Текст книги "Shattered"

Автор книги: Skyla Madi

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 9 страниц)

Fourteen

****

Bang

Emily

 

I swipe at a rogue tear as it spills over the rim of my eyes and rolls down my cheek. On the other side of the house, out on the back porch, the men talk tactics, changing their plan around to make room for Joker’s gang.

“We can go in through the back while Joker and his men take the front.” I hear Joel announce, followed by Jai’s agreement.

The day went fast—too fast for me to remember what I did. Jai and I spent a good portion of the day in bed, enjoying each other’s company, but we couldn’t be under the sheets forever. No matter how hard I tried to keep us there. Eventually, we had to join the rest of the men downstairs. I couldn’t stand the sight of the kitchen and sitting room when I saw it—I still can’t—which is why I’m sitting on the front porch, sulking into my stupid fruit and vegetable juice Joel keeps making for me. Guns, all different kinds of guns, grenades, and knives litter the house, drilling the fact this is real into my chest. This is my life. I’m caught up in some crazy nightmare, not a dream. Being at the lake house has clouded my view on this situation—being with Jai has watered down my fear.

Gangs.

Crime lords.

Psychopaths.

Murderers.

Am I even going to make it out of this alive? Are any of us? We’re four people against armies. The odds seem so slim.

The thunderous sound of motorcycles echo through the trees that surround our lake house, sending thick tendrils of dread burrowing through my chest.

The Twisted Sons are here.

Behind me, heavy boots thump through the house, getting closer and closer, until Huss, Ted, Joel, and Jai are all standing on the porch behind me. I dump my glass of juice in the wilting bush beside the step and jump to my feet as shiny hunks of metal and plastic spill out of the gap in the trees and filter onto our lawn. At least fifty of them, followed by eight vehicles that range in size, but are all black and bear the same raging bull logo.

I grab the hem of my black, long sleeved shirt and pull it lower around my plain belt buckle. My knees tremble as the men before us line their bikes up neatly and shut off their engines. They look so scary from here...all of their black fabric, leather and exposed ink. I rake them with my eyes and in the second row, third from the left, I see a hand wave at me. Pops, a.k.a. Crow. The fucker who wouldn’t help when Joker had his gun pressed to Joel’s head. I nod at him and quickly divert my eyes to the man on the most expensive looking motorcycle. He relaxes on his handle bars and tilts his head at us. He has a black bandana tied around his face with the bottom half of a skull printed on it and covering his eyes is a pair of reflective sunglasses.

Joker.

He’s tall, broad shouldered, inked up, and fucking terrifying.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Ted whispers to Joel.

I glance over my shoulder at Joel who swallows hard. “Well...it’s too late now, isn’t it?”

Jai growls, his jaw clenching tightly, as Joel steps off the porch and onto the first step, shaking it underneath my feet.

“Afternoon.” He greets them with faux cheerfulness. “What will it be...shotguns or rifles?”

****

My nerves are fried. My heart is choking. Sickness churns in my stomach over and over, causing a clammy sweat to bloom all over my body. It’s all happening. It’s moving too fast.

“Two miles out.” Huss announces, allowing the car to roll to a stop.

It’s dark, so dark I can’t see what’s outside my window and the only light inside the car is provided by the accessory lights in front of the driver. I clench Jai’s hand, thankful he took his glove off for me to feel his skin. The whole trip he’s soothed me by kissing my face and caressing my hand, but it’s not enough. His comfort falls on numb skin. A bright light twenty yards to our left flickers and disappears and Joel turns in his seat.

“Joker and his men are ready.” He states, looking to Jai.

“All right.” Jai reaches for his small torch at the back of his belt. With a click, it comes free, and stretches down by his black boots for the map. I swallow as he stuffs the mini torch under his shirt and uses the fabric to block the harsh light as he turns it on. The map he lights up is covered in ticks and crosses—markings that confuse the hell out of me, but offer a lot of insight into the plan for them.

