“Aubrey, we need to go. Now. We can come back for this later.” Even as I said it, one of the men he’d shot staggered forward and flung open a door before collapsing onto the ground, like he was determined to fuck us both over in some last ditch effort to make his life mean something.
Rabid.
At least four of them. Like they’d locked them away in case of an emergency. The desperation and anger pouring through Aubrey was definitely an emergency.
My gaze swung to them and I stepped forward, trying to get to his side, maybe to get in front of him.
“You need to get down. I can take care of them. Just watch my back.” I didn’t understand the way his expression was slowly melting from fury to fear.
“No,” he said, but it didn’t stop me from shoving him behind me. His fingers instantly dug into my shoulder. “No,no.” I didn’t understand his panic.
But I did see it out of the corner of my eye—one of the raiders on the balcony above us.
Holding something metal.
It wasn’t a gun.
“Aubrey.” Danger flared in my chest. “Aubrey,move.”
“You don’t get to die for me. Youcan’t. I can’t do this, I?—”
“Aubrey, getdown.”
The words weren’t just a command, they were a warning. He was too lost in whatever panic had started to claw its way across his expression when I’d stepped between him and the group of rabid. Too distracted to realize that we worked better when we were in sync.
“Phoenix—” He saw it on my face then, but it was too late.
He didn’t have time to move when the man on the balcony smirked and threw the metal device in our direction.
And I didn’t have time to think. I grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him hard behind a row of seats.
I didn’t understand the pure agony on his face as I tried to roll out of the way too, but didn’t quite make it before the sound of an explosion made my ears ring. The pain radiating along my body left me with one final vision.
Aubrey’s face full of wide-eyed panic and terror as darkness dragged me under.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
AUBREY
It wasn’tPhoenix that I was seeing when the explosive the raider threw landed and the force of it sent him flying back. It wasn’t Phoenix that I saw when the rabid they’d let loose on us started to swarm.
At least, it wasn’tjustPhoenix.
I was seeing double—the ghost of a man I’d thought I’d never see again, the soft blue eyes of Bishop looking at me with one last smile before he threw himself into an entire horde of rabid to keep me safe.
And there was Phoenix, looking at me with a furious scowl as he grabbed me by the shoulder and put himself between me and the danger, trying to do the same.
There was Phoenix, lying as still and quiet on the ground as I’m sure Bishop had after he’d tried to take everything on alone to make sure that I didn’t die.
I was seeing a perfect play of what had probably happened to him right in front of me.
Only this time, I was awake.
This time, I could move.
And this time, I could do something.
