Page 93 of Day Shift

Conan glanced over at me, cocking a brow. I rolled my eyes in return.

Forcing a smile, I leaned closer to Nik. “You were supposed to be the sensible one. The nanny always said you had to look out for me because I had more guts than brains.”

Nik’s breathing was ragged, but he glanced over at me, his eyes glassy and unfocused. “You scared the hell out of me that day, Ana. I thought I’d lost you.”

I squeezed his hand, which was sticky with blood. “But you didn’t. You always kept me safe. You pulled me out, wrapped me in your coat, and ran all the way back to the house. What were we—ten, maybe?”

His eyes fluttered, and I tightened my grip on his hand. “Stay with me, Nik. Remember how mad the nanny was? She couldn’t decide whether to beat us or hug us.”

Nik’s lips twitched into a faint smile. “She did both and then grounded us for a month.”

“That’s right, and every day you managed to sneak me snacks and books so I wouldn’t get bored.”

Braxton looked up. “Good, Angel. Keep him talking.”

My throat was tight as I chewed on my cheek, trying to think of something else. “Remember how we used to sneak out at night, just to look at the stars? You said you wanted to be a cosmonaut so you could get away from all the craziness down here.”

Nik’s eyes sparkled with a distant memory. “Yeah, and you wanted to be a pop star.”

I laughed softly. “You told me I’d have to travel the world, and we’d never get to see each other… I thought I wanted nothing more than to leave the boring confinement of the estate in Russia. God, how I complained all the time. Little did I know, a couple of years later, I’d get more than I bargained for.”

“You were always sassy and stubborn as a kid; that’s for sure.”

“Still am, I suppose,” I muttered, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. “You promised we’d always look out for each other, no matter what. We made it through everything else, and we’ll make it through this.”

His grip on my hand tightened slightly. “You were always the strong one, Ana.”

“And you were always my hero,” I whispered.

The SUV hit a bump, and Nik winced. Braxton adjusted the pressure, making sure the tourniquet held firm.

“Almost there,” Lachlan said, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. “Twenty minutes, tops.”

Nik’s grip on my hand loosened, but I held tight. “Ana…sorry about…everything,” he said on an exhale.

“Shut up, Nik. Just stay awake,” I demanded. “You don’t get to check out on me now.”

“Hey, guys, look what I found in the glove box!” Lucian called. “It’s not a lot, but maybe something in here could help.” He handed back what appeared to be a homemade first aid kit.

Conan took it and opened it. “Hmm, these aren’t your typical emergency supplies. There’s combat gauze, a suture kit, and some other items—as if whoever owns this car expected that someone might get shot.” He showed it to Braxton, who lit up with a smile.

“Damn, that’s some good stuff. Combat gauze is impregnated with kaolin, which promotes clotting,” he said, shifting in the seat to take it from Conan. “Here, hold the tourniquet.”

Conan let go of Nik’s thigh and took over holding the belt. Nik swiftly opened a package of the gauze.

“I’m warning you, buddy, this isn’t gonna feel good,” Braxton said.

“Just do it,” Nik growled.

With a nod, Braxton expertly packed the combat gauze into the exit wound on the top of Nik’s thigh. We watched the gauze rapidly absorb blood while Braxton explained that it would expand to apply pressure internally and help with clotting. He then moved to the back of the thigh, carefully packing more gauze into the entry wound. Nik winced, squeezing my hand. His knuckles were white as his face twisted in pain.

Braxton held the gauze firmly in place on the entry wound. Once it was secure, he checked the tourniquet, adjusting it to ensure it was tight but not excessively so. He met my eyes briefly and gave me a reassuring nod.

Conan leaned toward me, giving me that half grin I loved so much. “He’s tough. He’ll be fine.”

The metallic tang of blood was suffocating in the cramped conditions of the SUV. Nik was sweating but much more alert now. I guessed that’s what acute pain did to a person. Clutching his thigh, he sat up straighter and shook his head as if to clear away his misery. He pulled himself forward and, through gritted teeth, called out an address, demanding to be taken there.

“Nik, my brother’s friend has already set up a safe house for us,” Conan said. “We’re heading there now. He’s the guy who provided the SUV.”

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