“In twenty seconds we’ll have exactly seven minutes before we have to set off on foot to Skull’s compound. To recap, it will take us precisely thirty minutes to make it to the back gate from here at a casual pace, but we need to make it in thirteen so we’ll have to run.”

Jai squeezes my hand. I’m thankful he didn’t let it go as he re-briefed them with his map.

“We don’t know these woods.” Ted points out, resting too casually on the barrel of his rifle. “Can we make it in thirteen? What if there’s a lake or a gorge we don’t see?”

Joel shakes his head. “We have to make it in thirteen minutes—we don’t have a choice—and there aren’t any lakes or gorges. That I know for a fact.”

Ted shakes his head. He’s had issues from the moment Joker and Joel started changing up the plan. “So we’re just going to run blindly through the damn woods?”

Reaching down, Joel retrieves his cap from the floor and slips it onto his head. “You have a better idea?” He asks.

Shifting on his seat, Ted pulls a hunk of fabric from the pocket on the side of his thigh. “Yes. Your first plan. It worked.”

Ted hands Jai his gun and Jai holds it as Ted unrolls the bundled fabric and pulls it on over his head. A balaclava. It’s a clever idea—especially when they’re going to be running through the woods. He’s going to receive a lot less cuts to the face because of it.

“Seven minutes has started.” Jai cuts in, hitting a button on the cool new watch Joel gave him as a ‘sorry’ for last night.

No one knows where he got it.

Jai hands Ted back his gun and turns to me. “Open the door.”

Doing as I’m told, I open the door. Jai hits the light in the center of the roof, preventing it from lighting up the woods. Cold air blasts the exposed skin on my hands and face, forcing me to retreat into my clothes.

“Our numbers have grown. It doesn’t work anymore. How many times do I have to explain that to you? Sending Joker and his men in through the front instead of us ensures you get to go home to your mama tonight.”

Jai nudges my thigh and flicks his head outside. Reluctantly, I slip from the car, clenching my chattering bones to prevent them from splintering. Sticks and leaves crunch under Jai’s heavy boots as he exits the car. After he closes the door, he rests his heavy gun against the back wheel and leans against the car.

“Come here.”

I shuffle toward him and he takes me in his arms when I’m close enough to grab. I press the side of my face into his chest to hear his heart. It beats faster than I expected it to.

Being in love sucks.

“I’ll be back in a little under two hours, okay? No more, no less.”

“Two hours.” I repeat, inhaling. “Only two hours.”

I exhale. I can do that.

“Promise me you’ll be here waiting for me when I get back.” Jai says, kissing my head.

I roll my eyes. “Where am I going to go?”

He laughs, his whole body vibrating against mine, as he smooths the palm of his hand down my hair.

“If this goes well, we’ll be in Italy before you know it.”

“You’d really take me to Italy?”

“I didn’t send Jess there by coincidence. You love Italy and I want to live there with you.”

“I love you more than I love Italy.’ I mutter, heat pooling in my cheeks. “I don’t care where we are as long as I have you.”

Our gazes lock together, the moment as beautiful and as special as any time we’ve locked our bodies. Cupping my face, he brushes his thumb along my jaw and my tummy flutters.

“I’m glad I broke your tablet.” He murmurs, his lips twitching at the corner.

I smile, despite the somber feel of the atmosphere. “You’re glad?”

He nods, his lip twitch turning into a small, bashful smile. “Yeah. It might have been the worst thing to happen to you, but it was the best thing to happen to me. I’d have died without you. We both know it.”

I push onto the tips of my toes, closing the distance between our lips, sealing it with a kiss. Jai grabs my face, holding me against him. If I had the ability to freeze time only once in my entire life I would choose this moment and I would hold it for as long as I could because in this exact moment there is no greater happiness...no greater loss. To feel your heart swell and deflate at the same time is a phenomenon I can’t explain. To feel your heart bleed at the same time it proudly sings is the saddest, most painful experience I’ve ever had.

I don’t want to lose him.

