My betrayal pulled at my throat. It weighed on my bare feet with each heavy slap against the pavement. How could I have left Ryan behind like that?

The stitch in my side blazed with pain, but I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore it. It was nothing compared to all those resurfaced memories. Or that saving my own skin was more important than anyone else's. I hated that truth so much that it burned my stomach.

I cut across the parking lot of Jim's Pharmacy, then ...