Page 135 of Riordan's Revenge

Shade’s gaze jerked from her wrist to her face. “Wait.”

Confused, I followed where his attention had gone.

Red bubbles formed at Dixie’s ruined throat. Air. Her chest rose, just slightly.

Shock slammed into me.

“She isn’t dead,” I stammered. Then I shook Shade by his shoulder. “She’s alive. Call an ambulance. We need to get her to hospital. She isn’t fucking dead.”

He jumped up and moved away. Feverish for action, I collected Dixie’s hand in mine. I wanted to press down on her throat to stop the bleeding, but what if I killed her with my touch?

“Listen to me, we’re getting help. You’re going to be okay. Do ye hear? We’re going to get ye to a hospital.”

I sobbed half the words.

Dixie’s lips moved. The action forced another well of blood to spill down her slender neck.

I squeezed her hand, wishing I knew anything about first aid. I could make this worse. She could die just from me trying. “Don’t try to speak. Save whatever ye need to tell me until later. I won’t leave ye. You’ll survive this. I swear.”

Everything that came next passed by like a movie scene.

Piers’ prone form vanished with a member of the skeleton crew, to go where, I didn’t care. Others arrived. Blue lights flashed. Hurried voices came with more ringing bootsteps.

Two burly ambulance men joined me, their faces ashen as they took in my friend.

“Help her,” I begged.

On their order, Shade guided me out of the way. I refused to go further than a few steps. One hooked her up to a machine while the other did something to her throat.

Dixie gave a soft, almost animal-like moan, more blood bubbling.

My heart nearly stopped. “Don’t hurt her.”

“I need to stabilise her breathing,” the second guy said. “Can you tell me her name?”

“Dixie.”

He repeated it. Talked to her as he manipulated a piece of equipment into her neck. In some quiet communication with his colleague, one retrieved a stretcher, and they moved her onto it.

Her eyes were open just a fraction, but I knew she looked for me.

“I want to go with her,” I said.

“Are you family?”

“She doesn’t have any family. I’m a friend.” They had to let me.

“Sorry, family only. Stay and talk to the police.”

Shade loomed beside me. “I’ll take ye.”

They loaded her into the ambulance and blue-lighted her into town. We chased them. Shade dropped me off with a promise to return after he’d handled the police.

I tracked her down to an emergency surgery ward, her bare foot uncovered by the white hospital blanket as they wheeled her into a room.

There was nothing left for me to do but wait.

Chapter 41

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