Not when I’ve finally learned how to let someone in—someone who genuinely cares about me.

“Two hours.” I repeat, an attempt at convincing myself it’s a small time to wait. “That’s all.”

“How long, Jai?” Joel demands, throwing open his door and pulling us from our moment.

I pull out of Jai’s arms, giving him space to check his watch. “Three minutes and twelve seconds.”

“Shit. All right.” Joel glances into the car and then back to us. “One minute to finish your goodbye and then we’ll move into position.”

“That will put us a minute behind schedule.”

Joel nods a slow nod.

“I know.” He says before closing his door, leaving us alone again.

A minutes doesn’t seem like much, but right now, it makes all the difference. Sixty more seconds...sixty small eternities...sixty more chances to tell him just how much I love him.

All of my attention zeros in on the warmth of Jai’s hand as he slides his fingers around my wrist and tightens his grip. He tugs me closer.

“An extra minute.” He teases, wrapping his arms low on my hips. “Whatever shall we do with all of this extra time on our hands?”

I laugh, despite my depressed mood. Will that be the last time he makes me laugh? Jai cranes his head and nuzzles into the nape of my neck, planting a trail of warm, loving kisses along my flesh.

“I’ll come back.” He whispers against my skin.

My heart rolls at his tone. It’s dark and sad, despite his attempt to make it lighthearted. I’m not immune to the tones of the voice and I pick up on his worry immediately. How is he going to convince me when he can’t even convince himself? Despair rages in my chest and prickles at my tear ducts.

We waste the sixty seconds in silence.

Perfect.

Short-lived.

Silence.

****

Nerves attack my stomach and I anxiously chew the skin around my nails as I hug my knees against my chest.

“How long?” I ask, curling my toes in my shoes.

“We’ve been sitting her for 25 minutes.” Huss says, dropping back against his seat. “Which is five minutes since the last time you asked.”

“Sorry.” I mumble, threading my fingers together to save me from eating them to the bone.

I thought being out here would be easier, but it’s worse—so much worse. At least at the lake house I can eat or drink myself into a coma. Out here I’m forced to watch and wait. I’ve never been good at waiting.

“Will we hear anything?” I wonder aloud, squinting between the two front seats and into the woods.

I don’t know what I expect to see...the flashing of guns, the glow of an emergency flare. They’re two miles out, of course. I doubt I’ll see anything unless they set Skull’s compound on fire.

“Gunfire? Sure. Anything else? Unlikely.”

Huss exhales and rubs at his forehead. I survey him as he bounces his knee—a coping mechanism I haven’t noticed Huss do before. I’ve always seen Jai, Ted and Huss as strong, fearless men who are rarely rattled by anything, but Huss seems to be taking this harder than I expected. Lowering my knees, I lean forward, poking my head between the two front seats. Swallowing hard, Huss tugs impatiently at the collar of his hood.

“Are you okay?” I ask, concerned he’s on the verge of a panic attack.

Who the hell is going to drive if Huss is incapacitated? Not me—that’s for sure.

“I’m fine.” He snaps with a harsh whip of his head. “Will you stop with damn the questions?”

Frowning, I slide back, pressing my spine firmly against the middle seat. Confusion nips at me. Does he know something I don’t? Is there something I should be aware of that he’s not telling me? I open my mouth, but the sound of distant gunfire—a lot of it—chokes the words in my throat. I clench my fists and squeeze them against my mouth. Huss curses, slamming his fist against the steering wheel.

“What is it?” I whisper and it falls on deaf ears. “Huss?”

“Hm?”

“What is it?”

He slams his forehead into the steering wheel, making me jump. He does it repeatedly, cursing at himself. The hairs on the back of my neck stand tall and goosebumps rapidly make their way over the surface of my skin.

“I have a son.” He mutters, shaking his head. “I have a son.”

I frown.

“You have a son?” I repeat, shifting forward.

Sure, it’s a shock to the system, but what does it have to do with right now?

