Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
I swear to fuck, she’d never been more beautiful.
I was vaguely aware of the thunk of a body hitting the ground before Saylor’s focus was on me again.
“You idiot,” she said, sniffling hard as tears flooded her eyes. “How are you always getting hurt?” she asked, pressing both of her hands into my shoulder, making the pain intensify.
Behind her shoulder, Matej moved behind Jan, producing a knife from his pocket, then yanking his brother’s head back, and slicing across his throat.
Something about his practiced movements told me Matej knew exactly what he was doing.
If you wanted someone to die fast, you actually tilted a head forward toward their chest, which left their arteries vulnerable. Yanking the head back gave them some protection, made it less likely you would fully sever the artery. Which meant they bled out slowly, gasping for breath as they slowly choked to death on their own blood.
It was a brutal, terrifying way to go.
And maybe it was cold-blooded of me, but I felt that was a fitting fucking end to the bastard.
“Fuck,” Miko’s voice called as he rushed into the room, phone already to his ear. “It’s Anthony,” he said, voice tight. “Shot. Shoulder. Babe, please, let me look,” Miko demanded, trying to move Saylor out of his way.
It was Elio who rushed in, reaching for Saylor, and moving her away, his arms staying wrapped around her as she tried to fight him, my blood covering her hands, so she couldn’t even reach up to brush the tears off of her cheeks.
“Pulse is fast, but steady,” Miko said, likely talking to Salvatore. “No, no, not the heart. Right side. It’s too high to have hit the lungs. Don’t hear any air in it,” he said, leaning over my wound to listen as I slow-breathed through the pain.
“No, it’s not wedged. It’s a through-and-through. Okay. Alright. No, we’re not in the city. We’re on Staten Island. Yeah, I know. Okay. Yep. Let me give you to Gio Morelli. I need to go get supplies. Babe,” he called to Saylor. Elio released her, and she flew to me, dropping down on her knees. “Keep the pressure on,” he said, giving her an encouraging nod, then looking to Matej.
“Emergency supplies,” Miko demanded, and Matej spared one last look at his brother on the floor. If not dead, then close. Then he ran after Miko into the rest of the house.
“You’re gonna be okay,” Saylor said, sniffling hard.
“Not my first rodeo,” I said, reaching toward my pocket.
“What are you doing? Stop moving,” she demanded as I pulled my phone out, swiped the screen, then pulled it to my ear.
It rang once before Sam picked up.
“Anthony?”
“I got her,” I said, then hung up, deciding it was a good time to conserve my energy.
“Was that my mom?” Saylor asked, pressing hard into my chest and shoulder.
“Promised her I’d tell her when I found you,” I said, reaching up with my free hand to wipe some of the tears off of her cheek. “Saved the girl,” I said, feeling so fucking tired. “Not a bad way to go.”
“You’re not going anywhere, you asshole,” she snapped, pressing more of her weight into my shoulder, making the pain soar again, jolting me more fully awake. “Do you hear me? You’re not going to fucking die over a stupid little bullet in the shoulder trying to save me.”
“You saved me a few times.”
“It’s not a contest,” she said as footsteps thundered back down the stairs.
Matej set a plastic container down on the floor beside me, and Miko reached inside for gloves.
“Sal is on his way,” Miko said, tone calm as if this was just a casual conversation, not an emergency situation. “‘Till then, you got me. And your pretty nurse here,” he said, actually fucking winking at Saylor. “How’s your stomach, babe?” he asked her.
“I can handle it,” she said as Miko nudged her out of the way to yank my shirt open, spreading the material wide so he could look at the wound. “Eh, think you’ve had worse,” he said, shrugging. “Just aren’t gonna be able to lift your arm up for a while. Lucky you got someone to cater to you,” he said as Saylor paled as she looked at the wound.
“I was supposed to be taking care of you,” I said, reaching out to place my hand on her thigh, giving it a squeeze.
To that, she rolled her eyes at me. “I’m fine.”
“Face says different,” I said, wincing as Miko poked at the wound before reaching back into the kit for something.
“I’ve taken harder hits in the ring,” she lied. “Oh, this is gonna suck,” she said, wincing, just a second before the cold liquid burned like fire over and into my wound, making me let out a string of curses that would get me a stern punishment from the preacher in the shame box the next time I went to church.