PROLOGUE
KEENAN
Pain spreads across my entire body. It’s like a bloody wildfire, and I’m unable to gain any control. I’m hot and cold at the same time. Wetness spills over my side, and I’m able to blink a few times. Slowly, my vision comes back, and I only see bright lights. They’re so fucking bright. I blink a few more times and beeping fills my ears. “He’s awake, Carrie.”
A woman’s voice rings from beside me, and a blonde woman fills my view. She appears to be focused with the way her brows are drawn together. I lift a hand and try to touch my face but feel a hard plastic, so I pry at it, and the woman grabs my hand. “Sir, you can’t do that. It’s oxygen. It’s helping you breathe. Please, stay calm and keep breathing. We’ve got you from here.” From the way she’s speaking to me, I can tell she believes every word.
Fuck, what happened to me?
I focus hard, but the last thing I do remember is being with Asim. Slowly, everything that happened runs across my mind. He asked me if I was a man of action, and I told him it depended on my mood. My cockiness put me in this situation, and now I’m in the back of an ambulance. He kicked me in the face, and it knocked me unconscious, but here I am. How long was I out? How did the medics find me? I have so many questions, and I doubt they’ll be answered.
“W-where are we?” Every word comes out in a croak-like tone. My voice is raspy and dry. Ironic, considering I doubt it’s been long since I was shot. If it was, I wouldn’t be breathing right now.
“You’re in the back of an ambulance. The restaurant called and told us someone was shot. But we have you now. Don’t worry, we’re taking you to the hospital now. All you need to do is stay with us. Alright?” The woman has long, curly brunette hair. She presses her hands against my side, aiming to stop the wound from bleeding, I presume. Bloody hell, I can’t believe this has happened.
Sure, I knew what I was getting myself into, accepting the criminal royalty my family is. Still, I never thought I’d end up in the back of an ambulance bleeding. At least, not yet. It’s been two weeks since my life has completely changed, and here I am. Some would say I should’ve predicted this, and maybe I should’ve. The risk comes with the territory, I suppose.
“Shite, Carrie, step on it. He’s fading out!”
My vision goes black and darkness takes over me. In the darkness, I don’t feel pain. I feel nothingness. I welcome the break taking hold of me right now, but it comes to a halt too soon.
I wake to the woman with long, curly hair on my gurney. Her hands are pressing down on my wound, and a blonde woman, presumably Carrie, stands on the other side of it, rolling me to the hospital’s doors.
“Is this the GSW?” a man’s voice questions as I’m being rolled across what I believe is pavement.
“Yes,” Carrie pipes up, and the other woman starts rattling off blood pressure, pulse ox, and other things that happen in the ‘field’. As she speaks to the doctor, pain engulfs my entire body once more. I miss those mere few minutes where I felt nothingness. It’s very much welcomed in comparison to this.
“All right, got it. He’s in good hands now,” the man tells the women, and more people come within my vision. One takes the brunette’s place, pressing down on my wound, and she hops off the gurney.
“Fuck,” I mutter as nausea rolls through me. I shut my eyes and sense the gurney being rolled into the hospital. It goes from rough driving to smooth sailing. No longer do I feel every hole we hit in the parking lot. Now, it’s continuous, confirming we’re inside on stable flooring.
“We have no time to waste. We need to get him in the operating theatre, now!” Another woman’s voice pipes up, and I open my eyes, spotting a redheaded woman coming straight toward me.
“Clarise, go to the blood bank and get what O-negative they can spare. He’ll need a transfusion if we’re to have any hope in saving his life,” the redhead speaks again to one of the nurses or doctors who must be holding onto my gurney.
“On it!” a woman replies, and fast feet hitting the floor tell me she’s on her way.
I’m being rolled quickly and fast beeping fills my ears. I don’t know what’s going on around me, but I do know this. I know the feeling of fading, the sense of exhaustion taking over my body. The weakness is unlike anything I’ve experienced prior, and I find myself praying. Praying to anyone who’ll listen not to take my life just yet.
I have so much to live for. I just don’t know if it’ll be enough for the Grim Reaper to change his mind.
CHAPTERONE
DELILAH
My phone ringing pulls my concentration. I’m planning an event and everyone I know is aware of the fact that these things take all of my attention until they’re done. Most of my friends don’t even bother texting me if they know I’m in the middle of planning unless it’s urgent. There’s a moment where I consider just ignoring it, but that wouldn’t be right either.
Especially once I look and see that it’s Keeva, Keenan’s sister, trying to get ahold of me. Now this isn’t something I would turn down.
“Hey, Keeva,” I answer.
“Delilah,” her shaking voice calls out, almost as if she isn’t sure I’m there.
“What’s wrong, Keeva?” Panic floods my body and I’m not sure why. There’s no other reason, other than the sound of her voice, that makes me think there’s a reason to panic. My heart drops to the pit of my stomach as I wait for her to say something. There’s so much silence that passes I almost snap at Keeva to spit it out.
“It’s Keenan. Something’s happened.”
Shit. I knew it. Something has happened. I push to my feet without caring about the papers I have sitting here in front of me. This is so much more important.
