Brooklyn was woken by gentle, feather-like kisses being placed on her shoulder. She groaned her sleepiness as another kiss was left on the blade of her bare shoulder, shooting heat down her back at the slight action. “Good morning,” Landon murmured as he placed another gentle kiss on her sensitive skin. Brooklyn rolled onto her back and cracked her eyes open, only to be greeted my darkness.

Landon shifted his car into park and took a long whiff of the familiar forest air. The smell of pine needles and dirt was oddly relaxing, reminding Landon of his childhood. He opened his door wide and took in the sight of his humble home, enjoying the familiarity. A sharp sting in his heart reminded him of the piece of himself he left behind in Washington. He couldn’t wait to show this to Brooklyn.

Landon checked his phone nervously again, searching for a response from Brooklyn. He opened the messages between them and was once again met with his one-sided conversation. He knew Brooklyn wasn’t one to sleep in, so the fact that she wasn’t answering her phone right now was unnerving. “Landon! Glad you’re back. How was Washington?” Laurence shouted while bursting through his office door.

Brooklyn could hear Landon’s loud protests as she was suddenly airborne. It didn’t take more than a short moment for her body to splash into the frigid water. Brooklyn instantly gulped in a large breath and closed her eyes as she made contact with the water. Her hands and back stung from the harsh impact of the water. Salt immediately stung her eyes as she cracked them open, but she fought against the sting to take in something that could help her.

Landon felt panic grip him as Brooklyn became less responsive. He watched as the bullet slowly started draining her life. Blood bubbled up on her lips as her eyelids started fluttering and Landon felt helpless as he watched, terrified of losing her to another gun. “No, she always ruins everything! She needs to pay for the damage she caused to my family!” Landon finally pulled his