Another man dressed in black combat gear and a skull mask moves quietly to Aiden’s side and kneels beside him. He glances in our direction before turning his focus to my brother.
Hawk moves out of the shadows, a black face mask over his nose and mouth, but his white-blond hair stands out in the dark. He watches the man in combat gear for a split second before seething rage flares in his eyes.
Brandon sucks his teeth and points the barrel of the gun at my head. “Mickey was right about?—”
Hawk snatches the knife from the man in the ghost mask, hooks his arm around Brandon’s throat, and brings the blade in front of him. He thrusts the knife into Brandon’s chest, stabbing him repeatedly and holding him in a headlock to keep him from escaping as he flails.
The man in the ghost mask points to Aiden and says to me, “Go to him. He needs you.”
I scramble onto my hands and knees before pushing onto my feet.
“Aiden!” I sprint to him.
The man kneeling beside him doesn’t spare me a glance when I drop to my knees beside him. He finishes covering Aiden’s bullet wound with duct tape on his skin. He stuffs the roll of tape into his cargo pocket and gathers Aiden into his arms.
“He barely has a pulse,” he says to me, then stands while holding Aiden’s lifeless body.
I tilt back my head as the man holding my brother towers over me. He’s a literal giant made of solid muscle and tattoos creeping out of the neckline of his black shirt. He cradles Aidenas if he weighs nothing. My brother’s head lolls against the crook of the man’s elbow, his arms and legs lifeless.
He glances at Hawk and Ryder, who joined to drag Brandon toward the cabin. “Where’s Haze? We need to get him to the hospital.”
A woman with long black hair runs toward us. “Get him to the car, Felix.”
Felix tightens his hold on Aiden before jogging toward the side of the cabin. I follow him and can barely keep up with his long strides.
“Go with them. I got it from here,” Ryder yells as Hawk looks conflicted.
It’s chaos in the front. People run to their cars to leave, while others stay behind and fight Brandon’s friends. I spot Jaxon beating a man in a motorcycle helmet.
Felix stops at a black classic Mustang with Haze behind the wheel. I duck past Felix and open the back door for him.
“You first,” he says.
I crawl onto the white leather seat and turn so my back is against the door. Felix guides Aiden into the back seat and props him against me with his head resting against my chest. Hawk slips past him and rests Aiden’s legs over his lap, and I couldn’t be any more grateful that he’s coming with us. Felix shuts the door and rushes toward the cabin.
Haze glances over his shoulder at us in the back seat, his mask gone and blood smeared over his hands. The woman from earlier joins him in the front seat.
“Ready to break some fucking laws?” Haze smirks at us before turning forward and sticking the key into the ignition.
I bury my face in Aiden’s hair and squeeze my eyes shut, fighting back the tears. “Please don’t leave me, pretty boy,” I whisper.
He’s barely making any noise now, not even the bone-chilling rattles from trying to breathe. I don’t know if it’s because of the duct tape over his chest to prevent the air from escaping his lungs or what, but he’s too quiet, and I can’t unhear what Felix said about him barely having a pulse.
The Mustang’s engine purrs to life and growls as Haze steps on the gas. The car spins, and I’m slammed into the seat. I tighten my hold on Aiden and use my injured shoulder to bear the brunt of the impact. My teeth grit together from the blinding pain.
A shrill ring fills my ears, drowning out the Mustang and my racing heart. Sweat beads on my temples, and I swallow repeatedly, fighting the tickle in the back of my throat from wanting to retch.
Haze says something, but it’s warbled and doesn’t make sense.
I focus on Aiden. My body fights my mind, dragging me nearer to unconsciousness, but my will is stronger. I cling to Aiden and watch his chest, needing to see that he’s breathing.
Black dots crawl into the corners of my vision, creeping closer to the middle. I sway, and I’m not sure if it’s me or Haze’s driving. All I know is that I can’t hold still, so I find five things I can see.
Aiden’s silver hair.
Stay awake, Nova.
The black duct tape on Aiden’s bloody chest.
