Page 52 of Creatures in the Night

“We need an ambulance!” another guard shouted, snapping me out of my nearing hysteria.

Ignoring the fact that I had just killed two men, I raced back to where Keagan was struggling on the ground. I quickly began to move his jacket, and that’s when the other guard, Donal Moore, started to help me undress the man.

“Someone go get Lochlan,” I ordered as I began to survey the extent of his bullet wound. “If he’s home, it’ll be a lot faster than an ambulance.”

However, before anyone could go get him, Lochlan was dropping next to me on the ground. “The alarm was sounded.”

“He’s been shot,” I remarked unnecessarily.

“Donal grab four other guys, then do a complete sweep five blocks out,” he instructed. “Odhran, check the bodies.” Lochlan started looking around the garage. “Where’s Niall?”

“He’s with Noah,” Odhran answered.

Lochlan’s turquoise gaze slid back my way. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. “I’m fine.”

“I’m serious, Shea,” he said. “If there’s even one new scratch on your head, my brother will burn this entire city to the ground.”

I swallowed, not sure why that made me feel nervous. “I’m fine,” I promised. “I…I shot them before they could kill me.” He didn’t look like he believed me, but even if I’d been injured again, Keagan was the priority right now. “Keagan needs our help.”

Lochlan gave me a terse nod before saying, “There’s a one-room clinic behind the elevators. I’m going to go grab a gurney, then you’re going to help me fix this, okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah…of course.”

“Keep pressure on the wound, and I’ll be right back.”

As soon as Lochlan took off, I looked back down at Keagan. “You’re going to be okay,” I semi-lied, not sure if he really would be or not. “While I know that it’s hard, just don’t panic on me. If you get excited, your blood will pump faster, and we can’t have that.” I brushed his hair back from his forehead. “Lochlan is going to take good care of you, Keagan.”

The tears were back, but I didn’t bother brushing them away. I knew nothing about Keagan, but I wouldn’t insult him by trying to hide the fact that his injury mattered.

When Lochlan finally returned, another guard was coming out of the elevators, then walked with him towards me and Keagan. I quickly moved out of the way, so that Lochlan and the new guard could get Keagan on the gurney, and as they were getting him situated, Odhran walked back over to us.

“I’ve got a Sergey Alexeev and Andros Makarov,” Odhran said.

“Call Noah,” Lochlan ordered. “Tell him what’s happened but be sure to tell him that his wife is fine and uninjured. Well, no more than she already has been.” Lochlan shook his head as he and the other guard lifted the gurney with Keagan’s weight on it now. “Whatever…just make sure that he knows that she’s alright.”

“Okay,” Odhran replied.

“Also, let him know that she’ll be in the clinic assisting me,” Lochlan added. “I don’t want him going upstairs to find her missing.”

“God help us all then,” the other guard muttered under his breath.

“What about the bodies?” I asked, my hands starting to shake with adrenaline.

“I’ll take care of that, lass,” Odhran promised. “We all know what we’re doing here.”

“Come on, Shea,” Lochlan ordered. “We’ve wasted enough time.”

Without another word said, I followed Lochlan and the other guard to a metal door that was hidden behind the elevators, and when Lochlan opened the door, we walked into a fully-functioning one-room clinic, complete with an operating table. It was so incredibly stocked that you’d never guess that we were in an underground garage. Even though Lochlan had a legitimate practice, it was clear that the family business was his priority.

After Lochlan and the guard got Keagan on the operating table, the guard turned towards me, smiling. “I’m Connor, Mrs. Murphy. Nice to officially meet you.”

Only an Irish Mobster would think that it was nice to meet under these conditions. “Shea Burke,” I said, finishing the introductions. “It’s good to meet you, though it’d been nicer without the gunfire.”

“Shea, grab that tray in the corner,” Lochlan ordered.

“Of course,” I quickly rushed out, getting myself into work-mode.

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