Page 128 of Muted

Arthur whips around, a look of panic on his face. Instead of doing as he’s told, he starts to kick the dirt with his feet, screaming in a rage and cursing everything under the sun.

Vincent jerks his gun up higher, narrowing his eyes on the older man as Cooper moves closer. “Arthur,” he calls, gentling his voice. “It’s over. I need you to drop your weapon, man. You hear me? It’s over.”

Susu’s grandfather just shakes his head and keeps kicking dirt. A pathetic whine escapes me as I stare at the spot I know she’s laying, terrified that they’re taking too long and she won’t be able to breathe if they continue to let him cover her body.

“I can’t wait.” My voice breaks with my confession to Tony, just before I sprint forward, arching out of the way when he reaches for me.

“Fuck.Stop, Chester!” Vincent shouts, but I ignore him, bolting for Susu.

I don’t care when I hear Cooper shout, “Put the gun down, Walston!” I have to get to her.

Slamming to my knees when a single shot explodes in the air, my hearing temporarily muffled, I don’t flinch as I slide to the edge of the shallow grave where he’s dumped my baby girl. I can’t remember the last time I cried, but a sob breaks free when all I see is the skin of her arm as I look down into the grave.

Pounding feet surround me as I sit on my ass and lower myself down. My only focus is to uncover her and hold her in my arms.

Don’t do this to me, sweetheart. I didn’t mean anything I said yesterday. I’m a fucking idiot. I need you to be okay. For me, and for them!

“Is he dead?” I hear someone ask, but I’m too far lost in thoughts to know who asked it. I know they aren’t talking about me because aside from my heart shattering into pieces, my body is fine.

Moving the dirt as quickly as I can, it still feels like ages before my girl’s face comes into view. Her eyes are closed, face white, and I momentarily freeze, worried that when I tug her into my arms, it will be to hold her dead body.

Roaring my despair into everything surrounding me, I shove my hands into the dirt surrounding her and pull with all my strength, freeing her from her grave.

I hear questions thrown at me, but I can’t understand them as hold her against my chest, burying my face into her neck. Her body is limp as her head hangs over my shoulder, but I refuse to check to see if she’s alive. As long as I don’t check, there’s still a chance. It’s not rational, I know this, but panic is riding me hard.

“JESUS CHRIST, CHESTER!” Vincent is hollering from just above me, and I finally come back to earth when he smacks me upside the head. “There you are. Check her goddamn pulse. Is she alive?”

With shaking hands, I find the side of her neck and immediately feel the strong, pounding beat under her rigid muscles pulled taut under her skin. “Sh-She’s alive!” I rasp out.

“Let us help her out,” Cooper says. He’s so calm that I want to bite back at him, demand that he at least pretend to give a fuck.

Keeping Susu pressed to my chest, I turn around on my knees and lift her body so the officers can reach under her armpits to free her from her grave. Numbness envelops me as they disconnect her limp body from mine, so I haul myself up and drop next to her where they’ve laid her down.

“I don’t think she’s breathing,” I murmur, hovering my hands over her body. There’s dirt covering every inch of her, and I have to brush it away from her nose and mouth.

Lieutenant Cooper is on his knees opposite of me. With more gentleness than I expected, he reaches under her neck and tilts her head back before lowering the side of his face to hers. Finding my eyes, he doesn’t move away when he states, “She’s breathing. Put your hand on her stomach, you’ll feel it.”

With a shaky hand, I settle my palm where he directed and then pinch my eyes shut when I feel the gentle rise and fall of each solid, deep inhale of air as she fills her lungs. Running my eyes over her face, I zero in on the slowly leaking trail of blood from her forehead as well as the gash on her temple where Arthur struck her before dropping her into the grave.

Arthur.

Tearing my shirt off, I press it against her wound as my eyes shoot over to where he was last standing, worried he’s gotten away. Thankfully, he hasn’t and my shoulders slump in relief to find him sprawled on the ground, cuffed, and passed out with Singh standing over him.

Glaring at the man who’s done nothing but torment my girl, I grit out through clenched teeth, “Is he dead?”

“No.” Another disconnected, emotionless answer from Cooper. My muscles tense and I’m about ready to dive for him and change his ‘alive’ status when Cooper’s next words distract me. “Mercer, call this in. Get an ambulance here, as well as a team to recover the body.”

“What body?” I ask, momentarily removed from the urgency to jump over to Arthur and end his miserable life. Without looking anywhere than Susu’s body as he assesses her, he jerks his chin toward the shallow grave.

“There’s a body in there. It was under Susanna.”

“How can you be so calm about all of this?” I bark out, finally snapping at his apparent disinterest.

Cooper freezes and slowly raises his eyes to me. They’re cold and feel almost dead inside. But it’s there, a flicker of something hinting toward fury flashes before it’s gone. “It’s best not to get attached in this job.” His eyes fall to Susu’s face and there it is again, that flash of past pain before he smooths it away and continues clearing her of dirt and checking for more wounds.

“Can I hold her?” My voice is shaky. I reach for her, but another stilted answer stops me, and I jerk my hand away.

“No. She needs to be assessed by medical. If you move her without knowing her injuries, you could do more harm than good.”

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