Page 113 of Ruthless Regret

I fumble with the kit, my hands trembling as I pull out the supplies. Bishop directs me, his voice steady and reassuring. “Press the gauze against the wound. Put as much pressure as you can.”

Kneeling beside Zain, I try to ignore the blood pooling on the floor, and do as Bishop says. I press my hands down on Zain’s wound, the blood soaking through the gauze almost immediately. My breath hitches as I feel the warmth of it.

“That’s it,” Bishop says. “Now keep the pressure steady. We need to clean around the wound to prevent infection. You’re doing fine.”

Barlowe laughs. “You’re wasting your time. He’ll be dead soon.”

Rook’s patience snaps. He steps forward, and the impact as the butt of his gun meets the other man's face is loud, the crack of bone echoing through the kitchen. The man’s head snaps to the side, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, but the smirk doesn’t leave his face.

“Talk,” Rook orders, his voice a dangerous growl.

Barlowe spits blood onto the floor, his eyes glinting with defiance. “Go to hell.”

Bishop ignores the exchange, his focus on me and Zain. “Focus, Ashley. You need to wrap the bandage tightly around his chest.”

Tears blur my vision as I work, and I wrap the bandage as tightly as I can around Zain’s torso. He groans, his eyes fluttering for a moment, then falling closed again.

“Zain.” My voice cracks. “Stay with me. Please, stay with me.”

Barlowe laughs again, the sound grating and hollow. “He’s already dead.”

Bishop touches my cheek. “Don’t look at him. Keep your eyes right here. Finish the job.”

I finish wrapping the bandage, my hands trembling, my heart pounding. The world feels like it’s closing in around me, the walls pressing in, the air too thick to breathe.

“That’s it. Good girl. Now you just need to keep him stable until we can get him out of here,” Bishop says, his voice steady. “You did good. Stay with him. Talk to him. Keep him conscious.”

“I’ll try.” My hands are still pressed against Zain’s wound, my eyes locked on his face. His breathing is shallow, his skin pale, but his chest rises and falls as he breathes.

He’s alive. He’s still here.

“Stay with me,” I whisper again. “Please, just stay with me.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

ZAIN

Pain comes in waves,dragging me under and spitting me back out again. Each time I surface, the world is a blur of sounds and sensations that don't quite connect. The pain drowns everything else out until a single voice breaks through.

Ashley's voice, soft and urgent, floats somewhere above me. "Stay with me. Please stay with me."

I try to respond, but my mouth won't work.

Everythinghurts. My head feels like it's been split open, and fire burns along my side where the knife went in. In my semi-conscious state, it’s like I can feel my life draining away with each beat of my heart. Each breath is a struggle, each moment filled with the fear that this might be my last.

Darkness pulls me down again.

When I surface next, it's to Rook's voice, cold and precise. "Let's try this again, Marcus. Who hired you?"

Marcus. The man has a name now.

The man who tried to kill Ashley. Who might still kill her if I die.

I try to force my eyes open, to see her, to confirm that she's safe, but my body doesn't listen. Everything feels heavy, and the pain wraps around me like a vice, keeping me pinned down.

"Go to hell." Another voice, one I don’t recognize, followed by the sound of something solid hitting flesh. A dull thud that echoes in my mind, sending another spike of pain through my head.

Hands press against my side, the pain sharp enough to drag a groan from my throat. The touch gentles immediately.

---