Chapter 91 Stay – Koen
STAY
KOEN
I’ve got her… She’s okay… She’s okay.
Part of me still can’t believe it as I hold Briar’s hand, her fingers swallowed by the sleeves of my sweatshirt, pulling her behind me, gun out, as we move through the hallway and down the stairs.
. Gunfire and screams fill the air around us.
I turn right for the door but stop short, meeting resistance.
Glancing back, I find Briar, feet planted and shaking her head. “Where are we going?” she asks.
“I’m getting you the fuck out of here,” I tell her, stepping again toward the front door, but she doesn’t budge.
“Briar…”
She shakes her head, taking a step backwards. “No. No, I’m not leaving Lily.”
My eyes scan the foyer, constantly looking for threats. “The others will get her out.”
She looks at me, and when my eyes meet hers, my jaw tenses at the steely defiance I find in her hard blue eyes. Fuck. I stand there thinking for a moment, contemplating just how mad she’ll be if I throw her over my shoulder and force her out.
“Please, Koen,” she begs, and I sigh, knowing I’ve already lost.
“Fuck. Fine!” I relent, turning left. “But stay behind me.”
We pass several bodies on the way to the basement, and I pull out my radio. “Anyone have eyes on Lily?”
Both teams report back a “negative,” and I internally curse before starting downstairs.
The cavernous basement of the mansion has erupted into a war zone. The cages have all been opened, and most of the girls have fled or are hiding, but some still crouch inside, too afraid to leave, hands covering their ears as gunshots continue to ring out from further in.
“Stay close!” I shout at Briar behind me. Every muscle in my body is coiled tight, doing my best to keep her body shielded with mine.
Two guards appear around the corner up ahead and they raise their guns, but it’s already too late—I drop them both.
There’s more gunfire up ahead near the processing rooms and I move toward it, until it stops. Freezing, I keep my gun trained on the doorway, letting out a breath when a familiar face steps through it.
Alex has his gun trained on my head, but he drops it as soon as he realizes it’s me, and steps toward us. Mac follows closely behind with Lily in his arms.
“Lily,” Briar breathes out in quiet relief at my back, and immediately I switch us into reverse.
“Where’s Aidan and Liam?” I call to Alex at my back.
“They’re right behind us.” And sure enough, Aidan and Liam appear a second later, in the doorway Alex and Mac just emerged from.
“Time to go.”
Aidan and Liam push past us to walk in front; Briar, and Mac with Lily, are at my back, with Alex watching our six.
We move quickly down the hallway and up the stairs into the foyer.
A door slams open to our right and three more men pour out, guns firing. I lift my gun and fire, alongside Liam and Aidan. I realize my mistake too late, not noticing the hallway door that opens to my left… and the man standing there, the barrel of his gun fixed on me.
But Briar does.
She screams my name and I twist back, right before she shoves me with two hands pressed to my chest, pushing me out of the way as the man fires, the bullet whizzing past, just narrowly missing us—
No.
Not missing us—missing me.
Briar lets out a gasp as she falls into my chest, her eyes wide, pupils blown out in shock as she slowly realizes what’s happened.
Her knees buckle, but I catch her before she goes down.
Shouts sound around us, and bullets fly as my brothers take out the bastard, but I can’t look, my attention is wholly fixed on the girl whose breaths are coming too sharply in my arms.
“No. No. No. No. No. Why would you do that? Why would you do that?” I grab her face, blood quickly coating my left hand. Panicking, I search the side of her head, looking for the source… holy shit, there’s so much fucking blood.
I find it, just above her left ear, and I press my palm down hard, doing my best to stop the stream of blood pouring out.
Briar’s watching me, her blue eyes bright against her paling skin.
“Hey—hey—hey—Briar—look at me,” I beg. “You’re going to be okay—alright? We’re going to get you out of here.”
Not willing to wait another second more, I scoop her into my arms and take off running, not stopping until I reach the car, throwing open the door and sliding into the backseat. Alex appears at the wheel a second later.
Briar’s heartbeat is faint; her breaths are shallow, but she’s still breathing. She’s still conscious, looking up into my eyes, with fear in her own.
“Breathe, baby, breathe for me, okay? That’s it! You’re going to be okay, alright? Do you hear me?” I brush the hair out of her face, the blood on my hand smudges her cheek.
“Drive!” I scream, and Alex puts the car in gear, flooring it.
Briar’s eyes begin to flutter open and shut, and my free hand grips her chin, the other continuing to apply pressure to the wound. There’s so much blood.
“Don’t you dare,” I growl, tightening my grip on her chin. “Don’t you fucking dare leave me, Briar Rose.”
Her eyes open again but they’re out of focus. “I just need to sleep it off—” she mumbles, before her eyes fall shut, but this time they don’t reopen.
“Fuck!” I scream. “No—no—no—no—no, Briar! Don’t go to sleep. Stay awake, baby. Stay with me.” My voice breaks. “Stay, baby, please.” She’s covered in blood; it’s soaking into my shirt, the leather seats… No-no, fuck, I can’t lose her, not like this, not when I just got her back.
She’s pale.
So pale.
“Stay with me, baby.” I’m sobbing now, my tears mixing with blood as I press my forehead to hers.
“Please.”