Page 37 of Unsettled
I prided myself on being a good shot, not the best, certainly not as fast or accurate as Leandro, but good enough to hit my mark before they got me… As my world crashes down around me, I wonder if I was ever any good at all.
Ten warned me my arrogance would get in my way one day… I just never thought he’d be the casualty.
“Fucking hell, Roman,”Hollis says in my ear.
The devastation in my lover’s voice knocks me out of my shock, and even with people streaming into the room to help, I’m torn over where to go, who needs me more. Tennant is down, steadily bleeding out in front of me. Blood covers every-fucking-thing. And Dad is trying his best to escape his manacles.
Someone—don’t ask me who—works on freeing him, though I can tell it’s hard with Dad thrashing around.
“Roman,”Hollis says, his voice firm.“Help Cristian.”
“I…” My throat closes up. “Ten…”
“Is being looked after.”
He is?
I look over, and sure enough, they have him on his back, his shirt ripped open as they tear pieces of their own apart to staunch the heavy bleeding.There’s so much blood.I can’t tell where he was hit because of it.
That bullet was meant for me.
“Roman, fucking focus. You can fall apart later, Amore. Cristian, Tennant, and Emilio need you now.”
Oh God.Lio.My friend. My best fucking friend is bleeding out. If I thought there was a lot of blood around Ten, that has nothing on how quickly it’s pooling around Lio’s prone body.
“One thing at a time, Roman,”Hollis snaps.“Focus on the person you can help now.”
Dad’s chains are undone by the time I stumble over to him on numb feet. There’s blood around his wrists from his struggles, and I’m sure it will be on his ankle as well, where the other manacle was.
I quickly examine him visually, noting the bandage around his throat, and one on his side—his shirt torn away for access. “You’re hurt,” I say unnecessarily, looking at the body of Tom Fucking Court.
“I’m fine, Figlio Mio,” he assures me. “Just a little banged up.”
“ETA on medical?” I ask Hollis.
“Few minutes out. Keep it together until then. Does the Boss need immediate attention?”
Looking Dad over again, I clock the crude and dirty bandage around his finger, but aside from those three injuries, I don’t see anything life threatening. “Not that I can see.”
“Then check on Ten for me. Please?”
It’s the soft, quietpleasethat brings the feelings of failure rushing to the surface.Fuck.
Trusting our men to have Dad, I quickly make my way to Ten’s side, shoving aside anyone in my way.
I don’t cry as I fall to my knees next to his ghastly pale body, but the lump in my throat threatens to choke me. “There’s so much blood, Hol,” I whisper. I want to touch him, but I don’t dare, not wanting to injure him further.
“I know, I know. It’s okay,”he soothes in my ear.“Kail and Rose are in the first ambulance, and they’ll take care of him, okay? You trust them. Soren and Donovan will take care of Lio. Doc and Dr. Ranlen are prepping now. It’s an all hands on deck situation. No one is fucking dying tonight.”
I don’t know if he’s trying to convince me or himself, but as Ten’s face seems to get paler by the second, it doesn’t matter.
Arms wrap around me, and I recognize them enough as Dad’s. I should feel bad that, after being held captive, he’s the one comforting me, but…nothing is ever that simple, is it? Tennant is Dad’s best friend. They’ve been through more together than I can ever hope to learn and understand. The two of them have a bond that none of us—not even Hollis and Benjamin—will ever be able to touch.
Fuck. Benjamin. And Jude.
Looking up, I find my lover’s pale green eyes, a source of comfort and strength. Even in the chaos surrounding us, he’s anisland of calm, though if I know my lover, it’s a façade. Carefully hidden feelings that I do my best to draw strength from.
“Med team is there,”Hollis says, almost distantly.“Let them do their job, Roman. Cristian will ride in with Ten.”
