Page 33 of Safe Haven
“Hold still,” I grab his arm and raise it to get a better look at what I’m dealing with.
“Okay, one exit wound. Three bullet holes. Let’s get to work.” I offer him a small stack of tongue depressors.
“Bite down. This is gonna hurt.”
Apex is passed out on my couch with his shoulder wrapped and arm in a sling. I dug out the bullets the best I could and stitched him up. He’ll need X-rays to make sure all the fragments are out, but for now he’s stable and resting comfortably on a shit ton of Ketamine.
I run my hands through my hair and sigh.
It’s been hours since we got here. I went out and brought Diesel inside, and he’s asleep at my feet. They’re both snoring insync, and it causes me to giggle hysterically. I cover my mouth so I don’t wake them, but it’s no use.
“Oh God.” I grab my stomach, not being able to stop, while my brain supplies the reason why.
You’re in shock.
I try to take a deep breath to stop the panic attack that is taking me under, but my body has had enough, and I can’t get off this ride. I stand, but my knees give out, and I catch the side of the table, trying to stop my fall. The chair I was sitting on flips over in the process, and Diesel barks in concern.
“Haven, oh fuck.” Apex moves faster than he should to get to me.
I clutch at his good arm, gasping for air like a fish out of water.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t get a full breath. My vision is fading and tunneling in on itself. I can hear him calling my name. I feel him shaking me, but he looks so far away.
Out of reach, but still I claw at him like a lifeline as my ship sinks under the dark water and I float in a black abyss.
Chapter Eighteen
HAVEN
“You should have called me sooner. Whoever is after her means business. They destroyed her house! The cops are out searching for her, and they’ve got her face blasted all over the news.” I hear Corvin’s frantic voice, but I can’t seem to open my eyes.
“She shouldn’t be here. They’ll target this place next. If she doesn’t show up at the drop tonight, we’re fucked. Those girls are as good as dead, and we failed.” Loki barely gets the words out.
This is beyond personal for her.
“We’re running out of time and have no good options,” Apex sighs.
“She can hear you. Open those eyes, Prez. It’s time for your makeover.” I blink up at Nightshade.
“Bitch, I thought you were dead. Don’t you dare do that to me again.” Corvin hip checks the woman out of the way and drags me up into a half-seated position so he can give me a tight hug.
“I think my brain needed a reset.” I look around and frown.
“Why are we in your apartment?” Diesel whimpers as he licks my hand for attention.
“Hey, buddy. I’m okay now.” I pat his head, and he crawls up into my lap more.
“You couldn’t hide in the Morgue all day, and she needed a place to work. You have three hours to learn your role. So it’s time to cram.” Corvin claps his hands as if he’s the director of this deception.
“Best to not overthink it. You’re buying cargo. Simple as that.” Apex suggests, and I frown.
“You have a set of rules for the condition of the women when you buy them. Healthy, uninjured, and alive. Any of the three voids our contract. That means if any are missing or have even the slightest bruise, the deal is off. So you start by thinking about inventory.” Loki gives me a manifest for a shipping container being delivered to the docks tonight.
“Four of them?” That means dozens of women.
“Yes, they’ll arrive in about an hour aboard the Paraíso. Two trucks are waiting to transport them to our drop location, three miles from the marina.” Loki pauses to pull out photos from a large envelope, showing me the license plates and trucking information for the trucks.
“These are old.” I touch a photo of Danica standing between the trucks with a clipboard in her hand.
