Pretending (Westshore Series #1)

Chapter Fifty: I'm Going To Kill Them All

WARNERS POV

"No!" I yell. "No—"

My heart stops.

My entire world stops as she closes her eyes. Her desperate, gut-wrenching scream from moments earlier still echoes in my head.

"Juliet!" Her name strangles from my raw throat as I search frantically for the ambulance that is supposed to be here.

"Where is the fucking ambulance?!" I yell at the nearby cop.

"They are still two minutes out. Sir I am going to need you to calm down." He is looking at me like I am a ticking time bomb.

"Calm down? I just watched the love of my life get the shit kicked out of her while I sat there and did nothing. I watched these men sexually assault her while I had no choice but to watch with a gun to my head. I will not calm down." I spit at him. I know I shouldn't be yelling at a cop, but I don't give a shit. Not when my Juliet is unconscious in my arms.

I can't lose her.

She has to be okay. Choking back sobs, I look at her limp body and cradle her head in my hands.

"I'm here, baby. You're okay." I smooth her hair out of her face and it's damp with blood. "You're okay."

But would she be okay? I know that the memories of this night will haunt me for the rest of my life. Watching those men touch her while I sat and did nothing. I can't think about it anymore.

I'm going to kill them all

"One minute out." The cop tells Kenji and me.

Kenji is silent for the first time in all the years I have known him.

"Juliet..." My voice is a raspy whisper as I reach for her wrist to check for a pulse, but the uncontrollable shaking of my body makes it impossible to feel even a faint beat.

I'm frozen, clinging desperately to her hand, pressing it to my chest as if my own insanely beating heart can somehow bring her back to life. Our entire life together bolts through my mind. I'm paralyzed by it. Every moment of our, crazy, whirlwind love story flips by like the pages of a book.

I have no memory of running down the parking lot, my head dripping blood and Juliet in my arms as I jump in front of the ambulance to flag it down.

____________

"Warner?"

Hours ago, I forced everyone to leave the hospital room. They left slowly. Reluctantly.

I'm not at all surprised that Kenji is still here.

He crosses the dim private room to where I'm sitting in a hard chair, hunched over the side of Juliet's bed. He touches my shoulder and leaves his hand there. "I'm here."

I nod, not taking my eyes off Juliet's bruised and swollen face. Not letting go of her hand. Not moving an inch away from her.

Kenji squeezes my shoulder. "Let me take you home."

I shake my head, my eyes still glued to Juliet's face. "No."

"You've got blood all over you. You've been here for hours. You're exhausted and hungry and—"

"I'm not leaving her." I raise her cold hand to my lips to press a kiss against her hand.

"Warner...you gotta get some rest."

I squeeze Juliet's hand tighter, watching her for an eye blink, a tiny twitch of her lips—anything. "No."

He lets out a deep sigh. "Then I'm not leaving, either."