Raelyn’s POV

I didn’t need to turn around to know what happened. I heard Ryker yell. I heard the shot. I heard the thump as he landed dead on the earth. There was a shocked half second of silence before the bushes burst to life. Thirty SWAT and cops were charging out into the open.

The tears were pouring down my dirty cheeks.

Ryker had maybe betrayed me, but then he made up for it. He had protected us. Now he was dead. I couldn’t even protect him. Two officers came up to me as I reached the car. It was the silver car, Ryker’s car. It wasn’t the vehicle I had been captured in.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” He asked. I nodded to the cop.

“Freeze, or we’ll shoot!” I heard in the background. Hex audibly hissed in displeasure. He was surrounded and knew it. I looked around frantically. A little tapping noise came from the glass on the car. I turned to see the smiling face of my daughter.

“Arabelle!” I breathed out in joy. She opened the door and leapt down. A purse jangled with heavy objects in it. I scooped her into my arms and held her close to me.

“Momma! I shot the bad guy! That was me that made him dance funny!” She giggled softly. I sniffled into her shoulder, holding her closer in my arms. She squeezed my neck before pointing.

“Daddy!” She cried out. The officers looked to where she was pointing. I followed. Austin came, searching for us. The SWAT team was closing in on Hex. He waved the gun around, but knew he was outnumbered.

“I’ll shoot!” He kept threatening. Austin wove his way through the crowds, pushing past officers that tried to halt him.

“Aus!” I called out, setting down Arabelle. She dutifully stayed with a nice officer whose nametag read Colts. He talked to her quietly, making sure she was okay.

“Rae, Rae!” Austin called out. I saw the tears glisten in his eyes. Just as he reached me, I stretched my arms out for him. I wanted to be held in his arms again. The past couple hours had been one of the worst. I wanted to be held and said it was going to be all right.

I saw him come for me.

I saw his happy face.

And then…I heard the bullet.

And I saw Austin fall to the ground, bleeding from his shoulder. I screamed out in agony. There was another round of bullets, and Hex fell, dead. Hex was dead.

But was Austin?

“AUSTIN!” I screamed in pain. I heard my daughter start bawling. Colton must be holding her back, because she was fighting pretty furiously. Officer’s rushed to the fallen man. One held me back. I struggled in his arms, but fell limp. Austin was laying on the ground, limp and not responding.

“Rodger one to carrier: We need a two minute flight. Man, shot in the shoulder, losing blood quickly. Going into Comatose.” A man yelled into his mic. There was a response and I saw a helicopter speed to us out in the distance. I ripped out of the officer’s grip and ran to my husband’s side.

“Austin! Aussie! Please, wake up!” I sobbed, holding his arm. Someone pulled me away as they ripped away his shirt and pressed someone onto the wound to stop the bleeding. They were putting him under medical procedure.

“He’s gone into a coma! Quickly, get the three hundred CC’s of fluid!” A woman yelled. They ran to a car and got out a bag. I went back to Arabelle, who was yelling for her dad.

“Daddy! Wake up!” She yelled and sobbed. Officer Colts held her back until I could scoop her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck, sobbing into my shoulder. I was crying into her arms.

We were just a mess.

“Miss, could you get into our car? We’ll take you to the hospital.” Officer Colts asked. I shook my head, asking him to wait. I had one more thing.

I had another daughter.

“Please, Hex took my daughter and abandoned her by a river to die. You have to get her.” I begged. They nodded and gathered a group. I heard the words search and rescue. I heard them starting to pull out maps and someone asked me questions.

“Do you know the surroundings? Could you tell us any landmarks or road signs? Do you know which direction it was?” He asked me, starting to scribble on a notepad. I told them everything.

I explained that it was outside the city, by a small river. There was one building, the barn. I told them that there had been no road signs. I gave my only description.

“That sounds just outside of the Elessy Fields subdivision. There’s only one barn that’s been abandoned for thirty years out there. It’s just by the Wicker River.” One explained. They told me that they would have the search and rescue team, dogs, and helicopters be on the lookout. Since Beth had been left out for at least an hour, they had to search quickly. She wouldn’t have long.

“Thank you.” I sobbed over and over to everyone I met. Officer Colts got into the front seat as we hopped in the back. The crowds started to disappear. I held Arabelle on my lap as we followed the helicopter to the hospital.

I feared for Beth.

I feared for Austin.

Notes

AUUUUSTIN!