Fallen Death (The Trihune Series Book 3) (27 page)

His heart. Could he come back from that?

No. Don’t think like that.

She whipped out the phone Cade had given her. Held down the one button.

“Hello.”

The phone cradled between her ear and shoulder, she began compressions. “Sarid’s been shot. He lost a lot of blood. Not conscious. No pulse.”

“We’re five minutes away. Did you call an ambulance?”

“No.” Sirens sounded in the distance. “But someone did.”

“Shit. Don’t let them take him. They can’t help.”

Asjhone raised her head, let the phone drop to the floor as she plugged Sarid’s nose and breathed into his mouth. Once. Twice. Then started compressions again. “Keandre, there’s a bag outside. On the ground by Mr. Sarid’s truck. Get the shirt out of it and bring it back here.” Keandre took off.

“Don’t you die on me,” she whispered fiercely. “I need you.” She placed her mouth against his, gave two more breaths.

Keandre returned.

“Place the shirt over his chest.” She watched her son while counting to thirty in her head. “Good. Then press down on the wound. As hard as you can.”

“Like I’m strong as Thor, Momma.”

“Yes, lil’ man. As strong as Thor.” Two more breaths.

She lost count on how many reps, how many times she checked for a pulse and found none. Her gaze didn’t leave Sarid’s face, waiting for his eyes to open. His head to move. For him to gasp.

The bullet might not have hit his heart. Probably was just next to it. Hard to tell without an x-ray.

Then it happened.

A small intake of breath. She slowed compressions. His eyelids fluttered. “Sarid? Sarid?”

His gaze roamed, found her.

“Stay with me. Cade’s coming. Stay with me.”

His mouth moved.

“Ssshh, don’t talk. Lie still. You’ve lost a lot of blood.” She took over for Keandre. “I’m sorry I pushed you away.”

He stared at her.

“Don’t leave me. Please.” Emotions rose in her throat. She forced them down. “Promise me.”

His gaze trailed over her face again.

“Sarid! Promise me.”

“Promise,” he breathed.

There were squeals from outside. The police. Were they here already? Seconds later, Lucas and Gabe raced in the room. Keandre pressed against her side. “Momma?”

“It’s okay. These are Sarid’s friends.

“Let me see,” Gabe said softly.

Her lower lip trembled. She cleared her throat. “As soon as I move my hand, the blood will begin to flow again. I’ve just slowed it down. And, the bullet, I don’t know . . .”

“We’ve got it, sweetheart. Trust us.”

“Don’t call her that.” Sarid was barely audible.

Gabe shook his head. “Even half dead he’s protective as a dog with a bone.” He looked at her. Winked. “Not that you resemble a bone. At all.”

“Gabriel.” Sarid’s tone was a warning and now he was trying to sit up.

Asjhone pressed on his shoulder. “Ssshh, you need to lie still. Gabe won’t say anything else inappropriate. Right, Gabe?” Her eyes didn’t lift from Sarid.

“Of course not, pretty lady. If that’s what you want.”

“Gabe, come on, man,” Lucas said.

“Seriously!” Asjhone hissed at the same time. “Why are you screwing around? Sarid needs help. If you’re just going to be an ass, then move out of the way and let me do what I can.”

Gabe stared at her, mouth falling open. “Wow, you’re almost as scary as Sarid.” He held his hands up when she glared. “I’m sorry. No more jokes.”

“What’s the situation?” Cade stepped into the room, eyebrows lifted as his gaze bounced from Asjhone to Gabe, then to Wayne on the floor, partially blocked by the bed.

“Gabe’s being an idiot,” Lucas said.

“That him?” Cade asked, motioning with his head. “Your husband.”

“Yes. He’s . . .” She glanced at Keandre then back at Cade, suppressed a shudder, shook her head.

Cade nodded once.

Lucas hands hovered over Asjhone’s, where she still applied pressure. He glanced at her. “May I?”

At Sarid’s nod, she sat back on her knees. Keandre scooted closer and she pulled him into her arms.

