Page 105 of Brick

He did as the officer commanded. Olivia stood next to him, her hands up as well. “He’s been shot too. Please. Look, he’s bleeding.” Keeping one arm up, she gestured to Tre with the other. “He’s the one who did this. It was him.”

Cops were always wary of him because of his size, and it didn’t help he’d been hovering over Will’s body when they arrived. But Olivia’s pleas were difficult to ignore.

One of the EMTs checked him out, while the other loaded Will into the ambulance. “It’s a through-and-through,” she barked out to her partner, her attention trained on Brick. “Come on, you can ride in the ambulance with us.”

“No.” His voice was implacable. “I’m not leaving Olivia here alone.”

The woman’s hard face softened. “One of the officers will follow with her right behind us. Right, Jude?”

The young officer nodded grudgingly.

“I’ll be right there,” Olivia assured him. “I’m safe now. I promise.” She wrapped her arms around his waist.

How could she want to touch him when he just showed her the kind of thing he was capable of? He murdered a man with his bare hands, and he did it right in front of her eyes. Yet here she was, seeking comfort in his embrace.

He allowed himself a moment to soak in her touch before he stepped back. Holding her by the shoulders, he scanned her from head to toe. A bruise was forming on her left cheek. Cuts and scratches peppered her arms. She was filthy, but he could find no signs of any substantial injury.

Still, he needed to keep her close. “I’ll ride with Olivia and the cop.”

Jude shook his head emphatically. “No way. You ride in the rig, sir. The lady will be okay with us.”

“Jonathan, please. I’ll be fine. Let them take care of you.”

Her plea did what the EMT’s demand couldn’t. He could deny her nothing.

Shooting the cop a dark look, he warned the man. “She’d better be okay.” He hadn’t come this far to lose her now.

It was his first time riding in an ambulance. The siren blared in his ears. He was mesmerized, though, watching the paramedics work.

Will struggled to breathe. The EMT said something about a pneumo-hemothorax. The monitors went crazy. He tried to stay out of the way.

The woman did something to help. He couldn’t really see what with her back to him, but the frantic beeping of the heart monitor returned to a normal rhythm. When she leaned to the side, he could see she held a big needle in Will’s chest.

He shuddered. Liv would be devastated if Will didn’t make it.

“Are you all right, sir?” the petite brunette asked. It took a moment to realize the paramedic was talking to him.

“Yeah.” He gripped the bandage wrapped around his arm. “I’m just worried about my friend.”

“I think he’s going to be okay. Rest. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

He closed his eyes, intending for it to be only a moment, but the second he relaxed, he passed out.

***

Liv

“We need another gurney.” The paramedic was already calling for help the moment the ambulance doors opened. Liv stood only a few feet away thanks to Officer Jude’s ability to keep up with the rig.

A swarm of doctors stood at the back of the ambulance and whisked Will’s gurney away the moment the wheels hit the ground. She stood on her tip-toes, trying to see Jonathan. She couldn’t so much as catch a glimpse until the doctors unloaded his limp body in front of her. It took three men to lift him.

“What’s happening?” She chased behind them.

The EMT she’d seen examine Jonathan’s arm grasped her hand. “He lost consciousness. Probably from blood loss. Are you family?”

She nodded, her neck still craning to follow Brick and the doctors, but they were now out of sight. “Will is my brother.”

“The blond man with the chest wound?”

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