I thought I knew real fear. Thought that the worst thing that could ever happen to me was getting rejected from Yale. But this fear and that fear are on two completely different spectrums. This fear is pungent. It creates a thickness in the air that wraps itself around my neck, choking me.

And it's the last person I ever expected to cause this type of fear.

"M-Mr. Warren," I stutter in disbelief. I've only met Gabriel's dad once in our entire relationship, so I knew almost next to nothing about him. We'd met at one of Gabriel's lacrosse games and Vienna had been with me at the time. He came off as a bit cold and aloof, and he also made me feel extremely uncomfortable. Gabriel later explained to me they'd never been close, that all they shared was a biological bond. He once called him his 'sperm donor.' Despite all that, I knew deep down it ate away at Gabriel. He craved his fathers acceptance the way I craved power and control. That's why Gabriel played lacrosse. Not because he particularly enjoyed it, but because it was the one thing his father actually acknowledged him for, being that he also played lacrosse as a teenager. Gabriel once told me his father had dreamed of going pro, but then he was injured and that dream become nothing more than a fantasy.

I'm drawn back to the present when Mr. Warren points his gun straight at my head. "Hang up the phone," he hisses through his teeth. "Now. And don't do anything stupid either."

It takes me a minute to realize that I had called Winston before this mess started, and he was still on the line.

"Hello?" His voice was seemingly ten times louder in the echoey room. "Kennedy? You there?"

My entire body is shaking as if I'm having an epileptic fit. If I hang up now, we're all going to die. There's no way we're leaving this basement alive. But if I don't hang up, then we'll still die. It's a lose lose situation. And still, I can't wrap my head around the fact that Gabriel's dad is the embezzler. Millions of questions run through my mind. Where? When? How? Why?

Vienna is terrified. I can see it in her eyes, in her rapidly paling face as if the life force is being sucked out of her, and in the way her body trembles uncontrollably. She silently urges me to hang up the phone. I squeeze my eyes shut. It's now or never.

"Thebasementarchivescallthepolice-"

A gunshot goes off causing Vienna and I to both scream. The phone goes flying out of my hand and before I can blink I'm knocked into the wall, hitting my head against the brick. I lose conciseness, and when I come to everything is blurry, zooming in and out of focus. My head is swimming and it feels like someone stuffed a thousand cotton balls inside. I bring my hand to my head and pull it back, a sticky substance now coating my fingers. Blood.

There's screaming, shouting, the sound of things crashing and being knocked over. Through my blurry vision I see Vienna struggling with Mr. Warren. I want to help her, but I feel my body being pulled under again. Still, I fight it. If there's one thing that's not gonna happen, it's me going out like a little bitch. I push past the pain and stagger to my feet, using all the strength and energy I have to charge forward. At this point I'm acting purely on instinct and adrenaline.

I tackle Mr. Warren and we both go crashing to the ground. The gun skids across the floor and stops right at Vienna's feet. She grabs it, aiming it at him. At least I think she is. Her hands are shaking so bad she may accidentally end up shooting me.

"Vienna shoot!" I scream. I'm kicked in the side of my ribs and all the breath leaves my lungs in one fell swoop. I roll onto my back, wheezing for air. Mr. Warren straddles me and wraps his arms around my neck in a chokehold. I claw and kick and struggle, but I can't get him off. Black spots swim before my vision. I can't believe this is how I'm going to die.

The last thing I remember before blacking out is the sound of two more gunshots going off.

Then I slip into blissful oblivion.

...

I slowly blink my eyes open, the world appearing in dizzying focus. The first sense that returns to me is smell. It smells like bleach and chemicals and general death. I keep blinking and my eyesight registers white all around me. I think...I think I'm in a hospital.

"Kennedy?" A worried voice reaches my ears. They gently grab my hand.

"Mom?" I croak. My voice is hoarse and the words are painful passing through my lips. I try to sit up but she gently pushes me back down.

"Shh. You're okay sweetie, you're okay. Try not to talk too much, the doctor says you have bruised vocal cords and need to allow them time to heal."