Lucas lifted the blood soaked shirt. “How many shots?”

“Two. One in the stomach that went right through. The other in his chest. Close to his heart. The bullet’s still in there.”

Lucas peered into the chest wound, poked at it with his finger. Sarid winced.

Asjhone bit her bottom lip. “Are you sure you should be doing that?”

“Trust us.” Gabe’s smile faded when he spied the hole in Sarid’s stomach. “We know what we’re doing.” He pushed up his sleeve. “No cup, my
ach
. I’m sorry.”

“A cup?” Asjhone asked.

Cade glanced behind him to the open door, head tilting. “We don’t have much time. Gabe, start giving him blood. Lucas, you and I will carry him to the Hummer.” They moved into position. Gabe bit the inside of his wrist, held it over Sarid’s mouth.

A strangled moan tore from Sarid’s throat when they lifted him. “Sorry, brother,” Cade said.

“Just drink, Sarid,” Gabe said gently.

Gabe had told her they needed blood to survive. Her mind had conjured images of bagged blood, a needle in the arm, tube running from the bag to the needle. Nothing like this.

“Blood will help?” She rose with them, Keandre in her arms. Gabe kept his wrist over Sarid’s mouth, not touching his skin, just letting the blood drip into his mouth. Sarid’s eyes were closed. Every so often he’d swallow, then open his mouth again before the next drop. Their movements were practiced. How many times had Sarid been injured?

“He’ll be as good as new as soon as we get the bullet out,” Lucas said. “It’s too deep for me to extract here, plus APD are coming. We need to get out of here.”

She raced ahead of them and opened the Hummer’s rear door.

“Hold up, my
ach
.” Gabe brought his wrist to his mouth, licked the puncture marks, then helped Lucas and Cade set Sarid inside. Lucas jogged to the back of the vehicle. He climbed through the hatch and lowered the seat, creating a large enough area for Sarid to stretch out. Gabe kneeled next to him, wrist dripping over Sarid’s open mouth again. Asjhone lowered Keandre to the floor behind the driver’s seat. She started to climb in.

“Wait,” Cade said. “You need to stay here.”

“No, I want to go with Sarid.”

Sarid’s eyes opened and he glanced from her to Cade.

“You have to talk to the police. Explain what happened here,” Cade said.

Her stomach plummeted.

Wayne. The gun. He was dead. By her hands.

Nausea rose. Would they take Keandre away from her? The blood drained from her face. She braced a hand on the doorjamb.

He was a big shot lawyer from New York. She was a nobody.

“And you can’t say anything. About Sarid. Or us.”

Asjhone stared at Cade, not really seeing him. “I understand.” She was alone in this. Her gaze found Keandre. The lines between his eyebrows were pronounced. The red mark still prominent on his cheek. Water dripped down the sides of his face from his wet hair. He was shivering. Blood stained his hands.

She’d shot his father. Now he was watching Sarid drink blood. She put a hand to her forehead, staggered back. Maybe they should take him away from her. She was unfit.

“Asjhone?”

It was Sarid who called her. He pushed Gabe’s hand away, tried to sit up. He shouldn’t be moving. The bullet could shift at any moment.

Two police cars zoomed into the parking lot. Lights flashed. Sirens blared.

“Oh, God.” Spots dashed in front of her eyes.

“Momma?” Keandre’s voice was high, scared.

“Angel, what is it?” Sarid, with Gabe supporting him, was mostly upright. He reached for her, winced, placed a hand on his sternum before grabbing her with his other, pulling her close. She stumbled, still focused on the police. They were getting out of their cars, guns drawn.

“I shot him.” Her voice quivered. “I shot him.”

“I know,” Sarid said softly, and tugged on her hand until she met his gaze. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. That I hadn’t made—”

“No, you don’t understand.” She glanced back at the parking lot. Gasped. The policemen where . . . they . . . not moving? . . . But . . . frozen? “What’s going on?”

