Page 54 of Devoted

If he gets the air he needs, he’ll be after me. And there’s still Tony. I don’t know where Roman went.

Mick’s sitting with his legs sprawled in front of him as he gasps for breath. I take aim and shoot him in the side of the leg.

He hollers and clutches the wound. I probably didn’t hit an artery, but there’s no predicting gunshots. The bullet may have pinged all around his flesh.

I could’ve killed him, but I’m not willing to risk my life for his. I run to the standing tool chest and find duct tape. I could really use rope, but I don’t have time.

I’m on alert and ready for Tony to charge out of the house, but it’s just me and Mick in the garage. Roman is nowhere to be seen. The other guy, what was his name? Xavier? He must’ve stayed in Bel Air to be their support.

Mick tries to scramble off the floor. I shove him down and flip him over. He groans and moans as I tape his hands behind his back. I wrap tape around his legs. Before I go inside to see what Tony is up to, I rip off a few feet of duct tape and twist it. I use it as a makeshift tourniquet and wrap it around Mick’s thigh, securing the ends.

It’s harder to put someone in jail for murdering their attacker when they also try to save the bad guy.

I drag a wiggling Mick to the middle of the driveway. It’ll be the most difficult place for him to squirm to a sharp edge and free himself.

I run to the door into the house and peer inside. Tony’s on his knees in the doorway, a knife handle sticking out of his gut.

Penelope used her training. I wish I had time to be proud. Did she get away? Or is Roman searching for her? Once I deal with Tony, I’ll find Roman. Self-defense or not, I’m going to kill him.

Tony looks up and notices me charging toward him. I have Mick’s gun raised and trained on Tony’s skull.

Tony’s raising his weapon—my gun—when I say, “I wouldn’t do that.”

He eyes the gun pointed at his head, his gaze glassy. By now I am only feet away. I won’t miss.

But I don’t have to worry. He’s in pain and losing blood. His eyes roll back in his head, and his arm drops. The gun clatters to the floor, and he collapses toward me. I dance back, the barrel still trained on him. But he’s not moving.

I don’t want to let him out of my sight, but I left the duct tape in the garage. I hurriedly scan the gym. If I don’t find anything, I’ll have to leave him and hope he’s too far gone to hunt me and Penelope down.

Using exercise bands, I secure his hands and feet. He won’t be able to chase me, but he’s dying.

I dash to the bathroom and grab the first towel I see. I use another exercise band to wrap around his body on each side of the blade and put as much pressure on the towels covering the wound as I can.

Groans are coming from the man. He’s drifting in and out of consciousness. I don’t know whether he can hear me, but I try anyway. “You probably know this already, but don’t take the knife out unless you want to die faster.”

He’s likely had the same emergency medical training I had. It’s his best shot to survive. If he doesn’t want to go to jail, he can go ahead and remove the knife to bleed out faster.

I step over him and pick up my gun. “Penelope!”

The bathroom window is open. Did she get out? She’s smart. She had to have used her training.

I clear the house, every room. Other than a dying Tony in my gym, the place is empty. Roman’s gone. He must be after Penelope.

I run out to the garage and jump into the SUV. Without running over Mick, I back out. After dialing 911, I calmly fill in the dispatcher as I drive away from the house. There’s only one place Penelope knows well enough in this area. I speed to the trailhead.

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