Page 66 of Cautious

After my feet unfreeze, I rush over and drop to my knees beside Marcus, trying to figure out where the source of all the blood is coming from. It doesn’t take me long to find the blood is from a bullet wound through the left side of his stomach. Looking around for something, anything to stem the flow, I come up empty.

I slip my arms through my sweatshirt, my shoulder screaming at me in the process. I pull my hair free and press the balled-up material against his wound to try to slow down the bleeding. A sob escapes me as the futility of the situation hits me like a wrecking ball. Scanning the room for something that might make him more comfortable, I rule out the bed. I won’t be able to lift Marcus onto it, but I can use the bedding to keep him warm.

I crawl over, grab the pillow and the blanket, and then spot the first aid kit on top of the fridge. I reach up and snag it before hurrying back over to Marcus. Swiping my hands over my tear-stained cheeks, I lift his head a little and slide the pillow underneath him. Ripping open the first aid kit, I tear open some gauze. With shaky hands, I lift the hem of his T-shirt, moving my blood-soaked sweatshirt out of the way. I see the neat littlehole in his skin and press the gauze to it, ignoring the fresh round of tears that run down my face at his cry of pain. I rip off some tape and stick the gauze down, but his skin is slick with so much blood that it’s tricky. I wipe as much blood away as I can, worried I’m making this worse, but I don’t know what else to do.

Once I have his wound covered, I ball up my sweatshirt and press it on top of the gauze and then wrap the blanket over him, tucking it tightly around his body to hold the sweatshirt in place.

When I look up, I find him awake and looking at me with pain-filled eyes. “You stubborn little shit,” he grits out.

“You wouldn’t have left me.” I point out something we both know to be true.

“I don’t matter. You?—”

I shut him up with a yell of indignation. “You matter. You matter to Blake and Arlo. To Felix, Banner, Kellen, and Aiden. And you matter to me. You’re family, you asshat, so deal with it.”

I’ve given up trying to keep the tears from flowing down my face. Even when he spots them and curses, they refuse to stop. Lifting his arm, he tags me behind the neck and pulls me down to his chest.

“I’m sorry. Stop fucking crying,” he mumbles into my hair, making me sniffle.

“Just keep pressure on your wound, okay? I need to call the police.” I lift my head, offering him a watery smile as I stare at his alarmingly pale face.

Sliding my phone out of my pocket, I call the police, telling them where we are and that I need an ambulance. The woman on the other end tells me to stay on the line, but I stop listening to her when I turn and spot the viewing screen behind the door.

As if in a trance, I drop my phone beside Marcus, ignoring the woman’s voice as she calls my name, and climb to my feet. I make my way over to the monitor, sucking in a ragged breath,when I see a pissed-off-looking Christian with my mom held tightly in front of him.

I knew when bullets started flying it was because of him. I just never expected him to be here, figuring he would send someone else to do his dirty work. It also never dawned on me that he would bring my mother with him.

Standing there with his arm wrapped tightly around her neck to keep her up, her stump offering her no balance and no way to fight against his hold, I see the realization dawn in my mom’s eyes that she made a deal with the devil, and the devil always wins.

I must whimper because Marcus starts calling, reaching for the phone I dropped and yelling to the woman on the other end to hurry the fuck up. Everything feels a little out of focus, like I’m hovering above the situation, looking down on everything as it plays out.

“What is it, Callie? What do you see?” Marcus barks, but I don’t answer, moving closer to the monitors. “Callie, don’t,” Marcus yells, but I don’t listen.

I switch the little intercom button at the top of the control panel to on. “The police are on their way,” I tell Christian, hoping he will take off running, but I should have known better.

At the sound of my voice, he jumps before a sinister grin takes over his face. “Callie, my runaway bride. You have displeased me,” he calls out, talking to me like an errant child who has broken curfew or something. “Open the door, and we will leave. Nobody else will get hurt because of you,” he promises, as my mother’s face starts to turn an alarming shade of purple. She claws at his arm, which is tightening around her windpipe.

His words momentarily snap me out of my shock, making clarity wash over me. He’ll kill her regardless of what I do.

Movements out of the corner of my eye have me turning to see Marcus attempting to crawl toward me. “Don’t you fucking dare open that door. He’ll kill us all,” Marcus yells at me, trying to climb to his feet.

“If you move one more inch, Popeye, I’ll swing that door right open and welcome him in. Stay the fuck down and put pressure on your goddamn wound!” I screech.

He glares at me but is too weak to put up a fight.

I glare right back. “If you die on me, I will kill you myself,” I snap, turning back to the monitor.

“I’m not coming out, Christian. The cops will be here any minute,” I inform him and watch with confusion as his smile gets bigger.

“Am I supposed to be scared?” He laughs maniacally, showing just how much of a crazy motherfucker he is. “Come out, come out wherever you are,” he sings off-key before his smile disappears and his eyes flash with intent. “You have to the count of five. Come out, or she dies.” He grins again, pulling a knife from behind him and holding it to her throat.

“Callie, please,” she begs, her voice sounding like she has gargled with glass.

“Callie, don’t do it, sweetheart,” Marcus whispers harshly, his voice weak and sounding so unlike the man I know.

“I can’t. I’m sorry, Mom. I’m so, so sorry,” I tell her, choking on my tears. What she did to me was unforgivable, but she doesn’t deserve to go out like this.

Christian laughs like this whole thing is hilarious, roaring with laughter as my mom begs and pleads until he slices across her throat in one smooth move, cutting off her words altogether.

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