Page 27 of Acceptance
“Let her go! Gary, she didn’t lie. I did. And I swear, I’ll tell my dad to shoot you in the fucking dick if you don’t let her go!” Hailey screams.
“You’re supposed to be an orphan!”
“Hey, Gary,” Colt says.
Whipping around, Gary stares with wide eyes. “How the fuck did you get—”
He lowers the gun and shoots him in the groin. “Daddy’s home.”
“Fuck! You shot me in the dick, motherfucker!” Gary cries as he holds himself, blood flowing freely.
Aiming at the man who must be Jules, Colt shoots him between his eyes. “It’s not like you need it anymore.”
“Kill him,” Hailey says. “He’s the one who took us here. Targeted Lindsey. Please, Colt. Please… kill him.”
“Gladly,” he says, shooting him in the neck. Blood spurts out and pools onto the floor as he struggles to breathe, one hand on his crotch and the other holding his neck. “Gavin, take care of that girl. Give her your shirt to cover up with.”
He hurries towards Hailey and yanks his knife from his jeans to cut the zip ties. Her wrists and ankles bleed from where shepulled against them, and he’s surprised when she throws her arms around his neck and clings to him for dear life as she sobs.
Rubbing his hand over her hair, he holds her tightly. “Shh, you’re free now. You’re okay. No one’s going to hurt you.”
“I’m sorry, Colt. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry!”
“This isn’t your fault. Here, take my shirt. No father wants to see his daughter dressed like this,” he says, reluctantly releasing her.
Lindsey rushes to Hailey after she slips on Colt’s shirt, and the two girls cling to each other, both sobbing. Gavin’s so pale that Colt worries he may pass out, and Colt knows he needs to call Lex.
“Do you have her?” Lex asks after the first ring. “Is our girl okay?”
Hailey hears Lex, and she sobs harder. “She’s okay. I got her. Do me a favor and call Grayson. Ask if he has any contacts in Riverview to come and collect these girls. I don’t feel right just leaving them here.”
“How many?”
Swallowing, he says, “Four apartment floors’ worth. Luckily, the first floor looks to be some type of underground fight club arena.”
“It’s where they kill the girls who try to escape,” the woman who unlocked the doors for them says as Gavin whips around and aims his gun at her. “Are they dead?”
He pushes Gavin’s arm down and says, “I gotta go, baby.”
“I’ll call Grayson. Lucas needs to see his sister, Colt. Don’t take too long to get her home.”
“He’s dead, Amanda,” Hailey says. “They both are.”
“They’re all dead by now,” Gavin says.
Amanda just blinks as her eyes never leave Gary. “He’s the one who brought me here.”
“Amanda, we’re free,” Hailey says. “We’re all free. Do you need us to bring you somewhere?”
She shakes her greasy head of hair. “No, I should… I should stay with the girls. We’re family.”
“Can we go home now?” Lindsey asks. “I want to go home.”
Chapter Ten
Griffin’s Beach
Hailey
