He’s not moaning.
Nothing is coming from him.
And the silence is deafening.
I slide to the ground on my knees next to him, gravel biting into my skin, and bend down to feel next to his mouth. My heart’s racing so fast I can hardly breathe myself, panic clawing up my throat as I check for any signs of air, while Raoul grabs at his wrist.
Come on. Come on. Please.
The minutest, tiniest wave of air hits my cheek, so faint I almost think I imagined it, and I let out a long, shuddering sigh as I look at Raoul, tears filling my eyes once again. “He’s breathing.”
Raoul nods and winces. “His pulse is weak. But it’s there.”
Relief crashes into me so hard it hurts.
“Mercs… Kaden, babe? Can you hear me?” I murmur, my voice weak and cracking under the strain of the moment as I brush my fingers carefully through his hair, terrified to touch him too firmly.
He doesn’t reply.
My heart lurches into my throat as the sirens become closer and then stop at the end of the alley. The unmistakable sound of running footsteps hitting the concrete echoes, sharp and urgent. I glance up to see two policemen hurtling toward us. One is talking into the radio on his shoulder as they approach.
I look to Raoul, who nods to me, seeming to agree with my unspoken thoughts.
We need to protect Kiera.
Vex and his men can’t go after her.
She couldn’t possibly fend off these assholes.
I take a deep breath, steadying myself, as the first officer reaches us and bends down, wincing at the sight of Mercs. “Are you two okay?” he asks.
“We’re fine. But we need an ambulance for Kaden,” I demand, taking his hand and holding it tight, threading my fingers through his like I can anchor him here by sheer will, needing him to know I’m here for him, even if he can’t feel it.
“My partner is calling for one now. What happened? We had a radio call that a gang was attacking you?” he asks, leaning down over Mercs and assessing his injuries with quick, practiced movements.
I nod and glance at Raoul. “It was five men. Three with baseball bats and two with knuckle dusters. I think they were looking to beat someone up. They seemed pretty high. Kaden distracted them away from me while Raoul ran off to get me out of the way. The only problem is Kaden took their brutality… it was horrible. When they heard the sirens, they ran.”
Each lie tastes bitter.
But Kiera’s safety tastes sweeter.
He nods and takes a breath. “Did you get a look at any of them?” he asks, eyes sharp.
I glance at Raoul.
He shakes his head. “No, they were all wearing balaclavas. Couldn’t make out anything other than their red puffy eyes,” Raoul adds, bringing home the high aspect even more.
I nod and sniff, looking down at Kaden, his nose bleeding and split open, his eyes black and puffy, swelling already claiming his face. I shake my head, running my finger down the side of his cheek gently, barely grazing him. I don’t want to cause him any more pain than he’s already in.
“Okay, we’ll need you to make a statement at the station. And Kaden too, when he wakes up.”
I tense my shoulders, protective instinct flaring again. “Can we just get him to the hospital first, please?”
“Of course. It can wait. We’ve sent a patrol out to look for the assailants. We’ll do our best to find them.”
“Thank you,” I reply as I look down at Mercs, my grip tightening on his hand.
He groans slightly. The sound is faint, but it slices through me. His eyes blink a few times as he rolls on his side with a long, drawn-out moan. Mercs coughs, his groans becoming deeper, more strained, then suddenly he heaves aggressively, and I open my eyes wide when bright red blood spews from his mouth onto the ground, splattering all over the cop’s shoes.
