Page 140 of Mad Love

The bang of the shot made me jerk… and then the world went deathly silent.

CHAPTER 49

MADDIE

I expected a searing pain that stole my breath, but that didn’t happen. Nothing in me hurt any more than the other wounds I’d sustained this night. Maybe I was in shock?

Oh, hell.

Maybe I was dead. Could the dead feel pain?

The thumping in my head answered a resounding yes, but I didn’t feel… shot.

“Maddie!”

I shook my head, my ears ringing even as blood whooshed through them. I touched my chest, expecting to feel a hole in my chest.

“Madison!”

Dead. I had to be dead. Because that was the only way to explain the voice and—

Strong hands grabbed my shoulders and shook me once. “Maddie, fucking look at me.”

Dazed, I lifted my eyes, surprised to see a startling blue pair boring into mine with a desperation that bordered on manic.

“Baby, say something,” Ryan pleaded, his hands moving to my neck, my face. His expression turned lethal when he touched the cut on my head.

It took a second for me to remember how to speak. “Ryan?”

Relief crashed over his expression a second before he hauled me against his chest. “Thank fuck.”

My arms slowly lifted, wrapping around him tentatively as if he was a phantom that just might dissipate when I touched him. When all I felt was solid muscle and strength, I inhaled a deep breath and buried my face against his neck.

“You’re here?” I whimpered, my mind starting to piece together reality. “How did you get here?”

“That’s a fun story for another day,” a familiar voice told me.

I opened my eyes to see Knight kneeling next to us by Chase, his expression grim. “Shit, he’s lost a lot of blood.”

I swallowed a sob, my nails digging into Ryan’s back as I watched Knight work. “Is he dead?”

Knight met my eyes and shook his head. “No, but we need to get him to the helicopter before that changes.”

“Gary?” I whispered, trying to look around Ryan’s massive shoulder to where a few other people seemed to be.

“Royal?” Ryan called over his shoulder, not letting me go.

“Dead,” he replied with a hint of a smile. “Nice shot, Cain.”

“You killed him?” I murmured, starting to shake.

Ryan stood up, bringing me with him as he moved me away from Chase. “Yeah, baby. I killed him.”

“Thank you.” It seemed like such a stupid thing to say, but it was all I had. “Bex is—”

“Court and Linc are with her,” Ryan cut me off, one hand rubbing my back. “We ran into them on our way in.”

My teeth chattered as I snuggled closer to his chest, freezing and seeking warmth. “I think I messed up. Are you mad at me?”

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