Taking a strangled breath, I force my knee up, my foot planted firmly against the concrete as blood pools beneath me. “Come on,” she cries, pulling hard. “Push your giant ass up.”
I give it my all, pushing upright with every last ounce of energy that pulses through my veins, and the moment I’m back on two feet, Aria bears my weight on her shoulder, the two of us in absolute agony as we make our way across the street. Freedom is only a breath away.
28
ARIA
Ain’t no way this big motherfucker is about to die on me. I’ll kill him for even trying. Okay, I probably won’t kill him. He’s already going through enough pain for the two of us, but I’ll sure as fuck put a bullet in his ass if he’s not careful.
I drag his ass across the road, and with every agonizing step, it gets harder to hold him up. My bones threaten to snap inside my body, but I push through, determined to save him just as he’s always been right there to save me too.
Reaching the black Dodge Charger, I drag Stone around to the passenger’s side, and he collapses against the impeccable paint job, holding himself up. I open the door, and as I quickly try to help him into the car, I glance back toward the restaurant to see men standing out on the street, eyeing us with caution, more than just a few of them on the phone, either calling us in or checking in with their boss.
Stone grunts. “Go, Menace. They’ll track us. You need to fly before they get the chance.”
Noted.
Leaving him to collapse into the car and sort himself out, I race around the other side, almost skidding to a halt as I reach the driver’s door, and tear it open. I dive through the opening and sit on the very edge of the chair, not having a moment to adjust the seating before jamming the key into the ignition and kicking this fucker over.
Stone releases the handbrake for me, not wanting to waste another second as I hit the gas and take off, whipping into the road. It must be at least two or three in the morning as the roads are dead, not a soul in sight apart from the men who spill out onto the road in my rearview mirror.
“Fuck,” I breathe, pushing the Charger to its limits as I fly through the streets, having no idea where I am or where I’m supposed to be going. I just drive, desperate to get as far from here as I can. I take shaky breaths, trying to calm myself as my heart threatens to beat right out of my chest. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
“You’re okay, Menace,” Stone says, his face turning a terrifying shade of white.
“But you’re not,” I say, reaching under the seat and pulling the lever to adjust its positioning. Then, gripping the steering wheel tighter, I use my ass to pull it forward. “I need to get you to the hospital.”
“Are you fucking crazy?” he mutters, gritting his teeth as the blood pours from the wound.
I shake my head, feeling like a complete idiot. It didn’t even occur to me that a hospital and doctors aren’t options here. All that mattered was keeping him alive. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Just focus on getting us out of the city, and then we’ll take it step by step,” he tells me, reaching across the center consoleand gently squeezing my thigh as though I’m the one who needs comforting here.
“I swear, Stone Blackthorne, if you die on me tonight, I’m gonna make your life a living hell,” I tell him, knowing damn well that logically makes no sense, but I’m on a roll, and nothing is going to keep my threats at bay tonight. “I’ll never forgive you.”
“Yep, I’m realizing that,” he tells me, breathing through the pain.
I spare him another glance while doing what I can to focus on the road, but it’s not easy, and the way he’s not getting any color back in his face is going to send me into a tailspin. “The bleeding’s not stopping,” I note. “How are you feeling?”
“It’s just a scratch.”
I scoff and send us flying around the corner. “You got shot. Beat almost to death. I’m pretty sure you have broken ribs, and you got knocked out cold on the street. Not to mention, I’m pretty sure that asshole in the warehouse might have shot you, too. It’s not just a scratch, but I appreciate you trying to play it down so I’ll stop freaking out.”
“Is it working?”
“No, not even a little bit. But do me a favor, if you’re going to pass out, give me the heads up, otherwise, I’m probably going to think that you’re dead, and that’s just going to fuck with any chance we might have of getting out of here.”
“We didn’t get this close to freedom just for me to die in a fucking Charger,” he mutters, reaching up and pressing his hand to his shoulder, trying to get just a semblance of control over the bleeding. “And besides, I haven’t had a chance to claim that sweet ass yet, and I’m not about to go out without experiencing that at least once.”
A barking laugh tears out of me, and as I glance at him, the emotional turmoil catches up to me. Tears spring to my eyes, butI carry on as though they’re not there. “So what I’m hearing is that if I never give up my ass, you’ll never be able to die.”
His brows furrow, and his head tips back against the headrest, closing his eyes as the exhaustion catches up to him. “Fuck, Menace. Don’t hit me with a loophole right now. Let me enjoy the idea of your ass before you steal it away.”
I can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. How is this man slowly dying beside me and still talking about fucking me? There must be something seriously wrong with his wiring. “You know you’re an idiot, right?”
“Says the woman who asked a demon to whip his dick out so she could check if it was barbed.”
“Hey, that’s some important shit right there, and for a man whose prostate is in his ass, you shouldn’t knock the demon dick until you’ve tried it. Could be a game changer.”