Bruised vocal cords? Ignoring her I push myself up on my elbows to sit. My body screams in protest but I ignore that pain too and look around. Yep, I'm definitely in a hospital. When I look down at myself I realize I'm wearing a hospital gown as well. Every breath I take feels painful.

Slowly my memory trickles back to me. Cecilia finding Gabriel's lacrosse pin in the archives. Vienna and I figuring out how to catch the embezzler. Going to King Hotels to meet Cecilia in the basement. How I knew something was wrong. Finding her unconscious body, and Mr. Warren holding us at gun point.

Oh shit.

Mr. Warren.

"Where's Cecilia?! Where's Vienna?! Are they okay?! What about Gabriel's dad?!" I start firing questions at my mother, completely forgetting I shouldn't be shouting in the first place. I pay the price for it when my lungs start burning, like someone set them on fire.

"Kennedy please," my mother forcefully lays me back down. "Don't shout. You need to rest. Your ribs are also bruised."

My ribs? Oh hell no, how am I supposed to play tennis with bruised ribs? The finals are coming up!

My mother keeps talking but I barely hear a word she's saying. So many things are rushing through my mind. I need to know if Vienna and Cecilia are okay. What happened to Mr. Warren? Were the police able to catch him or did he get away? If he got away...

The door opens and a kind looking doctor steps in. "Hello Kennedy. I'm Dr. Reed. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling like I need some answers here," I reply in frustration. "Why won't anyone tell me what happened?"

"I understand Kennedy, and that's perfectly normal. But right now our priority is making sure you're healthy."

I huff and cross my arms in annoyance. Dr. Reed goes on to explain my injuries, how I have bruised ribs, bruised vocal cords, a concussion, the medications I have to take and blah blah blah. I don't care about any of it, and I won't until I know my friends are okay and Mr. Warren is rotting in a prison cell.

"Do you have any questions?" Dr. Reed asks when he's finished his monologue.

"Yes. When can I get out of here and make sure my friends are okay?"

He chuckles. "Very soon. We'll just keep you under examination for a few more hours, then we'll fill out the paperwork for your discharge and you'll be all ready to go."

A few more hours? That feels like a lifetime. I grunt in acceptance and Dr. Reed motions my mother to step outside with him so they can talk. I'm left alone in the room, with nothing but my racing thoughts to keep me company. Soon my mom returns and brushes some loose hair away from my face.

"Are you hungry darling? I can get you some soup."

I smile sweetly. "That would be great. Thank you."

She smiles and kisses my forehead before leaving. As soon as she's gone I swing my legs over the side of the hospital bed. I'll be dammed if I just sit here and wait for answers.

Looks like I'll have to get them myself.

...

Sneaking through the corridors is way easier than I thought. Most of the hospital staff just ignore me as I pass by. I guess because for the most part, I look like the picture of perfect health. I imagine it'd be much harder to sneak around if I was dragging around some piece of equipment connected to my body.

I have no idea where I'm going, so for awhile I just walk around aimlessly, hoping eventually I'll find someone who can tell me what the hell is going on. I wander into what looks to be a waiting room, and that's when I spot Winston with his father, my dad, Xavier, and what looks to be an FBI agent, if the badge is any indicator.

I open my mouth to shout, then think better of it and instead take off in a sprint. The men don't notice me until the last second, when I crash into Winston's chest and wrap him in the tightest hug I can manage given the state of my ribs. He stumbles back in shock before wrapping his arms around me.

"Kennedy! What are you doing out of your room? Are you okay?"

He pulls back and starts inspecting me for any bodily injury. I roll my eyes.

"I'm fine. The doctor says I have some minor bruising and a concussion, nothing serious," I wave my hand flippantly. My father comes up next to us and I hug him too.

"I'm glad you're okay," he strokes my hair.

"Me too," I whisper. Then I pull back and put my hands on my hips. "So? Is someone going to tell me what's going on?"

"Miss Davis," the FBI agent approaches me. "My name is Detective Carter. Do you mind if I collect a statement from you?"

I open my mouth, ready to tell him everything that happened when Winston cuts me off.

"She'll do no such thing. She still needs to recover before you can start interrogating her."

