The decision was taken out of his hands. Something large crashed just out of view on the other side of the stage.Fucking Lattie. The man was determined to get himself killed. Chloe’s singing abruptly cut off with a small, startled yelp. Savoy’s weapon hand swung in the direction the noise had come from, and Erik had the shot. But in that split-second, something came over him. Something primal. Something he didn’t fully understand. He didn’twant to put a bullet in Savoy’s head. That would be too easy, too quick, too merciful. Erik wanted to kill Savoy with his bare hands.
He charged forward, closing the distance, and in his periphery, he saw Jayla snap her restraints and roll to her feet. Savoy spun on Erik and fired. One shot went wide, the other punched into his shoulder, but he didn’t slow down. His body collided with Savoy’s, driving them both to the floor.
On the edge of his vision, he saw Jayla grab Chloe, ducking her low and hustling her off stage while Lattie frantically motioned them toward him and safety.
Erik slammed Savoy’s weapon hand against the stage, once, twice, bone meeting wood, and the pistol discharged, the shot hitting close enough to the women to make Chloe scream.
“Chloe?!”
“We’re fine!” Jayla shouted back. “Finish him!”
Erik and Savoy grappled as they both fought for the upper hand. Savoy was fast and brutal as he landed in the top position; each strike felt like a blow from a sledgehammer. Blood filled Erik’s mouth, his cheek burned from where Savoy had laid it open with his fist, and his shoulder throbbed. Erik blocked a grab for his throat and countered with a hard knee to Savoy’s ribs, then slammed a hand into the man’s already broken nose.
Savoy reared back with a shout, one hand covering his face, but he recovered quickly. Erik bellowed as white-hot agony seared him.Savoy’s thumb had found the bullet wound in his shoulder and dug deep.
The man bared his teeth, reveling in the pain he was causing, until his gaze flicked to Erik’s cheek. The bleeding stopped, the torn flesh sealed. Erik saw the shock in the man’s eyes and took advantage. He twisted, threw Savoy off, and both men scrambled to their feet.
Savoy drew a tactical Bowie as they circled each other. “What the hell are you?!” He lunged, slashing, and the carbon steel blade sliced Erik’s palm, then bit into his forearm. The wounds closed, and Savoy’s disbelief turned to fear. Erik used it. Rushing Savoy, he seized the man’s wrist, turned into his body, and broke the forearm mid-shaft. The man screamed as bone tore through flesh and blood bloomed through Savoy’s sleeve. Erik snatched the knife, and in a quick thrust, he drove it up under Savoy’s ribs, angled for the heart.
Savoy let out a strangled, gurgling sound as blood bubbled from his lips. His eyes were wide with shock, his voice barely a whisper as he forced out, “What… are you?”
A monsterwas on the tip of his tongue until, for an instant, Erik saw Chloe’s face and heard her voice in his memory.“Erik, you’re a survivor too.”He leaned in close to Savoy, his voice low and steady. “I’m a survivor.”
With a last rattling exhale, the light went out of Savoy’s eyes. It was over. Dropping the body, Erik felt thepressure increase in his shoulder as his healing ability pushed the bullet out. The slug expelled, rolled down his pec, and hit the stage with a quiet ping as muscle and skin knitted closed. He’d need to call Black Bay, get a cleanup crew here, but first, he wanted to check on Chloe.
He found her backstage, and for a brief moment, his brain couldn’t register what he was seeing. She was on the floor, on her knees, a phone to her ear as tears streamed down her stricken face. Lattie was directly across from her, kneeling, his ascot removed, and between them was Jayla’s prone body, Lattie’s hands clamped over her lower back as dark red liquid oozed out underneath his palms.
“Jayla!”
Racing forward, he dropped down beside her, close to her head, and took her hand in his. Jayla’s blue eyes, when she opened them, were bloodshot and hazy with pain. “Bastard… shot me.”
“Stay with me, Jayla.”
She tried to smile, but it came out more as a grimace. “Where… would I go? Can’t… move.”
With his free hand, he ripped out his phone and used a voice command to call Black Bay as Chloe’s voice penetrated his brain. She was on the phone with 911 dispatch. She’d called an ambulance. When his call connected, he barked, “This is Shadow Two. Shadow One’s down, I repeat, Jayla’s down. Gunshot wound to the back. I need immediate medevac.” He rattled off the address. “LZ is secure, and local paramedics are inbound.”
“Copy, Shadow Two. Air transport en route. Have medics prep for transfer.”
Call ended, he dropped his phone and leaned in close to Jayla’s ear. “Bird’s inbound, Jayla. Hold on.”
His grip tightened on her hand, and he found the pulse in her neck with the fingers of his other hand. Jayla squeezed her eyes shut, a tear spilling over. Her face was pale, tight with pain, and she was breathing in short, shallow bursts. Her voice was barely a whisper, but he heard her. “I can’t… feel… my legs.”
Fuck! FUCK!
This was on him. If he had taken that shot…
Lattie shifted, pressing harder on the wound. His eyes were glassy with unshed tears as they met Erik’s. “She’s losing a lot of blood.”
“Keep the pressure on. I can hear the sirens.”
Lattie nodded rapidly as a tear streaked down his face.
The sirens blared, drawing closer, and he told Jayla, “I need to go meet the ambulance.”
She nodded just slightly, and her weak grasp on his hand released. Erik stood. “Keep the pressure on until they tell you to move,” he told Lattie. To Chloe, he said, “I need you to get clear, give them room to work.” He helped her to her feet and pulled her off to the side. Quietly, he asked, “Are you okay? Were you hurt?” She was shaking, likely in shock, but he couldn’t see any injuries.
She shook her head, her teary eyes never leaving Jayla.
