Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 135792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
The world echoed with a loud bang, and Knox lost his breath as his shoulder turned into stone, numb by the time they both collapsed.
And then, pain erupted in his shoulder, turning the world red.
Chapter 27
Liv
Pain rushed down Liv’s thigh as his hip landed on something hard. But as the single gunshot made his ears ring, and the air filled with the scent of rust, he knew the blood he could smell wasn’t his.
Knox stiffened in his arms, uttering a single, dull gasp, and Liv rolled them over without thinking. The gun he was still holding trembled in his hand when he zeroed in on his target. He’d killed for Knox once already. Might as well do it again, even though his head pulsed so violently he barely knew where the ground and where the sky were.
The other man saw him too, but just as he dragged himself into a sitting position, a dark figure emerged from behind rusty cars. Dressed in tactical gear, with a bulletproof vest and a mask covering the lower half of his face, he looked like a character from Counter Strike, not a real person.
The guy shot straight into the back of the fallen man’s head, as if he were putting down a rabid dog, and it became obvious he was as real as Liv himself.
He approached them, one red eye glinting at them like a ruby screwed into his head.
“Was there anyone else?” the man asked in a voice dulled by the mask, and it took Liv half a second to realize Cyborg had saved their asses now.
“No,” Liv said, holding on to Kn—
Why the hell was Knox not moving?
Struck by sudden terror, he rose to his knees and looked down, relieved when the pale eyes opened and closed. But then the sharp glow of a flashlight went on, illuminating them both, and it was impossible to miss thick blood soaking through Knox’s clothes.
Liv couldn’t breathe.
“Knox…”
Knox’s eyes met his and he raised his hand, grabbing at Liv’s face, still dazed. “Are you okay?”
The soft question took him out of his head, and he leaned down, cupping Knox’s face in both hands as regret poisoned his blood. “Of course I am. You’re the one who caught the bullet. Why? Why would you do that? You could have died!”
The light on Cyborg’s shoulder moved as he turned to the side, speaking on the phone. But all Liv cared for was Knox, and he was too frantic to gather his thoughts as he watched the tanned skin grow ever paler.
Knox’s breathing quickened. “We both know you’ll live longer. It matters less if I die.” He gasped, trying to move his shoulder.
The rush of denial inside Liv made him grind his teeth as he shook his head, blinking away the tingling in his eyes. “No! Don’t you dare say that! I don’t deserve this,” he whimpered and pulled off his jacket before pushing it against Knox’s shoulder, hoping it might stop the bleeding.
Knox’s lips trembled when he turned his head to the side. “Is it bad? Am I gonna…?”
Liv had to stop him from touching the shoulder as Cyborg kneeled by them. “Let’s get the hoodie off him. I need to see.”
“Of course you’re not. I’m here,” Liv uttered, lowering the zipper of the hoodie as Cy pulled off his mask and tugged on Knox’s sleeve, exposing a ripped T-shirt and the pool of blood covering the injured flesh. Nausea twisted in Liv’s stomach, and he put his hand on Knox’s forehead, staring at Cy. “Do you… how do we—”
Cyborg shook his head, pulling out a piece of cloth from one of the many pockets in his pants. “I’ve got experience with gunshot wounds, and I called the others. Just keep him occupied and lucid until we can get him to hospital. Fuck. There’s a lot of blood. I need more cloth.”
Knox’s eyes went wide as saucers, and Liv had to grab him because, despite the injury, he tried to crawl away. “I don’t want to go to the hospital! Can’t you just… dig it out? I’ve… I’ve got a knife.”
Cyborg frowned. “You’re not making sense.”
For once, Liv agreed with him on something. He pulled off his T-shirt and handed it to Cy, but he remained focused on Knox, whose features twisted into a mask of panic.
“Are you crazy? What if we fuck up some nerve in your arm by accident?” Liv asked, pushing on Knox’s chest to hold him down. Whatever happened, he would keep Knox alive and take care of him.
The heartbeat against Liv’s palm became even more erratic. “I don’t know! I don’t wanna go! Liv, please… Don’t let them take me there,” Knox croaked, clutching at Liv’s naked side with his uninjured hand.
As Cyborg mopped up the blood with Liv’s T-shirt, giving himself a better view of the ugly wound, Liv noticed Knox trying and failing to close his fist. Something was very fucking wrong. He would need to make the call and go against Knox’s wishes.