"Fuck, that's gotta hurt," I whisper as Giovanni begins screaming in pain. My gun is still trained on him, and my vengeance is so potent I can almost fucking taste it. I need to kill him before the agents come busting in and ruin my plans.
But a sharp sob coming from Adeline tears me from my homicidal thoughts. Turning, I take a step towards her before stopping suddenly. She's on the floor, and one hand is pressed against her stomach. And the other hand is outstretched towards me, shaking and…covered in blood.
CHAPTER 43
LUCIEN
MY FIRST THOUGHT is that Adeline had somehow been shot or hurt during the chaotic melee.
I tuck my gun away and rush over to her, trying to block the thought of blood out of my mind. She's hurt, and that has to take precedence right now. I force my fucked-up mind to focus on Adeline and her alone, her health and wellbeing and not anything else around us.
Cradling Adeline in my arms, her entire body trembles and her breath hitches with sobs as tears streak down frighteningly pale cheeks.
"Where are you hurt? Were you shot?" I demand, the tremor in my voice giving away my underlying panic. I try to pry her hand away from her stomach so I can assess the damage, but she won't budge, and I don't want to hurt her any more than she's already obviously hurting.
She shakes her head and mutters something I can't understand, but I'm able to catch one word —baby.
"Baby," I whisper. "What baby?"
"Our…our baby," she gasps before her green eyes roll into the back of her head. She collapses, and I catch her limp form in my arms. I stare down at her rounded stomach under her shirt. I didn't notice it at first, because she's obviously not far along…but holy fuck…Adeline is pregnant.
When my eyes drift further down her body and notice the blood soaking the front of her jeans, a lump forms in my throat as tears sting my eyes.
Fuck.
She needs help.Ourbabyneeds help.
"Jackson!" I call. When he doesn't show his face immediately, I find myself shouting his name. "Jackson!"
Moments later, he hurries into the room with Katya by his side and a gun drawn. But the moment he sees us, he shoves the gun into his waistband and runs over, collapsing onto his knees beside Adeline's unconscious body in my arms.
He rests his fingers on her neck, checks her pulse and meets my eyes. "W-what happened?" he asks, his anxiety mirroring me.
My brain slowly puts the puzzle together even though I can't believe what I'm about to tell him. "She's…she's pregnant," I spit out in disbelief.
Jackson's eyes flare with surprise, and then slowly peruse her body, taking in the blood staining her clothes and hand. His expression settles into a look of understanding…and perhaps acceptance. "We have to get her to a hospital right now," he says harshly. He reaches for her, but I shake my head.
Standing with her in my arms, I pull her against my chest, breathing in her scent mixed with the metallic smell of her blood. My shoulder aches, but I block out the pain, refusing to let her go.
Jackson gives me a stern nod before saying, "We're going to have to take one of their cars. Where's Wraith?"
I'm about to tell Jax that he's busy with Giovanni, but I see that the FBI agents are handcuffing Giovanni and leading him out the door. "Wraith!" I call. When his attention is on me, I tell him, "We need a vehicle. Now!"
Wraith nods before bolting out the door. Jax grabs Katya's arm and leads us to the front of the house. "Wait! Who is she? What's going on?" Katya asks, fighting against his grip, but Jax is not having any of it.
Just as we step outside, Jax stops and grabs her arms, pulling her towards him so that only an inch of space separates their faces. I've never seen him this angry or upset before, and it scares the shit out of me.
"I'm done playing these games with you, Katya!" he yells. "I need you to fucking listen to me just this once!" he growls, and I don't think I've ever heard Jackson talk like that to anyone…ever.
His demeanor right now tells me a lot. It tells me that he's scared and worried…and that Adeline's condition is much worse than what I can possibly imagine.
A black SUV comes to a squealing, sudden stop several feet from the front entrance. Wraith is out of the driver's seat and rounding the back of the vehicle before I can blink. He opens the passenger side doors, and I gently rest Adeline on the soft, dark leather seat before climbing in beside her.
Jackson pushes Katya into the front passenger side and slams her door before climbing in the back behind me.
"Where to?" Wraith asks when he gets behind the steering wheel once again, gripping it tightly with his large hands.
"The nearest hospital," Jackson instructs Wraith as he opens an app on his phone to find the closest one.
