Chapter 35
Myles
Blood, brain matter, and skull fragments explode from him as the bullet leaves his skull. His body falls forward, but I grab the back of his shirt and shove him to the side. The smell is causing the bile in my stomach to reach my throat.
I kneel next to her and pull her body onto my lap. Her body looks like it went through a shredder. Cuts are everywhere. I can’t tell how much of the blood is hers or from the piece of shit I just killed…I killed someone.
“Mina! Come on, Sunshine. Wake up. I need you to open your eyes.”
Her head lolls back against my chest as I cradle her in my arms. Her arms are blistered and red with chemical burns. I lean forward, lifting her face to mine. I can feel her shallow, ragged breaths hitting my face. My body sucks in a deep breath as she coughs.
“Come on, Mina. Breathe for me, Sunshine. Come on!”
I shift my hand to her sternum. My knuckles are pressing against bone just beneath her skin.
I rub circles with a bit of force. Her eyelids flutter for a moment as a shaky gasp leaves her lips.
When they finally open, I can see the terror in them.
But as those beautiful silver blue orbs focus on me, the terror disappears.
Tears fill her eyes as she tries to reach up and wrap her arms around my neck, but she’s too weak. I pull her against me, letting her body melt into mine as she continues to cry.
“You…came for me,” her shaky voice crackles.
“Shhh. It’s okay, Sunshine. I’m here. I’ve got you.” I stroke the back of her head gently. My fingers touch a large knot on the back of her head, and when I pull my fingers away, they’re covered in blood.
“Myles…” Her voice is raspy.
I shift to hold her away so I can see her face. Her eyes are glossed over, and her body begins to sway. Her gaze is facing me, but it’s like she’s looking through me.
“Mina? Hey. Talk to me! MINA!”
I watch in horror as her body seizes in my arms. Her eyes roll back until all I see are the whites of her eyes. Her mouth drops open as her body shakes. Her muscles twitch and jerk as she thrashes against my hold.
Fuck, Myles! Think!
But I can’t think. I don’t know what to do. I’ve never felt so helpless and not in control. I hold her body as close to mine as the seizure continues. My hand holds her head against me. Her body jerks. Groans and whimpers echo in the cold cement room.
“Please. God. Please don’t do this to me. Not again!” I scream as I hold her.
The sounds of two more gunshots go off. I don’t know what happened to my earpiece. I glance around the room for a moment before spotting it on the floor. I use my foot to kick it closer to me. Her jerky movements are slowing against me. The seizure is ending.
Just a bit closer…Got it! I grab the earpiece and shove it in my ear.
“Cash?” I shout.
“Myles, where the fuck were you? I’ve been screaming your name,” Alexandria shouts. She still sounds like she’s crying.
“Where’s Cash?”
“Dex is trying to get him in the truck…He shot him.”
“He shot Quin?”
“No…Well, yes, but Quin shot him first.”
“I’m fine!” I hear Cash shout.
“Have them pull the truck to the back…”
“Myles…Is she okay?” Alexandria asks.
I glance down at Mina in my arms. The seizure has fully stopped. Her eyes are closed. Her face is flushed. Red spider-webbed veins are across her entire face from popped blood vessels. Bruises have already formed along her pale skin. Some are from the car accident, but most are from him.
“Myles?”
“Yeah, sorry. She’s…alive. But we need to get her to the hospital now!”
“We’re almost to the back door.”
I gently set her down onto her back. She doesn’t even flinch as the cold cement touches her bare skin, and that alone makes every horrible thought come rushing to the surface.
I carefully pull her thong back up over her hips.
I pull off my shirt and begin to dress her.
The shirt she was wearing is destroyed…My shirt.
“Myles!”
“In here at the end!” I shout back.
The heavy sounds of footsteps running down the hall are getting closer.
Alexandria and Dex come rushing through the door just as I finish pulling the shirt over her body.
Alexandria freezes at the doorway. Her hand covers her mouth to hold in a gasp.
It’s bad. Blood is everywhere, streaked across the floor, where it looks like they dragged her around. Splattered on the walls.
The fucker’s body is in a heap as blood continues to pool beneath him. His death was too fast, but I couldn’t stop myself. I saw him on top of her, and everything else disappeared. A sharp ringing in my ears was drowning the world out, and a red haze took over my mind. He had to die.
Dex comes and kneels next to me, bringing me out of that nightmare.
“Do you want help lifting her?” he asks.
“Yes, he needs help,” Alexandria cuts in before I can speak.
“I’m fine. I got her. Just get the doors for me. What about the other guards?”
“Dead. Dex's crew took care of them all.”
“Good.”
I take one last glance at her before scooping her into my arms. Her head lolls against me, and her arm dangles. She doesn’t even feel real in my arms. Alexandria walks up and picks up Mina’s hand to drape it across her body, so it doesn’t just hang limply.
“Thank you,” I choke out. She nods then looks down at Mina with tears in her eyes.
“I don’t understand how men in this world can be so cruel. I fucking hate it.” She glances back over the horrific scene before us before turning and rushing to catch up to Dex.
She helps me get Mina into the back seat of the truck. Dex is driving, Cash is in the passenger seat, and Alexandria is in the back with me. Mina’s legs are on her lap as I hold her upper body.
