Chapter 25

Maya reacted on instinct. The second she heard Valerie's voice and caught a flash of steel at her left, she rocked back and twisted away. The knife sliced through empty air. Valerie didn't hesitate. She raised the knife again and came slashing for a second strike. That was when Carter barreled in. As the knife came down, he yanked Maya into his arms and turned his back to shield her. The edge tore across his shoulder blades, and blood sprayed. Cole lunged for Valerie, but the moment she registered his face, she swung at him too. "Cole, you deserve to die!" She hated Maya the most for exposing her and putting her behind bars. She hated Cole next for dropping her the minute things went public and refusing to be with her. She had counted on a year out on bail, but the Hales shattered that hope and left her in prison. Once there, when the inmates learned who she was, the bullying never stopped. She had lived like a target for a whole year, and the rage blinded her. She hacked at C