Page 16 of One for the Money

Carefully, I kneeled, brushing a hand over her legs, making sure they weren’t broken before shifting to be at her head. Ever so gently, I brushed her hair out of her face, damp with blood. I spotted the reason for the bleeding—a gash on her forehead. Smaller cuts and scrapes covered the rest of her face and neck, but they weren’t bleeding too badly. I held the flashlight in my mouth as I checked her pulse and let out a heavy sigh, feeling its strong beat under my touch. Only her right arm was visible, and from what I could tell, it wasn’t broken or damaged. With one hand, I held her neck using my forearm to support her head as I eased Von onto her back.

The pained groan that slipped out was music to my ears. However, any feelings of relief were lost at the sight of a piece of glass lodged into her side. It was hidden by her jacket and sat just under her ribs on the right side. I also noticed her left shoulder was dislocated, but that was an easy fix. Quickly leaning down, I closed my eyes and listened to her breathing. It was shallow, but it didn’t seem like she was struggling to get air, which I prayed meant the glass didn’t nick her lung. There was no way for me to gauge how big the shard of glass was, but it didn’t seem she was bleeding too badly.

Trying to be as careful as I could, I gathered her in my arms and hoisted her out of the grass. Then I walked along the road until it was free of debris and laid her back down. Moving as quickly as I could, I wrapped her head, set her shoulder, and did what I could to keep the glass from doing any more damage. I knew better than to yank it out—for all I knew, it was keeping her from bleeding out. Not once did she open her eyes, even though I got pained responses and saw her move all her limbs on her own.

That’s my dark angel, a fighter to the end.

Von was as stable as I was going to get her, so I pulled out the GPS, found our location, and searched for the nearest home. Curling my lip in irritation, I realized we were in the middle of fucking nowhere. In our effort to lose the tail, we’d gone away from people and lights. Then I spotted a building that was closer and grinned as I read the details. It was a veterinarian’s office, so even if no one were there, I would still be able to take care of Von. Not that I had a fucking clue what to do past the basics like a dislocated shoulder or managing some shitty stitches to close up a cut.

Von kept a doctor on staff at headquarters, but that didn’t help me in this situation. Standing, I warred against myself, knowing there wasn’t really any other option. Finally, I grabbed the flashlight and booked it back to where our bikes were located. Mine wasn’t an option, but I hadn’t looked at hers. Picking it up off its side, I walked around it slowly, checking the tires, fuel tank, and anything else that might render the bike useless. Seeing nothing, I straddled the thing and turned the key.

One thing any motorcycle didn’t take too well to was being tipped on its side. It took a few tries, but I got the bike running and revved the engine a few times to clear any issues. I chose to bypass the road and drove through the grass until I was pretty sure I was near Von. Overshooting just a little, I made my way back to her and left the bike running as I dismounted.

I’m sorry, my goddess, this is going to hurt, but you need to bear with the pain so I can get you someplace safe.

Motorcycles made for speed were not meant to carry two people. I ended up having to tie her wrists together so I could put them around my neck as I hugged her to my chest. Once settled on the bike, I put her legs over my hips and tied us together so she didn’t slide out if I took a corner. Knowing that wouldn’t get any better, I tilted my head back and looked up at the stars.

This is a warning to whatever being might be controlling this universe or our existence. If I lose her, then I will spend every last breath I have fucking this world over until it’s in ruin. There will be no one left for you to play with like pawns. Nope, you’ll be left with me, pissed off with nothing else to lose.

Satisfied with my message to the universe, I peeled off into the night, clutching the only thing in this world that mattered to me. Without any lights on, I almost missed the clinic, but there was a second entrance I turned into. I slowly circled the building using the headlight from the bike to see what I was dealing with. The sound of barking dogs rang out from inside the building, probably triggered by the sound of the bike.