She still hasn’t opened her eyes. Not a wince of pain has changed her facial expression…It’s like her face is frozen. I need her to wake up. I need anything. Just a fucking sign that she’s still with me other than the stuttered rise and fall of her chest as she breathes.
“She’s going to be okay, Myles.” Alexandria’s soft voice cuts through the dark haze invading my vision.
Tear drops are running down Mina’s face.
A small flicker of hope is quickly snuffed out when I realize they are only my tears falling onto her.
I’ve been silently crying for God only knows how long.
“Your stitches ripped back open.” Alexandria leans closer to look at the wound. The covering had fallen off at some point, so it's no wonder the stitches were ripped open.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Myles.” She rips part of her shirt from around her stomach and presses it to my wound.
“I’m fine! I promise,” I grunt as the pain stabs deeper into my side.
“You’re getting it looked at as soon as we get there!”
“Fine…” I grumble. We hit a pothole, and a pained grunt comes from the front seat.
“Hang in there, Cash.” Dex slaps a hand onto Cash’s shoulder, and he groans. “We’re almost there.”
“What the fuck happened up there? Was anyone else hurt?” I ask.
Cash’s head lifts from the window as he tries to turn and look at me.
“Fuck!” he hisses, slamming his fist against the door.
“He saved me,” Alexandria cuts in as she places a hand on Cash’s shoulder. He relaxes back against the window. When she goes to move her hand away, he reaches up and grabs it. He holds it to his shoulder as he groans from the gunshot wound.
“Where’s he shot?”
“My stomach…Sort of. Fuck! The bullet went straight through, though.”
“Stop talking. Are you keeping enough pressure on the wound?” Alexandria asks.
“I…” he lifts his hand to look at the blood-soaked towel. “Fuck!” His head hits the headrest.
“Pull over for a second, Dex,” Alexandria shouts.
“What! No. We need to get to the hospital!”
“It’ll literally take one fucking second! Pull over!”
Dex pulls over to the side of the road. Alexandria lifts Mina’s legs and sets them back on the seat. She gets out and opens the passenger door.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Cash barely lifts his head as he grumbles at her.
“Spread your legs,” she commands and then climbs into the front floorboard. She kneels on the floor between his legs, pulls the door shut, takes the towel from Cash, and presses it back to his wound.
“Oh, fucking hell!” he screams at the increased pressure.
“Geeze, Cash. You act like you’ve never been shot before,” Dex teases as he pulls back onto the road.
“I haven’t, Asshole!”
“Dex, I need you to go faster. Just don’t crash us…I’ll be killed for sure. I don’t think even Cash would be able to save me,” she lets out a pained laugh.
Cash reaches down and cups her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
“I’d try my best, Angel.” He caresses his thumb along her jaw before dropping his hand to his lap. His head leans against the window, and the SUV falls into an uncomfortable silence.
I can see the tears in her eyes as she presses harder against his wound. She looks over at me, and I can see the concern etched into her face. His bleeding isn’t slowing.
She inhales sharply to choke back the tears as she pulls the towel away and looks at the wound. The towel is soaked in blood. The once baby-blue fabric is now a deep merlot color. She shifts uncomfortably in the small space to pull her shirt off, leaving her in just her leggings and a black bra.
She bundles the fabric up before pressing it against him. He hisses as he lifts his head to look at her. Her auburn eyes are flooded with tears as she looks up at him.
“Damn, Angel. Already topless and on your knees for me?” he laughs, then lifts his arm to cover his mouth as he coughs. When he pulls his arm away, blood is splattered across his skin. “Well, fuck. That can’t be good, can it, Dex? You’re the expert.”
“Fuck,” Dex whispers. “You’re gonna be fine, bud! Plus, you still owe me that drink, remember? I think I’ve changed my mind now though. I want a glass of Van Winkle’s special reserve. The twenty-year-old one.”
“That shit runs over fifty grand for a bottle. Fuck you. Just let me die. It’ll be cheaper,” Cash chuckles before another coughing fit hits him.
Alexandria shifts to sit up higher on her knees. She grabs Cash’s face and makes him look right at her.
“Hey! Listen to me. No one is dying! Do you hear me? No one. I’ll cover half the cost of the Van Winkle. Just promise me you won’t die.”
A single tear slides down her cheek. Cash lifts his hand. Using his thumb, he wipes her tear before cupping her cheek.
“Cover three-quarters of that damn bottle and it’s a deal.”
“Deal.”
She lowers back to the floor to add more pressure. Her gaze is lost and distant. I look and see Cash’s hand covering hers. I’ve never seen her look so scared and broken. I don’t know what the fuck happened up there between them, but I don’t want to ask.
“Hey. You know what’s kinda funny?” she asks with an awkward laugh.
“What’s that, Angel?”
“You said I would be the one to get shot…Guess you were wrong on that one.”
“I did say you would be a distraction…”
“I’m sorry,” her voice trails off as she lowers her head.
“Hey,” he says softly. Her eyes lift back to him. More tears are trailing down her cheeks. He wipes them again. She places her hand over his against her cheek. “You’re a great distraction, Angel. Don’t forget that.”
His head leans back against the seat. I watch Alexandria’s eyes widen as her hand grips onto his.
“Cash?” Her voice cracks.
His arm goes limp in her hold. Her broken scream echoes.
“Cash!”