Sarid twisted to look out the back window, sucked in a breath, hand on his chest flexing and unflexing. “They are under Cade’s control.” He spoke through gritted teeth. “He’ll keep them that way until we’re ready.”

“You need to lie down,” she said.

“That’s really cool!” Keandre leaned on Sarid to peer outside. “Can you do that, too? What if I jump in the air? Can you freeze me in the air? Can you?”

Faint amusement crossed over Sarid’s face. “Not right now.” Then his eyes narrowed, zeroed in on Keandre’s cheek.

“Don’t lean on Mr. Sarid. He’s hurt.” She moved Keandre to the side, pushed on Sarid’s shoulder. “Lay down, please.”

“Told you,” Gabe said with a smirk. He was gazing over her shoulder, talking to Lucas. “He’s different around her. And the boy.”

“Asjhone.” Sarid’s voice was low, soothing.

Was he really not breathing a few minutes ago?

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

She shook her head. Swallowed. The police wouldn’t stay frozen forever. “You’re injured. You need to relax. Get the help you need.” She forced herself to step away. “Just please, take Keandre with you.” Panic bubbled at the thought of being separated from her boy again, but if he wasn’t there they couldn’t take him away. Sarid would protect him.

“You need to keep Keandre with you,” Lucas said. “Explain what happened.”

“No—” She spun to face him.

“It was self-defense. They need to see Keandre. You’ll tell them the truth. Your husband took your son. When you went to get him back, he grew violent.” His gaze lowered, roamed over the side of her face.

She lifted a hand to her cheek. It was tender. Swollen. Lip, too. Her right eye felt puffy, probably would turn black. Thankfully she could still see out of it. For now. “They won’t believe me. I’m a nobody. Wayne’s—”

“You’re not a nobody,” Sarid growled from behind her. He grasped her hand, squeezed it. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again.”

“But what if they take him away from me?” She dropped her voice. Glanced from Sarid to Lucas. “Call CPS.”

Lucas answered before Sarid could. “We won’t let that happen.”

She studied Lucas’s face. How could he keep that promise? In the end, though, she had no other choice. She couldn’t run. Not anymore.

“I’m sorry, my
ach
,” Lucas said to Sarid. “I know you want to stay, but—”

“No. He can’t stay. He needs that bullet removed.” Asjhone examined Sarid. The wound in his chest had begun weeping again. “And why are you still sitting up? I told you to lie down. Gabe, he needs more blood.”

Gabe grinned before biting his wrist. “I like her.”

Asjhone glanced once more at the officers in mid-motion. Bit her bottom lip. “Come here, Keandre.” She swept him into her arms. Met Sarid’s gaze.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said.

She swallowed. Hoped he was right.

Lucas walked her back to the motel. There were faces in the windows of the other rooms, unmoving as well. Someone’s door was half-open, a foot sticking out.

“Momma, this is so cool. It’s just like an Avengers movie.”

“It is very cool,” Lucas said. “But I need you to keep it a secret, Keandre. Can you do that?”

“Like Batman and Spiderman keep secrets.”

“Exactly.”

Asjhone half-listened to Lucas coaching her son on what to say. Keandre didn’t appear traumatized by what happened, but tonight’s events would eventually take its toll. Tears burned at the back of her throat. She swallowed again. Not now.

“Asjhone, I want you to wait here. Outside the door. The police are going to see me walk on the scene—”

“You’re staying?”

Lucas touched her shoulder. Warmth seeped through her at the contact and some of her panic ebbed. “Of course, you’re family now, but as far as the police are concerned, I’m a friend. I followed to help you get your son back, but we were separated in traffic.”

“I understand.” He was staying. She wasn’t going to be alone. No matter what happened her son would be safe.

“Ready?”

Her grip on Keandre tightened. She glanced at her boy.

His lips were in a firm line, expression serious. “I can do this, Momma.”

“I have no doubt, lil’ man,” she whispered, bringing him close to kiss his cheek gently. “We’re ready,” she told Lucas.

