Chapter 139: I Will Never Leave You

I could barely hear Amelia screaming; it was muffled, but I knew it was her, and I couldn't move. Was I dreaming? The intense smell of smoke filled my nostrils, and I began to choke. I forced myself to open my eyes, and they immediately watered from the burn of the smoke. I reached for my seatbelt, which was cutting into me. My arms felt heavy, and I could barely reach the seatbelt release. I could feel the intense heat of what I now recognized as flames coming from behind me.

Justin, Amelia—did they make it out of the car? Were they passed out in the back? The fucking flames. I fought against the pain in my body and head and the acrid smoke. I unbuckled my seatbelt, falling awkwardly. Only then did I realize I had been upside down. No wonder I was having such a hard time getting out! I felt a searing pain as the fire licked up the back of my chair. The back of the car was engulfed in flames, but I could see just enough to realize the back seat was empty. Relief washed over me before dread set in. I looked around. I could hear sirens in the distance and a helicopter. Nothing else met the roaring sound of the flames. I stumbled away from the car; the heat was overwhelming. That's when I heard her scream my name.

“Amelia!” I shouted, running for cleaner air. That's when I saw her being dragged away by a man I didn't recognize. I immediately sprinted toward her, ignoring the pain radiating through my body. Even from this distance, I could see she was bleeding profusely.

“Amelia?” I yelled. Her panicked eyes met mine, and I saw a spark of relief in them. Tears streamed down her blood-covered face.

She was worried about me. The man spun around, bringing her in front of his body, a large knife pressed to her neck.

“Come any closer, and I will slit her throat.” He sneered.

He looked beaten up, a large gash across his face, his lips busted open. I could see shards of glass piercing both of them. She was shaking in his arms, and I felt terrified.

“What do you want from us? What will it take to get you to let her go?” I asked, trying to calm my voice. A lump formed in my throat. I wanted to break down seeing her so hurt, but I had to stay strong for her.

“I don’t want anything from you. Amelia and I have unfinished business. You just walked away; it wasn’t like you really cared about her. You just met. No one loves a whore. Someone who willingly spreads their legs for multiple men at a time. There are plenty of whores out there, so just go find another one. This one is ours.” He spat angrily. The knife nicked her neck, making her cry out.

I fucking hated this. I needed her away from that knife so I could get to this psycho. I needed to save her. I caught movement behind him and quickly glanced to see Justin crouching low, slowly approaching from behind. His clothes were covered in blood; I couldn't tell if it was his or someone else's. He caught my eye and gestured for me to back away. The look in his eyes was terrifying, so I took a step back. The man loosened his grip on the knife. When I looked at her, I saw fear and defeat in her eyes, and it broke my heart. I would never abandon her. I would die to save her, but I wouldn't risk her life, either. I looked at Justin, who was only a car's length away. He motioned for me to talk. I needed to keep him distracted.

“I will never leave you, Amelia. I will never abandon you,” I said, stepping to the side instead of back. The man turned with me. He didn’t want her dead; I don’t think he would have spared her this long.

“I love you,” she whispered. The man’s eyes flickered down to her. My heart pounded at her words, my breath shortening.

“I am sorry I was too stubborn to say it. I am sorry I was an ass and ran away. This is all my fault.”

“Baby girl,” I took an unconscious step forward.

“Stop talking! Stop the fuck talking!” the man yelled, frustrated. He mistakenly wiped the blood from his face with the arm holding the knife. Justin wasted no time running up from behind as I started from the front. Everything happened so slowly yet so fast at the same time.

She swung her fisted hand back, hitting his balls and making him howl and loosen his grip. She squirmed out and tried to run to me, but she wasn't fast enough. He swung out and slashed at her, connecting with her back. I yelled; I got there in time to stop the second blow from connecting with her, but the knife cut straight through my arm. A second later, I registered that he had stabbed me through the arm and then Justin tackled him to the ground. The pain was almost blinding, but I gritted my teeth to stay conscious and caught Amelia in my arms. I think the shock from the blow had stunned her because when my hands touched her back, I could tell he'd slashed her deeply.

“Amelia, baby. You are going to be okay,” I said, pulling her into my arms. The knife hung limp at my sides.

“I am okay, I am okay,” she gasped, her body shaking as her eyes dropped to my arm. I could see her visibly turning white.

“He stabbed you, Donald?” she said, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks. I shook my head, unable to say anything as the pain intensified. My body began to shake, and I dropped to my knees, unable to stand anymore. This was not good.

“I heard the sirens; help should be here soon. You will be okay. Donald, please tell me you will be okay. This is all my fault,” she cried, trying to help me stand, but I could only feel pain. It was just my arm, nothing vital. It couldn’t be; it was just my arm.

The sounds of scuffling made me look at Justin, who was beating the living shit out of that man. I didn’t know he could fight—holy shit, Justin seemed like such a mild-mannered man. The man blocked every third blow, but Justin hit hard and relentlessly, not letting the man swing back. I heard multiple footsteps approaching, and the last ounce of adrenaline kicked in as I tried to shield her with my body.

Matt and five of his men, including Jack, approached, holding guns and dressed in kevlar vests. Jack immediately holstered his weapon and went straight to help Justin. I noticed another of Matt's men dragging two handcuffed men towards us. In seconds, Jack had the man face down and handcuffed. The last two of Matt’s men cleared the rest of the area while he holstered his weapon and ran to us.

“Fuck, man. We came as fast as we could. The interstate was shut down, so we had to get the helicopter. They had some sort of crew, but we got them all. My men and the police are holding four of them, and an ambulance should be here in five minutes. Hold on, man,” Matt said, taking a sobbing Amelia out of my arms. I grunted, falling back, not realizing I had been leaning on her.

I closed my eyes and let the darkness take over. It was over; we were safe.