Huss nods. “He’s seven. Brandon. He’s smart...so damn smart. I don’t see him much, but he’s my whole world.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because I want you to understand the reasoning behind what I’ve done.”

My brows furrow as he turns his head in my direction.

“I’m confused. What have you done?”

The blue LED lights from the center console light up the side of his face—enough for me to see the desperation on his features—the sympathy in the sad curve of his lips.

“I’d do anything to protect him.”

I pull my legs up onto the seat. My heart pounds in my ear, thrumming unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.

“Huss...you’re starting to scare me.”

I jump as headlights flick on from my right, blinding me completely. I shield my face with my arm and desperately peek over, trying to figure out what the fuck is going on and who the hell has their headlights on us.

“Huss?” I call out, the balls of my eyes burning every time I open them. “Who is that?”

He doesn’t answer, making my stomach clench into a tight ball.

“Huss? What’s happening?”

“I’m sorry, Emily.” He growls, slamming his fists against the wheel. “It’s not my fault! They found me at Joker’s bar—cornered me in the bathroom. I didn’t have a choice they threatened to hurt my boy.”

The door to my left is yanked open and I ditch trying to cover my face. With a scream, I dive for the other door. I grab the handle as large, strong hands wrap around one of my ankles.

“No!” I shout, my lungs failing to function the way they should.

I kick my legs and thrash my hips, desperate to shake the person off. With a stroke of luck, my shoe hits something hard, the sound turning my stomach. A loud, angry growl zaps into my body as my legs are freed. Wasting no time, I pull the handle and shove the door. It flies open and blasts me with freezing wind. I throw myself out of the car, crying and sobbing hysterically. He set me up! He fucking set me up!! It’s no wonder he was so cool when Jai told him about me tagging along tonight. I run—I run faster than I’ve ever run—using the bright headlights to help me see.

“Emily!” Huss calls out, but I don’t stop.

Dry leaves and fallen sticks crunch underneath my shoes as I sprint. The ground is uneven and rogue twigs and leaves cut at my soft skin as I force myself through the woods. I don’t know where I’m going, but any direction is a good direction as long as it takes me far away from here. I sob as I run, my lungs failing to keep me going. I’m going to die.

Something slams into me from behind and I’m thrown to the ground and crushed underneath the weight of a full grown man.

“Get off me!” I scream, my vocal chords burning out and drilling my throat.

“Not fucking likely.” He barks out, grabbing a fistful of my hair.

The stranger I can’t see forces me to my feet and shoves me back toward the bright lights. I squeeze my eyes shut, unable to open them until I’m in the shadow of Huss’s car.

I open my eyes to see Huss leaning against the back of the car, sympathy painted on his face. How dare he?!

“How could you do this?” I cry, tears flooding from my eyes. “We trusted you!”

“Emily...I’m sorry.”

I shoot forward, straining my body with everything that I have. My lungs burn as I scream, my heart threatens to explode.

“He will kill you!” I scream until my lungs burn and my voice breaks. “He will kill you!”

With a final thrust and a twist of my shoulders, I slip free from my kidnappers grip. I stumble, but recoup quickly. Without thought, I turn and launch for Huss. I barely place my footing before a hard mass slams into the side of my head and darkness claims me.

Fifteen

****

Pinned

Jai

Shit.

My chest heaves as I press my back harder against the stone wall in the back courtyard. They have me pinned down, their powerful bullets chipping away at the already fragmented wall. Sweat is thick and heavy on my skin and my nerves rage war inside my body. I have to make it back to the car.

Dying is not an option.

I drag in an unsteady inhale and twist out from the wall, crouching as low as I can to the ground while keeping two hands on my gun. I pull the trigger once—twice—and the asshole behind the terracotta pot goes down in a spray of blood. I swing my gun against my chest and roll behind a bush. Joel is trapped in the lower right wing of the courtyard and Ted is...Ted is somewhere. I’m on my own, holding them back while Joker attacks from the front.

