⸻ ❛𝐖𝐑𝐀𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈 𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐒!❜
Rory Hargrove is obsessed to uncover the truth behind Barbara Holland's disappearance, while facing her brother's enemy and buried secrets from...
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"RORY, DAMN IT!" Steve grabbed Rory's arms, pulling her as close as he could, his breath ragged and hitting her terrified face. "What the hell were you thinking?!"
Rory's body trembled, her nerves still buzzing from the screeching sound of a bullet hitting the wall just behind her, inches from her left arm. The guards didn't want to kill her, but they definitely wanted to destroy her.
"I was trying to save us! I mean, I don't know, I just felt like I had to fix this quickly. We've wasted so much time, and my brother..." Pain choked her. She collapsed into her boyfriend's arms.
"I cannot lose you, Aura. You saved me when no one else gave a damn, okay? Please don't ever do that again. I need you. We all need you."
He lowered his chin and looked into the soft, warm eyes of his girlfriend, painted with fear and terror from almost losing her—a silent plea, an apology. She had crazy, selfless ideas, but Steve's concern soothed her restless heart.
"Am I selfish for not wanting to live without you?" she murmured again, their foreheads so close she could feel his silky hair.
"Yes...'cause I would have to live without you." She lifted her arms and rested her elbows on his shoulders. "And I definitely don't want that." A sweet, tender smile.
And her eyes. Oh, her eyes reflected a glow so sweet, so elegant, unique and innocent, that it made him melt inside. If he could, he would hide in her heart forever.
She ran a hand through his soft hair.
"You're living proof that Fabergé and Farrah Fawcett are warproof. Your hair's still perfect." She let out a gentle laugh, a sound so sweet it instantly lightened the mood, making Steve chuckle too.
And the conversation ended there, because within minutes, the two friend groups reunited in a rush of hugs—well, at least some of them.
"Oh, Rory, there you are! I was so worried, you disappeared out of nowhere!" Max ran toward Rory with her arms slightly outstretched, clearly wanting to hug her. But since her own shyness held her back, Rory pulled her into a strong embrace.
"Sorry, after that terrifying and exhausting night, I had to tell Steve what happened. And there was a little... setback."
"Yeah, I figured. But what exactly happened?"
Then came a flood of explanations. Among introductions, questions, gasps, and fast-paced summaries, their heads darted around trying to follow everything pouring from Mike, Dustin, Erica, Nancy—as fast as a rollercoaster. They spoke about the portal El had apparently closed last year, but with little success, and about the Russians—whose discovery was still doubted by many.
