“They got me good, didn’t they?”
“Stop talking.” I press my palm over her chest, trying to suppress the excessive bleeding.
“If I die, promise me you won’t stop until you find Luna.”
“You will not fucking die.”
“I feel it,” she croaks out, tears swelling in her eyes. “It hit my heart, Hudson.”
“No, you’re not dying. You cannot die, Noelle.’’
She lifts her hand, and it’s a trembling mess. She brushes a strand of my hair out of my face, her feather-light touch causing my entire body to hurt. “I love you.’’
“I love you.’’
“Promise me.’’
Tears roll down my face, and I can barely see her through them. “Don’t do this to me, Noelle. You know I won’t hesitate topull the trigger and follow you.”
“Don’t you fucking dare. We have kids who need you.”
“They need you, too.”
“Promise me.”
A choked sob comes from me, and all I can do is nod. Her tear-stained cheeks hurt me more than I’m willing to admit, and the blood from her wound coats my hand. The warm liquid causes nausea to build inside my throat, and I can’t move.
“I promise,” I whisper.
She smiles, her hand falling from my cheeks. Slowly, her eyes close, and I’m scared I’ll never see them again.
“No, Noelle, baby, please.”
ELEVEN
“You’re going to get us all killed.”
Kaya’s commentary follows as I press on the gas pedal, my jaw clenching tightly. She managed to force Cove into the backseat with a mere glance, and somehow, the bastard listened.
“Would you quit getting on my nerves?”
Kaya leans in, then sniffs me. From the corner of my eye, I see her brows narrowing in suspicion; then, slowly, realization dawns on her. “You’ve been drinking.”
“So?” I scoff, tightening my grip on the steering wheel. “I needed something to boost my confidence.”
Raven snorts in the backseat, and I quickly glanceat him through the rearview mirror. His hair is up in a bun, a few curly strands falling over his forehead. Blair was right — he does look like a Barbie doll.
“Since when do you need confidence?”
“Let it go, Raven,” Cove sighs. “If getting slightly intoxicated helps him, then so be it.”
“Don’t encourage him!” Kaya scolds, shifting in her seat, unbuckling the seatbelt, and glaring at Cove. “A drink is fine. Did you people not notice the excessive amount of alcohol he’s been taking in on the daily?”
“It’s not that bad,” I defend, and I hate that I even have to defend myself against these lunatics. “Look, I needed a shot… for bravery.”
“You needed a shot for bravery,” Kaya repeats, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Right. The Ghost needed a shot for bravery. The same man who once upon a time massacred an entire prison without batting an eye?”
“How the hell do you know about that?”