There isn’t supposed to be this many enemies. Joel promised fifty, maximum. There are at least a hundred here. Someone must have tipped Skull off. There’s no way this is a coincidence.

Fucking Joker. I knew teaming up with him was a bad idea.

Sucking in another inhale, I force myself out of cover and shoot the three goons perching the span of four windows on the middle floor. The tiles at my feet explode into powder as bullets smash them. Desperate not to get hit, I dive for the closest stone ball Skull has adorned his backyard with. Powder rains down on me and I close my eyes.

My heart thunders in my head, matching the tempo of my furious heart. I will not die. I cannot die. Not when Emily is waiting for me in a car two miles east of here. She’s depending on me to make it back to her.

And I will.

I throw myself out of cover once more, my gun cocked and pressed firmly into my shoulder. The gun kicks into me, vibrating my entire upper body and the length of my arm as I repeatedly squeeze the trigger. Even over the thunderous sound of my rifle, I hear my heart thrumming against my ear drums.

There’s too many front on, I’ll have to flank them. I pull back into cover, desperately dragging air in through my nose. The air fills my lungs and taints my tongue with the essence of metal and gunpowder and, no matter how hard I swallow, it doesn't go away. Bullets rain down on top of me, chipping away at the stone, getting closer and closer to following through and piercing my body. They don’t stop, leaving no pause for me to get up and fire back.

“Dammit!” I snap, my voice hoarse and harsh.

I’m trapped—pinned down with no options. Or at least I am for a minute or two. The crushing sound of a shotgun blasts through the air. Distinct shouting rumbles over the roar of gunfire and the spray of bullets against my rock let’s up. I wait, straining my ears for a sound—any sound—that indicates they’ve gone or are advancing on my position.

"Jai?" A voice booms, thick with panic.

Ted?

I peer out from behind my rock and squint through the dust and smoke. When it settles, I see Ted against the left flank of the house, a shotgun in his hand and four dead men littered around him. He stumbles and clenches his side as I push myself to my feet.

"Ted?" I shout, sprinting across the courtyard.

"Joel is inside—pinned down in the foyer. He needs covering fire from the left to make it to level three. That’s where they're keeping the girl. I tried to help, but—ah!”

I reach him and wrap my arms around his waist, helping him lower himself to the ground.

“Shut up.” I demand, glancing around us.

What the fuck can I use to stop the bleeding? My desperate eyes stop on the dead guy beside me. He’s missing half of his face and his shirt has small pieces of skull and brain on it, but it’ll have to do.

“God, no! I’d rather bleed out. Jai—”

“I said shut up.” I bark.

I’m not about to let Ted die. Not over this. I rip at the shirt of the dead man beside me. Surprisingly, it tears cleanly, allowing me to ball the fabric and stuff it against Ted’s side. He hisses and growls, his body quaking with pain.

"Hold it tightly. It needs pressure. I don't think the bullet has hit any important organs, but we need to get you out of here as soon as possible."

Groaning, Ted nods and I set up his shotgun on his lap.

“If someone comes play dead if you have to and wait for them to get close. I’ll help Joel get the girl and then we can get the hell out of here.”

Ted nods, his skin growing clammy and cold. He’s going to bleed out. Grabbing my rifle, I rake my fingers through my hair and push forward, entering the huge establishment through the back door. I don’t pay attention to the rooms I storm through, they all seem to blend together, filled with smoke and dust and riddled with the same amount of bullet holes. Eventually, I slip in to the foyer from a side door well off to the left side. Exactly where I need to be. Loud gunshots ring out from the guns of the two men in front of me. It’s so loud they don’t hear me coming. They point their guns toward the top of the stairs and shoot at the thick marble columns that support this thick, monstrous structure. Upon starting this shoot out, most of the men ran to the front where Joker was waiting, leaving us to clean up the dregs. Unfortunately for us, those dregs still outnumber us, making it a hell of a lot harder than I originally thought. I step out from behind a wall and inch closer to the brutes in front of me. In the back right pocket of the man on the left, I spot a hunting knife in its sheath.