I glare at him. "Excuse me? I'm perfectly capable of speaking for myself. You're not my-"

"Winston, please escort my daughter back to her room," my father says in a curt voice. What the hell? He's taking Winston's side on this? I look to Mr. King and Xavier. Xavier gives me a sympathetic look while Mr. King gives me a tight smile.

Before I can protest this gross abuse of male power Winston wraps his hand around my arm firmly so I can't escape and starts dragging me back down the hall. I glance at him from the corner of my eye. He looks pissed. His jaw is clenched and his entire body is tense.

Not this bullshit again. Now what did I do?

I wait until we're far away enough before I wrench my arm from his grip. "Let go! What's wrong with you?"

Winston whirls on me. "What the hell were you thinking Kennedy?! Huh? Putting yourself in danger like that!"

I recoil in shock. That was the last thing I was expecting to hear.

I cross my arms defensively, feeling like a child being scolded for doing something wrong. But I'm not a child and I didn't do anything wrong. At least I personally don't believe I did.

"I was just trying to help!" I argue back. "Cecilia, Vienna, and I figured out-"

Winston interrupts. "I don't care what you figured out, because none of it would even matter if you were dead! Do you understand that Kennedy? You could have died!"

"I know but-"

"No, you don't know!" He pulls out his phone and opens the camera, holding it up to my face so I can see. I look back at my reflection. I look awful. My face is pale, there are dark rings under my eyes, my hair is a matted mess, and there's a large bandaid across my forehead. But the most horrifying thing about my appearance are the black and blue bruises around my neck. I reach up and gently trace my fingers over them, drawing in a sharp breath.

Winston takes a deep breath before speaking again quietly. "Do you know how scared I was Kennedy? Do you know how absolutely out of my mind with fear I was when I heard that gunshot over the phone? I thought you'd been shot. I thought you were dead."

My heart sinks. "Winston-"

He shoves his phone back into his pocket and I step closer to him, interlocking my fingers with his, squeezing them for reassurance. At this point, I'm not sure whether it's him or me I'm trying to comfort as the reality of the entire situation sinks in. I blink back tears, but a few traitorous ones manage to slip down my face. He softly wipes them away win his thumb.

"I don't ever want you to put yourself in danger like that again," Winston whispers, drawing our faces closer so our foreheads are touching. "You hear me? Never again."

I nod, not able to speak past the lump in my throat. Winston kisses the top of my head, then both my cheeks, and lastly my lips. He kisses me gently, like I'm a fragile porcelain doll he's afraid to break. I grip the front of his shirt and part my mouth, wanting to deepen the kiss. All we do is stand there and kiss, yet somehow it feels so much more intimate than all the times we've had sex.

I pull away first and wrap my arms around him, burying my face in his chest, inhaling his comforting scent and absorbing his warmth. I almost say those three little words.

I love you.

Because I do. I love him. I'm in love with Winston King. It's so startlingly clear to me now, both a terrifying yet peaceful revelation.

I'm suddenly hit with the urge to tell him. To scream it from the rooftops. Instead I bite my tongue. Now is not the time, and it's too soon anyway. He probably doesn't feel the same.

A commotion down the hall causes me to pull away from him and turn to see what it is.

"Vienna wait! Don't run, you could slip and fall!"

Danny rounds the corner, chasing Vienna who is sprinting down the hall full force. "Kennedy!" She shouts. My body is moving before I even register it, running toward her and then we're both hugging and crying like two emotionally unstable girls.

"I thought I shot you!" She cries.

"I thought you were dead!"

Then we both laugh and cry and hug some more before pulling away from each other.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Vienna sniffles, then rolls her eyes and huffs. "Literally no one would tell me anything, and my parents were having a full blown panic attack. You'd think I suffered fatal wounds instead of a sprained wrist and mild concussion."

I frown. "Sprained wrist?"

"Yeah. The recoil of the gun was a lot stronger than I was expecting."

"So you shot Gabriel's dad?"

Vienna grins. "Hell yeah I did. One bullet in the leg and the other...okay well I missed the second shot but still. Then afterwards I fainted from shock and hit my head, hence the concussion."

I really am glad Vienna is okay, but if we were all knocked out when the authorities arrived that means we're all in the dark.

