Bomber opens the back door. “Ava, you go in first.”
I step up and move to the back. Then Bomber and Viper lifts Reaper inside and places him on the ground in front of me. Bomber takes his shirt off and applies pressure to Reaper’s wound as Viper rushes out of the van, slams the door shut, hurries to the driver’s side, and gets in. The van starts and I hear Viper on the phone, but I’m too focused on Reaper’s face draining of all color.
I sit on the ground and gently lift Reaper’s head, shuffle forward, and put his head on my lap. One of my tears falls on his cheek and runs down his face. I gently wipe it, feeling the prickles of hair on my finger. “I love you. I love you so much.” I lean down closer to him. “Please wake up,” I whisper. “We haven’t had enough time together. I want my happy ever after with you.”
There’s a touch on my back, and I look up to see Bomber. “He’s strong.”
The sadness that cuts into his tone only makes my tears fall faster. It’s a reminder that everyone loves Reaper and that we are all struggling to see him like this.
I gaze at Bomber’s hand, where the blood has seeped through the shirt. I gasp. “But that is so much blood.”
Bomber doesn’t reply. He’s not one to lie and say everything will be okay when it may not be. Time goes by slowly while we travel back to the house. Every minute feels like an hour. My skin is hot and I’m flustered. The van jolts and skids on the driveway, and the back door flies open. I squint from the sun beaming into the van.
A woman and Twitch are behind the door, and I watch helplessly as Bomber and Twitch carry Reaper out. I get up and walk on shaky legs through the van.
“Ava!” Elena yells. As I step out of the van, she rushes over to me with one arm bandaged. We embrace each other. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she sobs.
My arms tighten around her as the tears fall again, making my eyes burn. I might be okay, but Reaper’s not. I pat her back and try to pull away. “I’m sorry, I have to be with Reaper.”
She lets go of me and hastily wipes her tears. We dash inside the clubhouse together.
“Where are they?” I ask as I desperately scan the house, but I see only the sweet butts standing by the bottom of the stairs.
“Ava!” Candy yells. They turn their heads, then rush to me. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
I try to muster up some energy to give her a polite smile. Mercedez pats my back, and I see their eyes are red from crying. “Are all of you okay?” I look them over for injuries.
Candy’s eyes widen, then she gives me a genuine smile. “We are. Thank you for asking.” Then she peers up the stairs. “They set everything up in Reaper’s room, ready for him for when he arrives. The men are up there.”
I sniffle and try to hold myself together. “Thanks, girls.” The adrenaline courses through me as I silently pray,Please be alive.
Elena and I dart up the stairs. As I walk through the hallway, I see Axle walking to us with his arms open, so I run to him. “Have you heard anything?”
My voice was raw and hoarse from crying. I know little time has passed, but my anxiety is making me feel physically sick. I want to see him, touch him, and tell him I’m here. He needs to fight... fight to come back to me.
Axle frowns. “Not yet. It might take a while. The bullet didn’t go all the way through, so doc has to get it out and stop the bleeding, but that’s only if there’re no complications.”
My legs collapse from underneath me, but Axle catches me. His arms hold me tight but his words shred my heart, and a sob tears from my throat from the agony assaulting me.
“It’s my fault.” I struggle to keep my voice even.
“No. It’s Beau’s,” he reassures me. “He shot Reaper.”
“Because of me!” My voice carries through the hallway.
He pulls back to make eye contact. “We were well aware of the risks of you staying here. Reaper protects people he cares about, at any cost. Even if it puts him in the firing line, it’s who he is.”
I know that, but the guilt still has a firm grip around my neck. My feet find the floor, and I stand upright and step out of his hold. I move toward Reaper’s door. Bomber and Cash are leaning against the wall with their heads bowed, and Viper is sitting on the floor.
He looks up at me. “Don’t blame yourself. None of us do.”
Unfortunately, his kind words don’t make a difference. Because I do blame myself. There’s an eerie silence as we wait. The minutes blend, and I don’t know how much time has passed.
Demon and Rage meet us. When I see that their hair is wet and they have showered, I stare at my red-stained hands and another sob rips out of my mouth. My tortured soul is in pure agony.
“Go have a shower. If anything happens, I’ll come and get you,” Elena says softly from beside me.
I need a shower, but I can’t leave him, not even for a minute. “No.” I glance at Bomber and Viper, who also haven’t had showers.
