Wren’s on Elena in a flash, twisting her wrist. Elena howls, then slams her knee into Wren’s gut. Wren flies back, hitting the wall hard.Fuck.
Elena’s got the gun again, barrel swinging between me and the kid. Her eyes are wild, pupils blown. She’s gone full psycho.
“You want to suffer, D?” She cackles, finger twitching on the trigger. “Watch your precious family die.”
Everything slows down. I see Wren coming at Elena from the side, face twisted in rage. But she’s too far. Too slow.
The gun fires.
I move without thinking, spinning to shield the kid. Pain explodes in my back. Once. Twice. Like being hit with a sledgehammer.
Through the haze, I hear another shot. Elena’s head snaps back, a red mist spraying. Wren’s standing there, gun smoking.
My knees give out. The kid’s screaming, but it sounds far away. Wren’s face swims into view, pale and terrified.
“D! Stay with me!” Wren’s voice cuts through the fog that’s clouding my mind. I try to respond, but my mouth’s full of copper, my tongue heavy and useless. All that comes out is a wet gurgle.
The numbness spreading through my body is a bad sign. Can’t feel my legs, and the rest of me’s not far behind. The kid’s still clinging to me, his tiny body shaking against mine. I’ve got to stay awake. For him. For Wren.
Someone shouts, “Zimniy!”
The shout snaps my head up, sending the room spinning like a fucked-up carousel. Through the haze, I see him. Thatsuka, standing there looking all high and mighty with his piece out. Before I can even think of moving, Oleg’s there, putting himself between Zimniy and us.
Two shots ring out, loud and sharp. Oleg stumbles, red blooming on his chest like some sick flower. But the toughbastard doesn’t go down. His gun comes up, and he fires off three shots in quick succession.
Bam. Bam. Bam.
Zimniy dances away, dodging bullets like the slippery fuck he’s always been. More shots echo through the room, muzzle flashes lighting up the space like a demented disco. I can’t tell who’s firing anymore; everything’s a blur of noise and light.
Wren’s got her arms around me and the kid, trying to drag us back. Her face is contorted with effort, teeth gritted as she pulls. “Stay awake, D! Don’t you dare check out on us!” she growls.
I want to nod, to tell her I’m trying, but my head’s too heavy. The world’s going fuzzy at the edges, darkness creeping in, no matter how hard I fight it.
The kid’s hand finds mine, his tiny fingers slick with blood. My blood?Fuck.
I’ve got to stay awake. Got to protect them. But everything’s fading. Wren’s voice, the gunshots, it’s all getting farther away, like I’m sinking underwater.
The last thing I see is the kid’s face, tears cutting clean trails through the blood and grime on his cheeks.
The darkness creeps in, but I fight it. Just a little longer. Just need to hear her voice one more time.
And there it is. Wren’s voice, “Don’t you fucking die on me. Not now, not ever. You stay with me, you hear?”
I want to tell her it’s okay.
I want to tell her Imissher.
But the words won’t come.
Her sobs fade, replaced by a high-pitched ringing. Then… nothing but darkness.
74
Wren
Idon’t sleep.
No.Not whenheis fighting for his life in the operating room.