Chapter 52

Three and a half hours later, Keandre was asleep on her shoulder. Her lower back and side were killing her, but she wasn’t letting him go. Even when the EMTs arrived to check them over, she hadn’t. She finally had ice on her face, which started to throb thirty minutes into questioning. Her right eye was now swollen shut. And a large bruise had begun to appear where Wayne had punched her, but she refused pain meds.

“You’re free to go, Ms. Williams,” the detective said. “I have your number. We’ll call if we need more information.”

In the beginning, Asjhone assumed Lucas worked some hocus pocus on the detective. The man too readily believed her story. How she met Wayne. When the abuse started. The birth of Keandre. How she’d been running from him ever since. That it was self-defense.

It wasn’t until afterward that the cop told her about Monique. The nurse had been found strangled in her apartment. A neighbor had given the police a description of the man she’d been seeing and the car he drove. Both pointed to Wayne.

“You’re lucky,” the detective had said.

What almost broke her was listening to Keandre talk about Wayne luring him out of the house, the fall on the pavement, and then the slap.

“It hurt, Momma.” Tears had rolled down his cheeks.

When they were in Lucas’s car, Keandre sleeping in the back seat, Lucas’s jacket over top him, she started shaking. First her hands, then her whole body. “There was blood on the floor. From Sarid. What if they check that against Wayne’s blood? And the wall. Do you think the detective believed the crack was from Wayne pushing me? And what if he checks the phone records?” Asjhone had told the detective that she’d called Lucas right after hearing from Wayne.

“I’ve already spoken to Michael at the HQ. He’s working on the phone records. If the detective checks it out, it’ll clear.” His gaze swept over her face. “And yes, the detective believed Wayne pushed you into the wall. Don’t worry about the blood. If forensics runs a DNA test, I’ll know about it. The results will show the blood is Wayne’s.”

She rubbed her hands over her arms. “Do you think the detective believed me? About how I killed him.”

“Believed you? Asjhone you were telling the truth. You shot Wayne in self-defense.”

She glanced in the back before speaking. “But I didn’t. Not really. He was just standing there. He wasn’t coming at me. Or Sarid. He was yelling. I picked up the gun and . . . I just pulled the trigger.”

“You did what you had to do. He would’ve hurt you, Sarid, and Keandre even more if you hadn’t shot him.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right.” She was so tired. “Are you taking me to Sarid?”

“Is that what you want?”

“Yes.”

“Then, yes. And, Asjhone?”

She glanced at him.

“Thank you for protecting him. Protecting us.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“I do. And I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you and your son are safe for the rest of your life.” Lucas smiled. “Just as I’m sure Sarid will.”

The ride back didn’t take as long as the drive to get Keandre. The shaking eased when Lucas turned on the heat. Shock, she supposed. She should’ve known that immediately. Her brain was still fuzzy.

Lucas stopped in front of the house, running a concerned gaze over her injuries. “The paramedics said you could have a concussion. We need to watch over you tonight.”

“I know the signs. I’m not dizzy, nauseous, or seeing double. As soon as any of those hit I’ll go to the hospital.” She pushed open her door, stuck one foot on the driveway. “I just want to see Sarid.”

“By now, he’s fine. I’m surprised he didn’t come back to the motel as soon as Martha extracted the bullet.”

“Because Cade threatened to shoot me again if I tried to leave.”

Asjhone startled. Sarid stood a few feet away. His coloring completely back to normal. No winces when he walked toward her. No hesitation in his step. A vision of perfect health. Nothing said he was practically dead a few hours ago. “You’re okay.” Tears began to flow. Cries, she’d held back all night, burst from her mouth.

“Angel.” Sarid enveloped her in his arms. “Don’t do that. I’m fine. Completely healed.”

“I’m sorry.” She gasped into his shirt. “It’s just, I just . . .”

“Ssshh, I know. Let’s get you inside.”

She stepped back, scrubbed a hand over her face. “Keandre—”

“I’ll get him.”

Sarid lifted her son into his arms, then with an arm around her shoulders guided her into the house.

Safe.

She and Keandre were finally safe.