubt it," Ryan teased.
I pouted, wishing I could cross my arms over my chest for some brownie points, but unfortunately for me, they were still bound behind my back.
Erin took a step towards me, running her chipped fingernails softly against the gash on my head that was probably still bleeding. "Oh don't worry, sis. It just means you get to spend a couple more days with us," she teased.
"Goodie," I managed, earning an eye roll from both of them.
"Anywho, I'll be back in a bit. Need to go pick up some stuff to make sure you're all better in no time," Erin said, a smug smirk quirking up the corner of her lips. Grabbing my purse from the ground, Erin pulled forty dollars from my wallet and shoved it into her pocket. "Watch her," she warned Ryan with a pointed finger.
"Don't worry," he assured.
She narrowed her eyes at both of us, disappearing down the hallway. There must have been some door or window at the back that she was able to come in and out from. That would be useful to know if Cash and the guys ever did find me and we needed an escape route.
"So, now that she's gone should we finally talk about the night I ran out on you?" I teased.
Ryan's eyes narrowed. "Funny," he remarked, taking a seat on the chair across from me.
"I'm serious," I attempted. "Don't you wanna know why you couldn't seal the deal?" Ryan had been putting in some serious work trying to get with me, and even though I hadn't suspected a thing about his ulterior motives, I still hadn't been able to go there with him. He was easily one of the most handsome men I had ever seen, and despite the reality of who he really was, he had been nothing but sweet to me the entire time we dated. It must have really bruised his ego to know that even the fake version of him couldn't pull off hooking up with me, and I needed to toy with him if I was gonna get anything out of him.
"Fine," he relented. "Humor me."
I fought a smile because I knew it had been eating at him. He knew from the very moment that he saw Cash and me together that something was going on between us, something he would never be able to compare to.
"You were too nice," I admitted. "It was almost weird."
He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Too nice?" he asked.
I nodded. "You wanna know why I fell for Cash?" I asked. "He never treated me like a fragile piece of glass. He was told me how it was and didn't try and spare my feelings. He was himself around me— whether I liked him for it at first or not. With you, it was like you were trying too hard. I might not have known you had anything to do with all of this, but I knew I didn't feel anything for you."
He let out a laugh. "So I should have been an asshole then? Maybe then I could have got you to fuck me."
I shrugged. "Probably not. I would have figured you out eventually."
Ryan shook his head in disbelief. "Doubt it. You were eating out of the palm of my hand. You might not have wanted to fuck me, but you thought I was a fucking saint."
"I did," I confirmed. "I never thought you had anything to do with this, even when Cash called you a stalker."
Ryan let out a laugh and shook his head in disbelief. "I thought that guy was on to me."
"He was," I agreed. "But, I kept telling him there was no way you could possibly be involved."
"Bet you regret that now, huh?"
I shrugged. "How did you get wrapped up in all of this?" I questioned. "You seemed so normal,"
Ryan let out a breath as he stared down at his feet. He bit his lip as he fumbled with his fingers, seeming to get nervous all of the sudden.
I had hit a nerve.
"Did you know Rigs?" I asked.
Ryan shrugged, looking up at me for the first time in a while. "You could say that," he said vaguely.
"Care to elaborate?" I asked.
This conversation was taking everything out of me. I could feel myself on the verge of losing consciousness, but talking to Ryan was probably the one thing helping me to stay awake and alert.
"Not really," he groaned.
"Why?" I questioned. "Erin's gonna kill me anyway, so what does it matter if you tell me?"
He stared at me intently, almost as if he was trying to see if I had an ulterior motive or something. But as he found no ounce of deceit in my eyes, he rolled his eyes and obliged.
"I grew up down the street from him and Erin when we were kids. Rigs was a few years older than me, so we never hung around each other much, but Erin and me started dating in high school and she's been like a leech on me ever since."
I let out a laugh, cause he looked just as attached to her as she was to him. "I doubt that. You're her little sidekick," I teased.
Ryan shook his head. "Trust me, I tried to get away from her. She got me hooked on coke when we were young, and then I'd finally managed to clean myself up just before college. I went off and got a degree, and Erin stayed in Janesville wasting away. I saw her one night at a bar when I was in town visiting my folks, and she'd somehow convinced me to start using again. I'd racked up quite a bill with Rigs, and he was threatening to kill me if I didn't have his money. I was planning on running out on him and hoping for the best, but then I found out he'd gone AWOL. Erin agreed to forget my debt as long as I knew that I owed her one, and if she ever came calling, I had to help her out."
"I take it your "I owe you" involved inserting yourself into my life?" I questioned.
"Bingo," he confirmed. "Then I heard about the money I could get out of it and figured Erin wasn't that bad after all."
"So you got back together and started using again?"
He nodded. "She's not all bad. A little demanding and violent at times, but hey, we all got flaws."
I snorted because those were far from all of Erin's flaws. "You have a good job, Ryan. You could have found yourself a nice normal girl and avoided all of this."
He shook his head. "Got fired a while ago. Apparently, they figured out I was using their software for personal use."
"What kind of personal use, stalking and exploiting?"
He smiled and nodded his head. "You seem to catch on quick, I'm surprised it took you this long to figure it all out."
"I guess I just try to believe the best in people."
Ryan let out a laugh. "That's stupid. Especially with who your husband was, you'd have to know that he'd have enemies—people that would want you dead just to prove a point."
"And what point are you trying to prove?" I asked. "What does killing me get you?"
He shrugged. "Half of a hundred thousand dollars. Seems pretty worth it to me."
"You're disgusting," I spit.
"Meh, I've heard worse. Besides, knowing that asshole, Cash will never get you, it makes me feel like I've won somehow."
