Page 56 of Dead Devil's Playground
I pull the gun from my pocket and fire once, the bullet catching him in the shoulder before I adjust my aim and shoot the glass behind him. The massive pane shatters into a million glittering pieces, the sound like a cascade of diamonds hitting marble.
Before he can recover from the shock of the bullet, I launch myself forward, driving my boot into his chest with every ounce of strength I have left. The impact sends him stumbling backward through the shattered wall, his eyes wide with disbelief as he realizes what's happening.
For one suspended moment, he hangs in the empty air, framed by the jagged edges of the broken glass, the lights of the city twinkling far below. Then gravity claims him, and he's gone—plummeting to the unforgiving concrete below.
I don't wait to hear the impact. Instead, I whirl toward the men behind me. "You're alive," I breathe, the gun dropping to the floor as relief washes through me like a tidal wave. "You're all alive."
"Told you we'd be right behind you," Kai says, his usual smirk struggling to form on his split lip.
The three of them look like hell. Rev's right eye is swollen nearly shut, purple bruising spreading across his cheekbone. Kai's split lip has started bleeding again, and there's a gash at his temple that's been hastily bandaged. But it's Hudson who makes my heart stutter in my chest. He's conscious, but barely, his face ashen beneath his tan. A fresh bandage is visible beneath his torn, blood-soaked shirt.
"You need a hospital," I say, rushing to Hudson's side as he sways dangerously between the twins.
"No hospitals," he growls, his voice weak but stubborn as ever. "Too dangerous."
"Our medical team patched him up at the warehouse," Rev explains, adjusting his grip to better support Hudson's weight. "We would have been here sooner, but this stubborn bastard insisted on coming with us rather than going to the safehouse."
"I'm fine," Hudson grunts. "Just a through-and-through. Missed anything vital."
"Refused anything but basic field dressing too," Kai adds, shooting Hudson a look of exasperated admiration. "No painkillers stronger than over-the-counter shit."
"I need to stay alert," Hudson argues, wincing as they help him to the couch. "Can't afford to be drugged up with everything that's happening."
"So you'd rather bleed out while fully conscious?" I snap, the fear I've been suppressing bubbling up as anger instead. "That's your brilliant plan?"
Hudson's eyes find mine, startlingly clear despite his condition. "Better than missing something important because I'm high as a kite."
I kneel beside him as Rev and Kai carefully lower him onto the couch. His breathing is shallow, each inhale clearly causing him pain.
"He also refused the IV," Rev says, his tone making it clear what he thinks of that decision. "Wouldn't let them put in the line."
"What?" I look up at Hudson incredulously. "You need fluids. You've lost too much blood."
"No needles," Hudson mutters, closing his eyes briefly as a wave of pain washes over him.
That's when it clicks, and despite everything—the trauma of the night, the betrayal, the violence—I feel my lips twitch with the beginning of a smile.
"Oh my God," I say, staring at him in disbelief. "You're afraid of needles?"
Hudson's eyes snap open, narrowing at me. "I'm not afraid of anything."
Kai snorts, wincing as the movement pulls at his split lip. "Tell that to the nurse whose hand you nearly broke when she tried to start the IV."
"I didn't—" Hudson starts to protest, then grimaces as the movement pulls at his wound.
"My big, bad security expert," I tease, relief making me giddy as I brush sweat-dampened hair from his forehead. "Fearless in the face of bullets and knives, but brought to his knees by a tiny needle." I shake my head in mock disbelief. "Your cock is pierced, for fuck's sake."
His eyes widen slightly, darting to the twins, who both smirk despite their injuries.
"That was different. I took a bullet for you," he reminds me, but there's no heat in his words. "A little respect would be nice."
"Oh, I respect you," I assure him, my voice softening as I take his hand in mine. "I respect the hell out of you, old man. But I'm still going to give you shit about this forever."
A ghost of a smile touches his lips before pain wipes it away. "Looking forward to it."
I look at the three of them—bruised, bloody, but alive. My family. My heart. The relief is so overwhelming I could drown in it.
Rev looks toward the now empty space in the glass wall and says, "Ummm so, what did we miss? Was I hallucinating or did I see you throw a not so dead Oliver out the window?"
