“Yeah,” Kyle said with a nod as he carefully removed it and held his flashlight over the wound. “Sierra made us play Clue for like three hours.”
“What?” Ava drew her chin back to her chest.
“It was as horrific as you can imagine,” Kyle said before he clicked his tongue. “No exit wound? Come on. Why can’t these guys get a clean shot off, huh?”
“No exit wound,” she answered.
Kyle glanced up at Sebastian. “Well, he’s conscious.”
“He wasn’t when I got here.”
“I’m not surprised, probably the pain brought him back,” Kyle said. “He needs a hospital.”
“No!” Sebastian barked.
Kyle screwed up his face. “Easy, Shadow, I get it. Like I was saying, he needs a hospital. This bullet needs to come out, and he really should have some blood, but clearly that’s not an option.”
“Nope,” Ava said. “Can you remove the bullet here?”
“Here?” Kyle asked as he glanced around. “It’s gross here. I wouldn’t bandage a paper cut here let alone remove a bullet.”
“Can he be moved?” she questioned.
Kyle winced. “He’s going to have to be. But to where? We can’t exactly roll him into your place along with you who is supposed to be dead.”
“The cabin,” she answered.
“That’s an hour away,” Alex answered. “Is he going to make that?”
“He’s going to have to. It’s our only option.”
She dug the van’s keys from Sebastian’s pocket and tossed them to Alex. “You’re driving, babe.”
“Anyone have any ideas how we move Muscles here? He’s not exactly light,” Alex said.
Ava held a finger in the air. “I don’t know where you came in at, but I came past the laundry. There were laundry carts.”
“Too bad the elevators don’t work, Sparky.”
“It’ll be better than carrying him down the stairs,” she shot back over her shoulder as she hurried from the room.
She raced down toward the laundry room, veering off as she spotted room service carts. “Perfect,” she said as she grabbed one and pushed it toward the stairs before she tugged it up them.
She wheeled it into the room, catching her breath as she positioned it next to him.
“Nice, Ava,” Kyle said. “Flat surface. Better than stuffing him into the cart. You grab his feet, Mav, and I’ll get his arms.”
Sebastian groaned in pain as they lifted him and struggled to set him on the table.
“Wow, he’s heavy. Why is he so heavy?” Kyle asked as he puffed for breath.
“Next time, don’t bench press your weight, bro,” Alex said with a shake of his head. “Come on.”
Kyle and Alex manipulated the table into the hall and carefully down the stairs with an intense effort before they could finally wheel him out in the night air.
After loading Sebastian into the back, Alex climbed into the drive seat of the van and fired the engine.
Kyle kept pressure against Sebastian’s wound as Ava held him steady. Every bump and bend made her wince as she tried to keep close tabs on his vitals.