I can grab it.

Adrenaline pounds through my veins. It’s now or never. I lift my gun and shoot the guy on the right. As he crumbles, I snatch the knife from its sheath and punch the other guy in the back of the head. They both crash to the floor. One dead, the other available to talk. Rolling him onto his back, I drop the majority of my weight on top of him.

“Where’s Skull?” I demand, pushing the knife against his throat.

The asshole blinks and settles his black, oil-like irises on mine. Recognition flares in his beady eyes and he smiles, his fat, bulbous cheeks lifting toward his eyes. “Him and the rest of them are on their way. You’re a dead man, Stone.”

“Jai?” Joel calls my name from the top of the stairs, but I don’t take my eyes off the toad underneath me.

“I’m all right.” I call back. “Get the girl.”

Under my knee—a knee that’s an ounce of pressure away from cracking this guy’s ribs—his body vibrates as a hum of laughter flows through him.

“All of this for Skull’s whore?” He chuckles. “She must have a magnificent pussy.”

I drop my elbow against his face, splitting the skin over his cheek bone. Blood pours from the thick gash, rolling along his sharp bone and dripping into his ear.

“How long?” I press the knife against his throat once more—harder, until blood pools along the edge of the blade. “Until Skull gets here? How long?”

He smiles—amused—despite the split in his cheek. “I’d say any minute now. You bring the other girl with you? Oh, Skull would love to see the girl.”

“Argh!” Pulling the knife back, I clench my fist around the handle and smash it into his face. His nose breaks under the force, but it’s not enough to stop me. I pull back and hit him again. And again. And again. Until the only sound he makes are the sounds of blood and bone as they are forced onto the tiles. I don’t know how long I hit him for…long enough to make his face resemble a dropped cherry pie. I pant, my arm feeling like it weighs a ton as I cock it back one last time. I let it fly and it drops pathetically, only to be caught midair by a strong hand around my bicep.

“Let’s go.” Joel orders, gripping my bicep, preventing me from demolishing the rest of this fucker’s face.

I whip my head up in Joel’s direction. His black eyes pleading with me. He’s finished? I’m just getting started.

“Skull will be here any minute.” I tell him, forcing myself to my feet.

I glance at my shaking hands and analyze the splattering of blood, following it up my arm. There’s a hunger inside me…a hunger to cause more pain—to draw more blood. I haven’t felt this way since I fought in the tunnels. It’s addicting—empowering—like cliff jumping into the freezing Atlantic.

“I’m not leaving.” I say with absolute finality.

Joel steps closer, worry etched into his face. “We didn’t come here for Skull.”

“You didn’t.” I yank my arm free. “I can kill him.”

Joel runs a hand over his head and through his hair. “Jai, please. Ted has been shot, I have Monique, and Emily is waiting for you. Don’t make me show up there without you.”

I blink as my heart beats, its pumping rhythm breaking down the anger in my veins.

“Emily is waiting for you.” He repeats, and the murderous fog clouding my brain disintegrates.

Emily is waiting for me.

I drop the knife and clench my hand as it trembles. I swallow, desperate to moisten my dry throat, but it only makes it worse. I glance around the foyer. The white walls are painted red with blood and drilled with bullet holes. Dead bodies are strewn across what I’m sure were once pristine tiles, their guns laying waste beside them. I glance back to Joel and a pair of scared, light violet eyes lock with mine as they peer over Joel’s shoulder.

“Is this your brother?” She asks, her voice beautifully light, like a song written in only high notes.

Joel steps out of the way and Monique inches forward. Joel wasn’t lying when he said she was young. She was seventeen when they met, making her nineteen now. She’s small—smaller than Emily, but slightly taller. She rakes her teeth over her plump lips while toying with her long, blonde hair that curls underneath her small breasts. She is everything I would have thought Joel wasn’t attracted to.