Two security cameras covered the front and back entrances to the place. I spotted a large window covered in some sort of frosting to keep you from seeing inside. It was on the far side of the clinic, out of sight from either camera. Parking the bike behind the dumpster, I untied Von and laid her out on the short, mowed grass. The bandage on her head was soaking through, and the bleeding around the glass was worse as well. I’d expected transporting her would make matters worse, but staying put wasn’t an option. Keeping my helmet on with the tinted face shield down, I picked up a large rock and headed for the window.

I hurled the rock. It struck the glass, causing it to shatter but not break—anti-theft glass. It seems like the owners of this place weren’t complete idiots. Pulling out my gun, I aimed for the center where the glass was weakest. With one bullet, the whole sheet of glass crumbled, revealing a hallway with doors to treatment rooms. Pausing, I waited for an alarm to go off, but the clinic was silent except for the dogs. Using the rock, I knocked away all the remaining glass sticking out so I didn’t risk getting cut when I squeezed us both through the window.

Quickly, I returned to Von, checking her pulse again to ensure she wasn’t in worse shape after the ride here. My dark angel’s heart still beat strongly, demanding for me to get fucking moving. Stepping up into the window, I had to get my large-ass body in first before maneuvering Von in and avoid knocking the shard of glass. Once clear of the window, I strode down the hall, noting the numbers written on the doors. Finally, I came to a set of double doors where the sound of the dogs barking was almost deafening.

The doors were the ones you needed to push down on the bar to get the lock to disengage. It made sense if you want to prevent animals from escaping into the main area. Using my hip and then my shoulder, I shoved open the door. I now stood in a short hall—to the left was where the dogs were barking, so I went right. This was a simple swinging door, so I kicked it in and grunted, seeing three shiny silver exam tables. They were a little too short, and Von’s legs extended past the table, but it would do the job.

Flicking on the light, I yanked off my helmet before searching the cabinets for things I’d need. My frustration grew as I slammed the last cabinet door closed, unable to find any medication or items I required to stitch Von up.

“Who the fuck are you?” a deep male voice demanded.

Whirling around, I had my gun at the ready, aimed at the man’s head. The second he saw the weapon, he froze, hands up, but anger was written all over his face.

“Look, we have no money here, and the drugs we keep on hand won’t do you any good,” the man informed me. “I’m telling you this is a lost cause. Just walk away, and we’ll pretend this never happened.”

This idiot thought I was a junky looking to score drugs, which made it obvious that he hadn’t met many tweaked-out junkies in his life. Taking in his appearance, with his red hair buzzed short and a matching-colored beard which was well maintained, I got the sense he came from money. Then again, he carried himself like a man who knew how to handle himself in a fight. My gaze landed on words stitched onto his scrub shirt—Dr. Erik Koller, Veterinary Surgeon.

Von groaned and shifted, drawing both our attention. Keeping my gun trained on the good doctor, I moved to check on her and noticed the gauze around the glass was soaked with blood. It would seem time had run out, and Von needed help now.

Without considering the man might not know what I was saying, I made my demands known. “She needs medical attention, fix her.”

“I’m a vet… you know a doctor who works on animals. I can’t help her,” Erik snapped.

My eyes narrowed on him. “What will it take?”

“You can’t be serious. Let me call for an ambulance, and we can get her real help,” he countered, pulling out his cell.

Before he could even dial the number, I squeezed the trigger, taking out the phone and grazing the side of his upper arm.

“Fuck me, son of a bitch,” Erik swore, clapping a hand over his arm. “How the hell am I supposed to help your friend if you fucking shoot me? What if that didn’t graze me? I’m right-handed.”

Bearing my teeth in a snarl, I took a step forward. “I don’t miss. I hit exactly what I wanted to. Now fucking help her, or I swear to you I will kill every goddamn animal in this building and make you watch while tied to a chair, helpless to save them.”

My threat seemed to land on the mark even if I could see the fires of hell flickering in his eyes. “Fucking monster, you’d do it too, wouldn’t you?”

“For her, I’d do anything,” I stated.