Johnny & I : The Island by Daria Paus (best novels to read txt) 📗

heart leap and my pulse race. I was at his side in a heartbeat.

My hands were on him as he sunk to his knees. "What happened?" My voice trembled. "Johnny?"

Shallow gasps for air was his only reply, and it made me worry more.

Then, after what felt like an eternity of uncertainty, he shifted and looked at me.

The smile he managed to produce was 100% fake, but he still made it back to his feet.

"Please don’t.” I grabbed his arm, trying to keep him from repeating the movement. "I can take it from here."

He shook his head, took a deep breath, then bent down and grabbed Garrett's tied hands and started to drag the motionless body down the corridor.

For a few seconds, I could only stare. He didn't make a sound, but the way he looked spoke for itself.

My eyes brimmed with tears as I watched him struggle. I'd fallen off horses; had my breath knocked out of me from the landing. I’d twisted my ankles and wrists. I’d scraped my knees like any other kid, but other than that, I'd been lucky.

Watching Johnny fearlessly pushing himself to a point of inevitable collapse, I was sure it wasn't the first time he'd taken a beating like this. That didn't change the fact that what he was doing to himself broke my heart. I was sure he was still functioning on the last breath of pure adrenalin.

Sean's body felt like a lump of cement as I dragged it across the floor. The blood from the hand I’d bitten was now smeared across his face, and his blond hair was striped with blood. My jaw throbbed from the blow it had taken, and the taste of blood never seemed to leave my mouth no matter how many times I tried to swallow it down.

Halfway down the corridor, Sean started to move. First, it was just a twitch of his hand, but the small movement was enough to send a chill down my spine and kick my pulse into overdrive. He let out a grunt, his head rolling as I tried to move faster. The sound of a door slamming shut registered in my mind. Johnny had locked Garrett away.

"What the fuck is this?” Sean’s legs moved, his eyes shot open—and locked onto my face.

The shock of staring into those eyes made me let go of him, and the brief moment was enough for him to roll away. He struggled to his feet, fell down, but tried again. This time he succeeded and once he was back on his feet, he ran.

My mind reeled. I had to stop him, but how? I had no weapon, nothing that I could beat him down with. The sleek walls and the marble floor offered no solution. Do something, the little voice in my mind yelled. Don't let him get away. If he did, this hell would never be over. He would be out there lurking, ready to strike the moment we let our guards down. If he got away—we were dead.

The few seconds of hesitation gave him a lead. I charged after him, catching up before he reached the front door. Without thinking, I threw myself on him. The impact made him stumble, and when he fell, he dragged me down with him. Locked in a whirlwind of curses and shouts, I hadn’t noticed Johnny's presence until I heard his voice.

Like a snake clinging to a thrashing victim, I held on. Despite the handicap of having his hands tied behind his back, I didn't stand a chance against his strength. He managed to wriggle out of my grip, and as he flipped us over, my head slammed onto the floor. For a few seconds everything stopped.

Total stillness.

Silence.

Then, as if someone had hit play, the chaos continued. My mind spun and the room spun around me. The scene in front of me drifted in and out of focus.

Sean rolling away from me. 

Johnny's arms reaching for him. 

One of his fists slamming into Sean's skull. 

Sean's growls.

A swift flick of his legs. 

Johnny falling.

Sean getting up.

Finally, my vision cleared and the spinning slowed down. I scrambled to my feet, but Sean was gone before I reached the door. Collapsing next to Johnny on the floor, I struggled to catch my breath.

He reached for me. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, fighting the panic that started to build inside of me. Nausea rose in my throat and the room continued to sway and spin as my body broke into a cold sweat. I didn't know what was wrong but with every passing second, the fear got a stronger grip on me.

"Bree?"

I couldn't focus.

"Listen to me." Johnny’s hand cupped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. I tried to focus on his face.

"Take a deep breath," he said. "You're ok. It's ok."

Somewhere in the back of my mind I was amazed how he could be so calm. How he could sit there and pretend everything was fine when we both hung by very thin threads. How he could seem so unaffected when he was struggling to stay conscious.

"It's ok," he repeated. "We'll be fine."

Tears welled up in my eyes. "We’re not fine," I cried. "I don't feel fine."

He pulled me toward him, whispering soothing nonsense into my neck, and for a brief second the rest of the world melted away.

He pulled me to my feet all too soon, holding me at arm’s length as he studied me.

"We will get that son of a bitch," he said. "I'll not let him near you." His voice was just a growl. "Do you hear me?"

I managed to nod, sucking in a deep breath and then letting it out slowly. I repeated the pattern until my heart beat in an even rhythm and I could stand up without feeling lightheaded.

"Sorry.” I let out a sharp breath. "I don't know what happened."

He shook his head, giving me a weak smile. "You were fucking amazing."

My legs barely carried my weight as we stumbled back into the