“I love him.”
Christ.
“Now I’ve seen the pair of you loved up, I know you’ll understand. You’re gay too.” He gave a short laugh. “I hadn’t guessed. Does Dila Fox know? Stop fucking moving,” he screamed at Newt who’d edged a little closer to Barney.
Shit, he’s crazy.“Okay, okay,” River said. “You love Harry. That’s g…great. I don’t understand what…that has to do…with you…holding a gun on us.” Though River suspected he did. What the hell were they going to do? He had zero ideas.
“Every role he wanted, you got. He was devastated. He had a chance atKaden’s Monsterand now he hasn’t. Well, he hadn’t. But when you’re not available… Tragedy for some, good fortune for others.”
“What are you going to do?” Newt asked. “Shoot both of us?”
“Well, duh.” Barney turned the gun on River and fired.
Nineteen
As Barney started to speak, Newt leapt towards him, and at the same time shoved River sideways. The gun went off as he knocked Barney to the floor.Oh fuck. Please don’t let that have hit River.But he couldn’t risk checking, he had to disarm this idiot. He wrapped his hands around Barney’s wrist and twisted, trying to make him drop the gun and at the same time keep it pointing away from him and River. Barney slammed his fist into Newt’s head, over and over but Newt didn’t let go.
“River, stay back!” Newt called.
Barney was stronger than him but if Newt didn’t get the weapon out of his hand, both he and River were dead.
“Get the fuck off me!” Barney yelled.
Newt pressed a knee low into Barney’s belly and although he cried out, he didn’t release the gun. Newt wrapped his fingers around the barrel, trying to push it up and away from his body.
“River! Are you all right?” Newt yelled.
He was too quiet. Newt’s heart stuttered. If River was all right, he’d have interfered by now regardless of what Newt had said.
Barney laughed. “He’s not getting up again.”
What?Fury fuelled Newt then. He made one final desperate effort to get the gun out of Barney’s hand, and it went off between their bodies. Newt felt as if he’d been punched in the chest.Oh fuck.Am I shot?For a few seconds, he couldn’t move. His chest hurt, his ears were ringing and he could smell gunpowder…and blood.
He rolled off Barney who wasn’t moving. Newt brushedhis hand down his blood-soaked chest. He hadn’t been shot, Barney had. Not dead but… Newt scrambled for River and took the gun with him. When he reached River’s side, he howled. River was covered in blood and unconscious. Newt fumbled his phone from his pocket and called 9-9-9.
“Police and ambulance,” he blurted. “Two gunshot victims.” As he gave the address, he grabbed tea towels from the drawer and pressed them against River’s side. He could hear Barney moaning, but he could go fuck himself. Newt slipped the gun into the drawer he’d opened, closed it, and stroked River’s head.
“Wake up,” he whispered. “River, River! Oh fuck. Wake up!”
Newt’s heart was racing. How could this have happened? It didn’t feel real. But it was. All Newt could do was try to stop River bleeding until help arrived. Then he spotted blood under River’s head and his world fell apart.Another head injury? Oh Christ.He pushed to his feet and glanced over at Barney. He hadn’t moved and his eyes were closed.Fucking bastard.
He needed to open the gates and the door so the paramedics could get in. Newt didn’t want to leave River, even for a moment, but he had no choice. He was quick and nothing had changed when he got back. He knelt by River’s side. He wanted to know the extent of the injury to his head but the blood wasn’t pouring out and he figured it was safer to keep River still. He put his hand over the tea towel and pressed down on his side.
Don’t die, don’t die, don’t die.
Newt watched River’s chest rise and fall. Willed him to keep breathing.He talked to him, told him to hang on, that help was coming, that he’d be all right. He’d hardly had thechance to come to terms with Phelan dying in his arms. He’d rather think about his brother than consider the worst-case scenario with River. When he’d lain down next to Phelan, he’d felt only love. Bright, fierce love. All that had happened in the past was no longer a concern at that moment. Because Phelan was leaving this world and Newt would never see him again. That couldn’t happen again. Not again.
Please don’t let River die too.
“Don’t you dare die,” Newt whispered. “Keep breathing. I’m going to be so pissed off if you don’t open your eyes and tell me to shut up.” He knew he was babbling but he couldn’t stop talking. While he was talking, River would stay alive. “You’re going to be fine. I’m here. Keep breathing.
When he finally heard vehicles pulling onto the drive, he exhaled shakily. “In here,” he shouted. “In here! Help!”
Armed police came in first and Newt’s adrenaline spiked as his mind ricocheted back to when he was seventeen.
“Hands in the air,” someone shouted.
Newt stayed on his knees but put up his hands.
