The Risks we take

Eleven

Reed

She trusted me. She wouldn't be texting me like this if she didn't. She's just mad and doesn't want to. I'd crack her though. Like an egg.

The door behind me pushed open and I turned to stare at them, hoping they'd close it behind them and stop the ice cold air blowing they'd brought in with them. 5 of them. Wrapped in perfect black suits and sunglasses. In February. I didn't like this. Not one bit.

I stood up slowly, making my way to the table she'd been at since Theo sent me a picture of her laughing with her friends an hour ago. I'd dropped everything. Leaving the girl I was supposed to be picking up at home. If I wanted a chance to watch her scream my name again, I should be around tonight. Especially if this mystery guy wasn't special enough for her to cancel plans with friends. I had been. She'd cancelled plans with Eden for me before.

"Where's Sloane?" I tapped Drew on the shoulder who rolled her eyes.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because trouble just walked in. You girls should get out of here. Now. Back door's that way." Drew stared at me. "I'm not joking Drew."

"Why should I trust you dipshit?"

"Because believe it or not, I don't want to see people I know buried before their 30th birthday. Out. Now."

"We're not leaving-"

"I'll get Slone. Where is she?"

"Bathroom." I nodded, helping the 3 of them up and watching them leave through the back door before I dipped into the corridor, waiting for Sloane to come out. I wasn't about to intrude. I doubt the other girls in there would be grateful for me barging in to personal time over some stupid gut feeling.

When the 3 gunshots rippled through my skin from behind the doors, that privacy didn't matter anymore.

I burst into the room, being met with a wet handed Sloane, frozen, staring at the door. I held my hand out, pressing a finger to my lips.

"The girl-"

"I told them to leave. Something wasn't right. Come on." I grabbed her hand, pulling her out the bathroom and down the corridor. There has to be a fire escape around here somewhere. More gunshots tore through the bricks and I tightened my hold on Sloane, pulling her closer to me. I pushed open doors, looking inside quickly before moving on. At the very least if I couldn't get us out of here one of these might be good enough to hide.

The screams kept coming from inside the bar and my entire body tightened at the thought of Sloane being in there had I not come out to see her tonight. I'd have been at home. And she'd have been bleeding out on the floor of a crowded bar. Having not forgiven me for being stupid and still hating me. I needed now more than ever to undo what I did. Desperately.

Sloane dug her finger nails into my hand, pulling and sinking her feet into the floor. Not budging when I tried to pull her again. I had no issue with throwing her over my shoulders to get her out of here.

"Reed." She pleaded in a careless whisper, causing me to turn my head. She pointed. An exit. Fucking angel.

The gunshots got closer, the shattering of glasses making me realize we were probably beside the kitchen where they were currently slaughtering whoever they set eyes on. I pushed the door open, sending blaring alarms through the building but I tightened my grip on Sloane and started running, praying her gym work outs had included enough cardio for us to run far enough away, quick enough. Because there was no doubt we'd be followed.

5 minutes of running down alley ways and rounding corners, I pulled her to the floor behind some bins. Both of us panting and barely breathing.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" She shook her head as I looked her over, holding her face tight as I judged the colour on her face, praying a stray bullet hadn't landed in her skin and she was too high on adrenaline to realize. She wasn't from here. This wasn't normal to her. This hadn't happened to her before. "Deep breathes Princess. Slow and easy." I pulled her around, running my hands over her limbs and checking for blood, sitting down beside her and pulling her shaking body into mine when I knew she wasn't hurt. "You're okay. We're okay."

I don't know how far we'd run. But the sirens wailing and the flashing lights along with the occasional shot told me it wasn't miles. With each one, she trembled and clung to me a little harder.

"We need to get you somewhere warm Princess. It's like 28 out here." I looped my arm under her legs keeping her against me, tight in my arms. I don't know if she was crying or not. Her head stayed pressed against my shoulder, moving only to pull her bag from where it was falling off her shoulder.

I walked back towards the bar, sliding her into the passenger seat of my car and turning the heat up. I grabbed my suit jacket from the trunk and climbed in myself.

"Sit forward." I pulled it around her, trying to get some more of her skin covered up before hypothermia set in. As hot as she looked in the lingerie style top, I wished she'd have worn more. Or stayed home. Called me. I started the engine, pulling out and down an alley way to get out of the traffic starting to build around the bar.

Not a single word left her mouth. She was texting though. I'm guessing checking in with Drew and her friends to make sure they were okay. Maybe telling her parents what had happened. Or Zac. Logan. All of them.

I turned the engine off, turning to look at her as she sat, now staring into space with the phone in her lap.

"Why did you bring me here Lawson?" Back to my fucking surname.

"Where else was I supposed to take you Sloane? Were we supposed to just sit there with body bags being loaded into ambulances? How was that going to help bring you out of the shock? I also don't have a clue where you live and didn't know where else to go without driving around and potentially stressing you out more. So, I brought you here where you can spend the night and I can drive you home in the morning when you're okay."

"I'm fine."

"Sloane you're shaking, you're whiter than printer paper not to mention you've been staring at the same spot on the windshield for 10 minutes. You're not okay right now. You need to rest somewhere safe and away from it all. You're safe here." She turned her head to me. "You don't think you are, I know. But you are. It's almost 2am Sloane. Traffic is going to be backed up all night because of that, your driver will be asleep and won't get here until at least 3am. You need sleep. I have a spare room with a lock on the inside of the door you're more than welcome to use."

"It locks?"

"From the inside of the room. Can't be opened without breaking the door down and I don't feel like replacing 2 doors that weigh more than you each."

"You'll drive me home in the morning. No leav-"

"I won't leave you Sloane. Yes. I will drive you home and make sure you get into your building safe."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing all of this? Showing up at the bar, sending me drinks, texting me like I'm yours, saving me from a mass shooting, giving me your jacket, driving me here. You don't care about me."

"I never said I don't care about you Sloane." She blinked. "I meant what I said back then. It hasn't changed. You still make me feel things I haven't for anyone else. If love existed outside of movies, fairytales and stories, I'd make sure it was you. It might not exist Sloane but that doesn't mean I want to see you hurt."

"You did-"

"I was young and stupid. Didn't think about the damage I was doing to people. Something I didn't do until your little lesson last week. I'm thinking about other people's safety a little more now. So, it'd be great if you could help me out here and let me make sure you're safe. Like a trial run."

"A trial run?"

"Gotta start somewhere."