Joker’s eyes filled with fear. “Tell her—tell her that I—”
Asher shook his head. “You aren’t dying, so there’s nothing to tell. Keep your focus on me and let them work, all right? Now, squeeze my hand. There we go. Don’t stop squeezing, okay?”
I looked over at Chloe, who stood off in the corner, her entire body shivering in the shadows from the scene unfolding in front of her. I walked over and stood in front of her, blocking her view as I crossed my arms over my chest. I watched Notch and Ruby work at lightning speed, numbing the man up and pulling the bullet from his gut. There were some pretty rough things they had to do in order to get the man stable, but once they had him sewn up, everything seemed to calm down a bit.
And as Asher and Stone helped the man down the hallway toward the back of the warehouse, Chloe’s trembling touch appeared on my lower back.
“I need to go lay down,” she whispered.
I turned and gazed down at the top of her head. “Come with me, then. We can eat our food in bed if you’re still hungry.”
She grimaced. “No food. Just—just sleep.”
And without another word spoken, I led her back to her room.
Because I knew I’d never get back to sleep without knowing she was safe and sound in her bedroom before I went back to my own.
Six
Chloe
I’d been in several shitty situations before over the course of my lifetime, but I’d never witnessed anything like that. A man almost died in front of me, and my best friend was able to keep her cool while I had been rendered completely and utterly useless. I meandered through the hallways that West guided me down until we stood next to my bed. I folded my arms over my chest and crawled beneath the covers, wanting nothing more than to sleep this nightmare away. Lexi, Ruby, and Notch all knew what to do while I had stood there, completely devoid of purpose. And while I had been rendered speechless at the way my best friend of all time leapt into action without a second thought, it didn’t stop me from feeling like I didn’t belong.
Like I was totally out of my element in a place like this.
“You all right?” West asked.
He pulled a chair up to the side of my bed as I laid there, staring at the wall over his shoulder. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
He tilted his head. “You sure about that?”
I turned onto my other side, my back facing him. “I said I’m fine, West. Just take it for what it’s worth.”
“Okay,” he murmured.
I didn’t want him seeing me like this. I didn’t want him seeing me scared, weak, and purposeless. I hated looking weak. I hated making people feel like they were obligated to take care of me, or make me feel better. It made me feel indebted to people, and I couldn't stand that feeling.
But he didn’t let up. “Chloe, that situation back there—”
I groaned. “Jesus Christ, already, Lexi is my best fucking friend. You think I haven’t seen a gunshot wound before?”
“Since it’s not your profession, no.”
I scoffed. “Well, get used to the fact that you’re not the end-all-be-all when it comes to knowledge regardingmylife.”
A subtle knock came at the door before it cracked open. “Chloe?”
Lexi’s voice relaxed me a bit and I quickly turned over. “Hey, are you okay?”
She slipped inside and closed the door behind her. “I wanted to come check on you, actually. You looked a bit spooked there for a while.”
West’s eyes burrowed a hole into the profile of my face, but I didn’t let it bother me. “I was just taking it all in. You know how I am.”
She came and perched on the edge of my bed. “Yes, I do know how you are, which is why I wanted to come check on you.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine, Lexi, you know this.”
She darted her eyes over toward West. “Could you give us a minute or two?”