I had a comeback just dying to leave my lips, but the second I heard something outside, I held it back. It sounded like it was coming from just beyond the front door, only a few feet from where we were sitting. Now, while it could have been Erin, she had repeatedly only used an entrance at the back of the building, since the front door had remained locked from when she and Ryan had lured me inside this place. It had also been less than ten minutes since she'd left, and I doubted she could have come back this quickly.
Judging by the concern in Ryan's eyes, I could tell he was thinking the same thing. Instinctively, Ryan reached for his gun, removing the safety as he stood to his feet.
"What was that?" he all but whispered.
I shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?"
But I knew. It was Cash—it had to be.
Ryan carefully crept up against the walls, holding his gun out in case he needed it. He peaked his head out of the dusty window, relieved to see there was nothing outside. He re-holstered his gun, under the impression that he was safe, but I knew from the movement I had seen on the other side of the room through another dusty window that we weren't alone at all. I couldn't see who it was, or even how many people we're with them, but I just had a feeling deep in the pit of my stomach that it was my MC family, here to save me.
"Must have just been the wind," he relented, taking his place back in the chair.
"Hey, Ryan?" I asked.
"What?" he questioned, looking down at his phone.
"I think you should let me go," I attempted.
He looked up at me with both disbelief and utter amusement, almost as if he couldn't believe the stupidity that had left my mouth.
"And why the fuck would I do that?" he asked.
It was then that I saw everything I had been praying for these last few hours. Cash had silently found his way inside, approaching Ryan from behind. With him, I saw both Knox and Mick, and I was sure there was more, but when Cash held a finger on his lip, urging me to remain silent, I knew I had to make sure Ryan didn't turn around and see them before they had a shot.
The guys were too far away to hear what I was about to say, but for Ryan's sake, I hope he had an epiphany in the next five seconds.
"Because if you do, I might let you live." I offered.
He scoffed. "You'll let me live? Aren't we getting things a little backwards here, babe?"
Ugh. I still despised it when he called me babe.
I shook my head, struggling to keep my eyes locked in on Ryan to avoid looking up at the three men approaching. I didn't know how they were being so silent, or how in an old place like this there hadn't been a floorboard creak to ruin it all, but somehow, they were only a couple of feet away at this point, and Ryan had no fucking idea.
"Considering the fact that you have three guns pointed at your head right now, I'm gonna go with no," I informed.
Confusion swept across his features, up until the moment he felt the cold metal barrel of Cash's gun on the back of his head.
"Move even an inch and I'll blow your fucking head off," Cash warned.
All three pairs of eyes locked in on me, none of them missing the fact that I must have had a pretty massive gash on the side of my head. The white blouse I had worn for my "interview" had become so stained with blood, that the top of it was almost all a dark red. I could only imagine what I looked like right now because Cash looked nearly sick at the sight.
Ryan let out a breath, shooting me daggers with his eyes.
"You tipped him off?" Ryan asked.
"Shut up!" Cash warned, forcing his gun firmly against Ryan's skull. "Tie him up," he instructed, Knox.
Knox nodded in agreement, holstering his gun in seconds as he took over for Cash and secured Ryan's hands around his back, much like he had done to me earlier today.
"Take him to the van," Mick instructed. "We're gonna have a nice long chat with him."
Knox nodded in agreement as he struggled to drag Ryan outside. Mick followed after him, carefully keeping his gun aimed at the back of Ryan's head, just in case he tried anything.
Cash was by my side in seconds. He carefully approached me, his whole face lighting up with relief as he fell to his knees before me.
"Nora" he all but mumbled, softly stroking my cheek. "Are you okay?" he asked.
I had been staying strong for so long, that I couldn't help it when I broke down. I nodded through the tears, but I couldn't fight the way I uncontrollably sobbed. I had been so scared that I would never see my sons again. Terrified that they would grow up without a mother or a father. I had also convinced myself that I would never see Cash again—that I would never truly know what it was like to be loved by a man. I had all but given up, and seeing him here with me now was almost too good to be true. Part of me felt like this wasn't real— like I was hallucinating it or something.
"I am now," I mumbled.
Cash forced a smile, carefully using his pocket knife to cut away at the zip-ties on my feet.
"You scared the fuck out of me, Foster," he admitted.
"Sorry," I attempted, as he reached around my back and cut my hands free too.
I got to my feet, struggling to keep my balance as I did so. Cash saw me stumble and held onto me firmly to make sure I remained upright. He steadied me, holding my hips between his hands as he leaned his forehead against mine. He bit his lip, clearly fighting the urge to kiss me. I wasn't sure if it was because he thought I might be too hurt, or maybe it was that he actually believed some of what I said, but he was hesitating.
"Cash—" I began, hoping I could explain all the terrible things I'd said to him, but he'd interrupted me before I could go on.
"I love you, Nora," he reminded.
I couldn't help the stupidly large smile on my face at his words, even given my predicament. I wanted to say it back, I wanted to let him know that I felt the same way, but before I could, the sounds of gunshots broke us apart.
I didn't know where it was coming from, or who was the one behind the gun, but when I saw the streak of bleach blonde hair come out from around the corner, it was the first time that I remembered that Erin hadn't returned yet. She held her gun out firmly, her legs moving a mile a minute as she approached us. Cash stood in front of me, struggling to grab a hold of his own gun, but it became abundantly clear to me that he would never get it out before she could pull the trigger. I watched as Erin's fingers hovered over the trigger, pointing it in Cash's direction. Before I could even question it, I threw myself in front of the man that I loved, shielding him from the bullet that was meant for his chest.
I didn't remember much after that.
There was screaming, and more gunfire, but all I could focus on was the pain and the warm liquid that seemed to soak the rest of my blouse a deep crimson.