Page 65 of Let Me Protect You

Elias signals to Serenity and me, and in unison, we all move together, closing in on Mr. Smith. Sully gets the other man and turns him around before slapping a pair of handcuffs on him. The rest of Mr. Smith’s men—only a few remained, including Patrick—rush over to us, but the sound of sirens wailing in the distance make them hesitate. Elias positions himself in front of me, his shoulders hunched and his breathing ragged. I place my hand on his back, if only to feel him, to prove to myself that he’s still here.

“Get them,” Sully says to Victor’s remaining guards, and they all move at once.

Most of the remaining criminals disperse, leaving their leader with Sully. But Patrick stays, and he raises his gun. He nods at something Mr. Smith must be trying to communicate to him silently. Then he turns his weapon on Victor.

The sirens get closer. Maybe they’ll get here before … A click and then a piercing crack explodes. I cover my ears at the sudden sound, and everything that happens next is like in slow motion. Victor falls backward, and a loud thud sounds as his head whacks against the concrete floor. I lunge forward. No thoughts enter my brain as I reach for his still body. Blood flows out of his gunshot wound, soaking my hands, and covering the surrounding floor at too fast of a rate for him to survive.

Police officers run inside, and one of them screams, “Police! Raise your hands!”

“Over here,” I shout. “We need an ambulance.”

Mr. Smith’s men don’t stop. The officers chase after them. Abigail runs in behind them. Her eyes are red and puffy, tears streaking down her face.

“Thank God they got here in time—” She cuts herself off as she drops to her knees beside me.

A sob escapes me. Elias is wounded and Victor … His already white skin is getting paler by the second. The puddle of blood is growing, pooling around us. He’s not going to last much longer if we don’t do something. I start tugging on my shirt, trying to rip off a piece, but my hands tremble.

“Here,” Sully says, moving to my side. “I’ll wrap him up. I’ve done it hundreds of times.”

Serenity kneels down beside him, and they speak in low voices as they get to work on Victor. I push to my feet to go to Elias. He may still be standing, but his condition is still unknown.

“An ambulance is on the way,” a voice I don’t recognize says from behind us. “No more than five minutes.”

Five minutes. That’s a lifetime away. I wrap Elias’s arm around my shoulder again, and he squeezes me. He’s offering his support even though he also needs to get to the hospital.

I look up at Elias to say something. One moment, he’s standing in front of me, and the next, he suddenly collapses. I try to catch him, but he’s too heavy and pulls me down with him.

***

Paramedics took Victor and Elias away in ambulances. After the remaining, non-wounded, gave statements, we arrive at Baloff Hospital—the same hospital I went to after the nightclub incident, and we rush inside the ER. A few people cast looks our way. I can only imagine how I look considering Serenity’s and Abigail’s hair is messed up and their makeup smudged. But how I look is the least of my worries.

On the way over, I called Vicki and Kami. They were in their cars before we even hung up.

The ambulance should have already arrived, so we hurry to the front desk.

“C-can we see Elias Sanchez, please?” I ask, trying and failing to keep my voice steady.

The lady finishes typing something into her computer before she looks up at us. “He’s currently in surgery. Someone will let you know as soon as you can see him.”

I nod and stumble over to a chair and sink down. Neither Abigail nor Serenity speak as they take their seats beside me. Elias started to look extremely pale toward the end, but I didn’t realize it was bad enough for surgery. He was moving around, talking, and standing. And then he just wasn’t. He should’ve left with Abigail when I went to help Serenity.

What a stupid, stupid man.

Why would he value saving my life over his own? Now, he’s the one fighting for his life. I can’t lose him for good either.

The automatic doors open, and a cold gust of wind rushes Vicki and Kami inside. They both wear oversized pajamas. Vicki’s hair sticks up in different directions, while Kami’s is pulled back into a messy bun.

“Where is he?” Vicki asks, hurrying over to me.

“Surgery.”

“Surgery?” Her voice screeches so loud everyone in the waiting room turns to look at us again. “Is he okay?”

She keeps rambling off questions I have zero answers to. “I don’t know.” I bury my face in my hands, and tears streak down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry. All of this h-happened because of m-me. If only I hadn’t gone on Everlasting Love, his life never would’ve been in danger.”

“None of this is your fault,” Serenity says, pulling me into a hug. I bury my face into her neck, and my whole body shakes as I continue to sob.

“H-he was already retired, and I-I pulled him back in.” My words came out in a jumbled, incoherent mess. “It’s all my fault.”