“This is Jai.” Joel says, keeping a firm grip on her wrist, his thumb rubbing at the skin underneath the yellow fabric of her jacket.

She offers me a small smile I don’t return. Now isn’t the time.

“Let’s go, Jai. We’ll get back to the car, go to the house and then get on a plane. It’s almost over. We’re on the home stretch.”

I look down at the lump of mush by my feet and it turns my stomach. Maybe I’ve done enough damage for today.

I pull my gun into my shoulder and lead the way out, entering and exiting the room I came through until I’m back outside. As I step out, a slither of black catches my left eye and I turn and shoot, hitting the fucker in the chest. He goes down and stays down.

“Nice shot.” Joel utters as he follows me out into the courtyard. “Ted?”

I look to where I left Ted and my stomach drops into my shoes. Why isn’t he moving?

“Ted?” I shout, jogging up to his lifeless body.

He doesn’t respond. He doesn’t even move.

No…no…no…no…no.

I drop to my knees and snatch my small torch from my belt. I grab his face and pry his eyelids open with my thick thumb. His pupils don’t dilate.

“Ted?” I demand again, tapping his cheeks. “Ted?”

Panic surges like a raging tsunami and I grab at him, slapping his face and shaking his shoulders. This isn’t happening. This isn’t how this was meant to go.

“His pulse, Jai. Check his pulse.”

I slip my trembling fingers against his neck. I wait. And wait.

“Jai…”

I shake my head. It’s not over. Not yet. I clench my jaw until it hurts the rest of my face. This isn’t how it ends for him. Not like this. Not here. Not with me.

I feel it then, tap gently against my fingers. His pulse. It’s there, but it’s faint. We need to get him out of here now.

“Grab him. Help me get him up.”

“He’s alive?”

I nod, grabbing Ted’s arm and wrapping it around my neck, hoisting him up and supporting him at dead weight.

“I’ll carry the bulk of him, you make sure you put pressure on his side. I don’t want him losing any more blood.”

Hesitating, Joel scratches his chin…until I look up at him. He better not deny me help. After everything he better fucking bow at my feet, begging to help.

Exhaling, he grabs Ted’s other arm and presses his hand against Ted’s side.

“Stay close to me, Niq. All right?”

Monique nods. “Okay.”

I move through the courtyard, struggling already with the extra weight on my back. The closer we get to the back of the compound, the darker it is. I don’t know how we’re going to make it back without one of us breaking our necks.

“This could be wasted effort, Jai.” Joel grunts, stepping over a big chunk of stone. “He could…he could die on the way.”

I’m a realist. I know Ted’s death is a possibility—almost a guarantee—but what kind of friend would I be if I just leave him here? If the worst happens and he passes on the way, then I want to make sure his mother gets his body.

“I know,” I groan, shifting Ted’s weight. “but I’m not leaving him here. He needs to be with family.”

Hate and disgust pick holes in my conscience. I shouldn’t have let him come. I should have made him stay at the lake house with Emily—or in the car at the very least. He shouldn’t have been down here helping me fight my battles. He spent his days directing traffic for God’s sake. How am I going to explain this to his mother?

Hold on, buddy. I squeeze him closer to me. We’ll get you patched up. All you gotta do is hold on.

Please hold on.

****

“We’re here.” Joel groan, his body close to giving out.

I grunt, forcing one leg in front of the other. My knee gives away and I stumble, pressing my hand into the dirt to stop myself from face planting. My muscles tremble and burn. Cramps linger, waiting to attack me the second I relax.

“Give him to me.” Joel says. “I’ll put him in the car.”

“Ted?” Huss calls as Joel shoulders Ted’s weight. “Shit.”

I straighten my spine, hissing as sharp bouts of pain shoot down my legs. Huss leaps from the car and slams the door shut.

“We need to get him to a hospital.” Monique says, hugging herself tightly.

Her hands covered in scratches and dry blood from the hike here. Mine too. I lost my gloves fifteen minutes in to entering the compound.