Page 92 of Day Shift

Chapter forty

Conan lunged at Nik, but I grabbed his arm. “He’s my brother, Conan! Don’t! He’s helping me! Come on. Let’s go! Let’s get out of here, now!”

Conan didn’t hesitate. He turned, dragging me with him, Nik following closely behind. We scampered through the small cloakroom, dodging piles of boxes and clutter. The sounds of the chaos in the sanctuary echoed through the walls, urging us to move faster.

When we reached the door on the other side, Conan pushed it open, and we stumbled down the short flight of steps leading to the outside.

When we reached the bottom of the steps, I fought my way through the outer door, battling my voluminous dress. I burst through the door and glanced over my shoulder. An unconscious man lay slumped against the wall.

We were met by Lucian and Braxton as they ran toward us.

“This way!” Lucian shouted, turning back and waving us toward a black SUV parked down the street.

We ran toward them, the sounds of gunfire making my heart pound in my chest as fear and adrenaline coursed through my veins.

“What the fuck is going on?” Lucian shouted as we neared him.

There was no time for an explanation. Conan barked, “Let’s go! Move! Move! Move!”

The SUV was waiting with its doors open at the curb. We ran toward it as shots rang out. Lucian sprinted to the front-passenger side while Braxton dove into the open side door. Lachlan was at the wheel.

I struggled to run down the sidewalk, my wedding dress billowing around me like a storm of white silk. The veil caught in the wind, twisting and snapping free, whipping away like a ghostly specter. The train of my gown dragged behind, a cumbersome, fluttering reminder of my captivity. I tripped, the fabric catching underfoot, but Conan was there. He snagged the train, gathering it in his hands. “Keep running!” he shouted, and I surged forward, my breath coming in gasps.

The moment we reached the open side door of the SUV, Conan grabbed me by the waist and tossed me inside before jumping in after me. Nik, who was a few steps behind us, screamed in pain just as he reached the open door. The guys dragged him inside, his feet bouncing off the pavement and leaving streaks of blood, while Lachlan threw the vehicle into drive and started to speed away.

Blood was everywhere. Braxton quickly switched places with Conan and me, moving us to the third row so he could take care of Nik’s leg. Conan checked me for wounds, his hands moving rapidly over my arms and torso.

“Are you okay?” he asked, scrutinizing every inch of me.

“I’m fine. Just help my brother,” I begged, pushing his hands away. I turned my attention to Nik, who was bleeding heavily. Braxton had already pulled off his shirt and was pressing it against the wound.

Conan’s eyes softened for a moment before he rotated in the seat to help Braxton with Nik. “We’ll take care of him,” he assured me.

Nik groaned in pain, his face pale and sweaty.

“We’ve got you, Nik,” Braxton said calmly.

The SUV roared down the block, speeding away from the bloodbath we’d left behind in the church.

Nik was slumped in the backseat, blood pooling beneath his leg. “We’ve got to get this bleeding under control,” Conan said, leaning over to press his hand firmly against the shirt that was covering Nik’s injury. Blood oozed between his fingers, but Nik didn’t flinch.

“We need a tourniquet,” Braxton said. He began searching the backseats.

Lucian tore off his belt and tossed it to Braxton, who immediately wrapped it around Nik’s upper thigh and tightened it.

Nik’s face contorted in agony.

“Hang in there, Nik,” I whispered in a shaky voice. I reached over the backseat and took his hand, needing to be connected to him somehow.

“I’ve had worse. Just…don’t let me bleed out.”

Conan wrapped his massive hand tightly around Nik’s thigh, clamping down on the wound. “Pressure’s key,” he said to Braxton. “We need to slow the bleeding until we can get him somewhere safe.”

Braxton nodded, his eyes focused on Nik’s leg. “Keep talking to him, Angel. Keep him conscious.”

Swallowing hard, I nodded. “Nik, remember when we were kids, and you dared me to jump when we were out on the frozen lake behind the house? You had to break through the ice downstream to pull me out, remember?”

Nik managed a weak chuckle. “Yeah, you always did crazy stuff and never backed down from a dare.”

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