“I told you not to shoot him, Joey! You did it anyway. Now, go.” I grabbed Crewe’s gun and pointed it right at my brother. “Don’t call my bluff, Joseph.” My hand didn’t shake, and I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him right in the chest if he made me.
Joseph knew me well enough to understand I was serious. “Let’s go.” He led the way as they headed to the entrance, his men following behind him.
I dropped the gun and immediately focused on Crewe, my training kicking in on instinct. I ripped his shirt with my bare hand and saw the wound in his chest. Blood was pouring out, and it was dangerously close to his heart.
I got the shirt off then examined the wound. The bullet didn’t pierce his heart, but it was close enough that I was concerned it had pierced his chest cavity. If I didn’t get him to a hospital immediately, he would bleed out and die. Without a CT scan, there was no way for me to know the extent of the damages. I left the bullet in place because removing it could hurt his chances of survival. I tied the shirt over his shoulder and across his chest, trying to stay calm even though I couldn’t stop sobbing.
Crewe stared at me with indifference, as if he didn’t feel anything. He didn’t show pain or anger. Only indifference. “Just leave, London.” He stared at the ceiling, refusing to look at me. “You have what you want. Just go.”
“No.” I secured the shirt and stopped the bleeding as much as I could. My palms were slick because they were soaked in his blood.
“Just. Go.” With strength that came from nowhere, he shoved me off him. “I mean it.”
“No.” I grabbed the rug underneath him and began to pull. “You’re gonna be okay. Just stay calm.” He was so heavy I could barely pull him. My fingers kept slipping on the material, and my back ached because I wasn’t equipped for this.
“I am calm,” he said with indifference. “Leave me here to die—exactly like you wanted.”
“You know that’s not what I wanted.” I dug my feet into the stone and pulled him harder, slowly getting momentum. I had to drag him hundreds of feet to the other side of the castle. “I need you to stop talking, Crewe. I need to you to stay calm.”
“Trust me, I’m calm.”
My fingers slipped, and I fell to the ground, my entire body aching from pulling him. I turned around and searched for help, hoping one of his men could loan me their strength. “Hello? Somebody help.”
“Just go,” Crewe repeated.
I came back to him, the panic rising even more. “I need you to walk for me, okay? I know you can do it.”
He stared at the ceiling, refusing to look at me. “Yeah, I can walk. But I’m not going to.”
The tears poured harder down my face. “Crewe…”
“Just. Leave. Me.”
“Crewe—”
“Enough.” He silenced me with just a word, his eyes glued to the ceiling.
I ran to the front door and burst outside, seeing Joseph’s men quickly piling into their trucks. I spotted Ariel on the ground with her arms handcuffed behind her back. One man grabbed her by the neck and yanked her to her feet.
No.
I pulled out Crewe’s gun and aimed it at the man. “Let her go.”
Ariel looked at me with a new glare of hatred. It was more powerful than any other glares she ever gave me.
I pushed the gun into his face. “I said let her go. Now.”
He turned to Joseph, who hopped out of the truck.
Joseph stared me down with annoyance. “An eye for an eye.”
“You shot him!” I yelled. “The score is even. You aren’t taking her. Now, let her go. I don’t have time for this.”
Joseph shook his head. “You’re lucky I didn’t shoot that asshole in the head. Be grateful.”
I aimed the gun at this his chest. “Let her go. I’m not fucking around, Joseph.”
Joseph finally nodded to the man to release her. “I’m leaving. This is your last chance to get out of here.”
I watched the guard uncuff her. “I’m staying right here.”
Ariel was finally released from her handcuffs, and the first thing she did was punch me in the face. “You fucking whore.”
I didn’t feel anything because I was numb to the pain. And I deserved it.
Joseph didn’t retaliate.
“Crewe has been shot. He’s too heavy for me to carry. I need your help getting him to the hospital.”
The second Ariel heard that information, she lowered her hand and stopped attacking me. Her mentality changed, turning from anger to pragmatism. “Where is he?”
“Follow me.” I ran inside and led her to where he lay on the rug in the grand hallway. “Help me pull him.”
Ariel gripped one edge and began to pull. “Crewe, I’m here.”
Crewe stared at the ceiling.
Ariel pulled the rug with me, but we weren’t making as much progress as I had when it was just me. She gave up and kneeled beside him. “Crewe, I need you to walk. Now.”
“No.” Crewe didn’t look at her either. “You were right about her. I’m sorry.”
Ariel grabbed his hand. “I know how you feel right now. But we need to get you to the hospital. You’re gonna bleed out and die.”
I stood back because I knew I wouldn’t be any help. I would just make it worse.
“Then let me die,” he said simply.
Ariel stared at him hard then leaned down and whispered in his ear. I had no idea what she said. Perhaps she spoke of something only the two of them knew about.
I hoped it was enough to get him up.
Crewe lay there for a few more seconds before he finally sat up, his movements wobbly because he had already lost so much blood.
I cried harder when I saw him get up. “Thank god…”
Ariel hooked her arm around him and helped him to the door. “Get a car.”
I sprinted outside and found a Jeep parked along the grass. The engine was still running, but it had been abandoned by Crewe’s men. I got the back door open and watched Ariel get him inside. She took the seat beside him and placed her hand over his chest, keeping the pressure on. “Drive, bitch.”
I hauled ass away from the castle and drove straight into the city. I knew we weren’t far from the rest of civilization, but I had no idea where the hospital was.
Ariel directed me. “Make a left here.”
I turned and sped through traffic, cutting off anyone who got in my way. I accidentally scraped against a parked car on the side of the road, but that didn’t stop me.
“Right,” Ariel commanded.
I nearly hit a person in the crosswalk, but luckily they dodged out of the way. I finally pulled into the entrance of the hospital, the roundabout where the emergency department was. “We’re here.”
“I can see that,” Ariel hissed. She threw the door open and helped Crewe out.
But he stumbled until his knees hit the ground.
“Crewe!” I rushed to him, leaning over him, seeing his eyes close. “Stay awake. Come on, stay awake.” I slapped his cheeks to make his eyes open again.
Ariel sprinted inside and got the attention of the staff. They ran out with a stretcher and a team of doctors and nurses, getting him on the gurney and rushing into the department.
I jogged after the gurney, seeing them push him through the double doors and out of my sight.
Ariel stopped when security told her to turn back.