"How's Cecilia? Have you heard anything about her?"

"She's fine. Warren used something to knock her out. She's awake now though, and only suffered a mild concussion like me. The doctors are just checking to make sure there are no ill side effects or complications from the drug."

I breath a sigh of relief. Everyone I care about is okay. At least half of the tension leaves my body at this news.

"Dude, that was so badass of you to just tackle Warren like that," Vienna lightly punches my shoulder. "It was like some action movie shit. Maybe you should try out for football as a linebacker."

I shrug and grin. "Maybe. And what can I say? It was the adrenaline."

Danny reaches us out of breath. "Hey Kennedy," he pants out of breath. "Glad you're okay." He turns to Vienna. "You know you're already on thin ice with your parents right? They're gonna be pissed you left your room."

She waves her hand flippantly. "Who cares at this point? I'm already in a world of trouble as it is. I'll be grounded for the next century."

"You're in trouble?" I frown just as a hand touches my shoulder. I look up. Winston.

Vienna shrugs. "Yeah, once my parents were sure I was okay naturally they were pissed about the entire situation. They're appalled I used a gun, even if it was in self defense. I obviously didn't tell them why we were down there in the first place, otherwise then I'd have to explain the whole embezzlement situation and then I'd get a lecture on minding my own business and blah blah, so I lied and made up some flimsy excuse," she rolls her eyes. "Still got a lecture anyway."

"Thank you," Winston nods at Vienna. "For not saying anything. We're trying to keep this as quiet as possible."

"Yeah no problem."

I clap. "Great. Everyone is alive and well. Now what about Mr-"

"Kennedy!"

Shit.

We all turn to see Gabriel storming down the hall. A nurse chases after him. "Sir, you can't be here!"

"Fuck off!" He shouts. "My dads in here!"

I didn't think this situation could get even more complicated, but it has. What are we supposed to tell Gabriel? From the worry and fear on his face, it's obvious he has no idea what happened, and I sure as hell don't want to be the one to break the news to him. Hey Gabriel, so you see your dad stole about a quarter million from my boyfriends hotel company, then tried to cover it up, but we caught on to him. Then he tried to kill us in an attempt to eliminate any witnesses. Sorry.

Yeah. Not an easy thing to tell someone.

He stops in front of us, not even paying attention to Danny, Vienna, or Winston, who I noticed has angled himself in a way beside me should he need to immediately cut Gabriel off. He's also scowling, but thankfully says nothing.

"Hi..." I trail off.

"Jesus Ken, you look like shit. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I bite my lip.

He glances at everyone else before his eyes find mine again. "So what the hell happened? Why did I get a call saying my dad had been shot and he's in the hospital? And why won't they let me see him?"

"Gabriel I-" how do I say this? "I think maybe-"

I'm relieved when Detective Carter suddenly arrives. Where he came from, I have no idea. Neither my father, Mr. King, or Xavier are with him.

"Are you Gabriel Warren?" Detective Carter asks, having overheard the later part of our conversation. Gabriel turns to him and frowns.

"Yeah? And who the hell are you?"

"I'm Detective Carter," he holds out his hand and Gabriel shakes it warily. "I'd like to speak with you about your father if you don't mind?"

Gabriel glances back at me and I nod encouragingly.

They walk off and I'm suddenly hit with a wave of tiredness. To say tonight has been overwhelming would be an understatement. Or is it the next day? I have no idea how long I was out, and the blindingly white hospital walls don't give any indication as to what time of day it is.

Winston notices the moment my body sags. "Come on. Let's get you back to your room."

"And you back to yours," Danny starts leading Vienna back down the hall. Neither of us protest this time. We're both exhausted.

"Kennedy!" My mom exclaims when she sees us. She rushes up to us and engulfs me in a hug before pulling back and shaking her head. "I should have known you'd sneak out."

I give her a tired smile in response.

Winston helps me back into bed while my mother frets and flits around like a hummingbird on crack. I take Winston's hand.

"Don't leave me," I whisper.

"I won't," he kisses the top of my head and squeezes my hand. Soon I drift off into a peaceful slumber.

...