Page 3 of Knot Made to Break: Part Two

Slowly, I turned my head, careful to keep the pressure firm, despite the movement.

Enzo stood in the doorway, and I breathed a sigh of relief that the newcomer was a friend and not a foe.

There was a look of shock on his face as his gaze moved from Tommas’ bleeding form to my blood-covered hands, then to the hallway where Vincent’s body lay. “Holy shit.”

“Enzo! Thank God. Call an ambulance. Tommy is… He’s—” I couldn’t get the words out. Couldn’t face the reality that his life was hanging on by a thread. “He’s been shot.”

His hand rested on his holstered gun while his brows drew together, the expression matching the frown on his face. He stared deeper into the penthouse as though he were scanning for threats, but we didn’t have time for that.

“Enzo! Vincent’s dead,” I told him, hoping it would spur him into action once he knew the danger had been eliminated. I hadn’t taken the time to catalogue the room, but there were other men in here, sprawled on the ground. Strange men I didn’t recognize.

I was positive they were Vincent’s guys. Valentinos. And like their boss, they stared into the abyss with unseeing eyes.

“Enzo!” I barked, putting as much authority behind his name as possible. It was a command for his attention, and though I was only an Omega and, as a Beta, he outranked me in designation, I was technically above him in the hierarchy since I was scent matched with his boss. “Help me. He’s bleeding out. Call. An. Ambulance. Now!”

Beretta, sensing my upset, positioned himself more firmly between us and Enzo, punctuating my demand with a low, deep growl.

Enzo’s gaze snapped back to mine, wide with surprise from the ferocity of my order. Whether or not that ‘bark’ is what pierced through his daze, I didn’t know. But it didn’t matter, because the spell that had held him motionless shattered, and he jumped into action.

In three quick strides, he crossed the room and dropped to a knee opposite me.

“You’re doing a good job. Keep that pressure steady,” he instructed, placing his hand over mine to guide me. “But press harder than that, sweetheart.”

I nodded and pressed down with all my strength, drawing yet another pained moan from Tommas. His lids fluttered open, his gaze finding my face in a moment of clarity amid the pain. His lips moved, trying to form my name again, but no sound emerged.

“I’m here, Tommy,” I assured him, forcing a smile through my tears. “I’m right here. Just stay with me.”

Beretta had relaxed slightly at Enzo’s change in demeanor, though he remained vigilant, his dark eyes moving between us and the doorway, as if expecting more danger to appear.

Enzo pulled out his phone, his movements quick and efficient as he dialed with one hand while reaching for Tommas’ wrist with the other, checking his pulse. I watched his face for any reaction, any hint of how bad it might be, but his expression remained carefully controlled.

“Johanson,” he barked at the man on the other end of the line. “We’ve got a situation at the penthouse. Tommas is down. GSW to the abdomen, significant blood loss. Vincent’s dead, along with a handful of others. Some are ours. Some are theirs.”

He paused, listening to whatever response came through the line. His attention flicked my way, something unidentifiable flickering in his gaze.

“Yeah, she’s fine. Shaken up but unharmed.” Another pause. “Send the team now. And notify the brothers.”

Brothers. Plural. My heart stuttered at the implication. At the hope.

Did that mean they were alive? All of them?

Please, please let them be okay.

I wanted to grab the phone, to demand answers, but I couldn’t—wouldn’t—take my hands from Tommy’s wound.

“Tommy,” I urged, refocusing on his pale features. Those green eyes of his had drifted closed again. “Baby, stay awake. Help is coming. Just hold on.”

His skin held more of a grayish tinge now, and that terrified me. I’d seen enough death in my life to recognize its approach, the way it drained color and warmth from living flesh. I pressed harder on the wound, ignoring the ache in my arms and the slick wetness of blood that had soaked through the knees of my yoga pants.

“L-love you,” he whispered, each word clearly costing him.

A sob caught in my throat. “Don’t you dare say your goodbyes. Save your strength and tell me that again when you’re better.”

He shook his head slightly, grimacing at the movement. “Love...you,” he repeated, but this time the words were so faint I barely heard them.

Something shattered inside me. “I love you, too,” I choked out, needing him to know. “So much. That’s why you have to stay with me, okay? You can’t leave me. Not now. I can’t lose you.”

Enzo had moved to the doorway, speaking quietly into his phone, his posture tense and alert. Beretta whined, pressing closer to Tommas’ side, his dark eyes reflecting an understanding of the gravity of the situation that seemed almost human.

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