Page 158 of Trigger

The guy chuckled as I straightened up with my hands raised insurrender.

“That’s the problem with you people,” he sneered. “You’re tootrusting. Sophie trusted me enough to let me into her apartment, being a horny,drunken bitch. Your pal here trusted I wouldn’t come after him. And you trustedme when I told you that I’m willing to negotiate. When will you people stoptrusting me?”

I opened my mouth to reply when something hit my chest, and I feltmyself fall. I tried to say something, but the metallic taste in my mouth mademe gag as I hit the ground. When I looked down at my chest, I could see theknife sticking out of it.

Fuck. Tye is going to kill me.

“Tye,” I breathed, only to realize that I fucked up. The lastthing I could remember was a bullet firing in the distance, and then… nothing.

Thorsen

I ran into the club just as the shit went down. I could seeBazooka jumping on Luz and shielding him with his body before a bald guy couldput a knife in Luz’s back. The bald guy hit Bazooka in the head with the hiltof his knife, knocking him out cold, and then he dragged Luz out of the club. Theneveryone around me started to fight, someone smashed a bottle on my head, and Ilost consciousness.

When I came to, people around me were still throwing punches. Iscrambled to my feet and staggered out of the club, feeling woozy. I heardvoices in the alley behind the club and headed there, only to spot Luz and abald guy behind him. When I saw a knife pressed to Luz’s neck, I aimed my gunat the bald bastard only to freeze on the spot when I saw Carter across fromthem. Before I could blink, the bald guy sent a knife flying his way, and I sawthe knife hitting Carter’s chest. I fired my gun, but everything inside me justdied at that moment. For the first time in my life, I didn't know what to do.It was like one of those moments that people who had been clinically deaddescribe—your life flashing in front of your eyes. At that moment, it happenedto me, although I wasn’t the one dying. I could seemaman, the policeacademy, and then the jungle green eyes. And then nothing.

Chapter 32

Deliverance

Carter

I opened my eyes, feeling famished as if I hadn’t eaten in days. Istraightened up and blindly reached for whatever smelled so delicious next tome when several voices gasped.

“No!”

“What?” I murmured, blinking rapidly because everything was blurry.The white walls danced around me, along with a ceiling. There was a strangesmell in the air, similar to a disinfectant. I moved my hands and felt softfabric under my palms, which told me I was in my bed.

When my vision cleared, I saw Shelly standing by my bedside,pale-faced and wide-eyed. I frowned in confusion because… what was she doing inmy room? Then I noticed Adam standing next to her, snickering as always, andJordan by his side. Chief Bibb was yelling at the man dressed in a white coatin the corner of the room. Wait, was that a doctor?

“They stitched you up, Carter,” Shelly whispered, her voice shaky.“You shouldn’t move, or your wound will open up.”

Suddenly, it all came back to me. The club. The darkened alley.The bald man and the knife headed my way.

“How are you feeling, Carter?” Jordan whispered, staring at me asif I were a ghost. “Honestly, we thought you’re not going to make—”

“He’s a strong lad,” Chief Bibb boomed behind him. “I didn’t havea doubt in my mind.”

“I’m fine,” I said, looking around for the only face I wanted tosee, and which was missing. “Where is…?”

Then the door opened, and Tye came inside, carrying a tray filledwith cups of what smelled like coffee in his hands. When he saw me, he pausedin his tracks, gulping. And he looked like shit. His face was deadly pale, andhe had dark circles under his eyes. His shirt was wrinkled as if he’d slept init for days. His eyes were bloodshot blue.

“Thank fuck,” he muttered, heading toward me.

Shelly took the tray from him as he walked up to my bed, bent down,and kissed my lips. “If you ever do this to me again, I will kill you myself,”he murmured against my mouth as I mumbled an embarrassed, “Everyone’swatching.”

Chief Bibb passed by the bed, grumbling, “I saw nothing. But dothis in front of me one more time, and one of you is getting transferred.”

“What happened?” I said, trying to remember, but everything was ablur. “How long was I out?”

“Two days,” Tye replied. “They operated on you after it happened,and then… it just took you a while to…” He shook his head, as if it wasimpossible to finish the sentence. “To… erm… wake up.”

He bit on his lip and reached for my hand, lowering his gaze. Itwas strange to see a man built like a mountain barely able to rein intears.

“I’m…” I muttered, wishing to say I was sorry, but I knew itwouldn’t help. “Sit down next to me.”

He did what I said, still holding my hand.

“How are you?” I asked him, squeezing his fingers. “Have youslept? Ate?”

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