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“They’re already in with Kenny,” he assured me. “You should have killed him.”
“I’m not a murderer,” I said. “And I’m not going to let this asshole turn me into one.”
Griffin walked around us and knelt next to Eddie, wrenching his wrists behind his back and slapping a pair of cuffs on the Duke before pulling him to his feet.
“Take him down to a cruiser,” Griffin barked at a uniformed officer as he shoved Eddie forward before turning back to me. “You okay?”
“Five by five, boss,” I assured him. “Help me up.” I held my free hand out and Griffin pulled me to my feet. But when I stood I stumbled and fell forward into his chest.
“Is that your blood?” Griffin asked sharply, pushing me back and running his hand over my chest.
“I don’t think so,” I said, blinking slowly as the building seemed to start swaying around us. “Kenny’s hurt.”
“Oh my God,” Griffin said, his palm pressed hard against my pec. “Medic! Officer down!”
“Who’s hurt?” I asked, closing my eyes and leaning into his touch. “Are you okay?”
“You are,” Griffin said. “Matt! Matthew, open your eyes. Look at me!” My legs felt like jelly, and I slid to the ground, Griffin holding me to ease my fall. “Medic!” Griffin screamed again. “Open your eyes. Baby, please. Open your eyes.”
But I couldn’t. I was so damned tired.
“Did you tell me you loved me tonight?” I asked him, my words coming out a little slurred.
“I did,” he agreed. “I do. I love you. And that’s why I need you to stay with me.”
“I love you, too,” I admitted. “I think I always have.”
Voices grew louder around us, and I felt hands ripping at my shirt and fingers digging into my skin. I wanted to protest, wanted to push them away and beg to be alone with Griffin. I mean, we were trying to have a moment, here. But then everything went quiet. And dark. And I slipped off sleep, wondering if it had all just been a big, weird dream.
Chapter Twenty
~Griffin~
He couldn’t die. Not after all of this. He’d sacrificed everything for this fucking job, and I’d be damned if I let him lose his life to it, too.
“I’m going to fix this,” I whispered, my hand shaking as I knelt next to Matt and stroked a finger over his cheek. “I promise you.”
“Sir, step away,” a paramedic barked as he shoved me aside “It’s okay, you’ve got to move. Let me do my job.”
I forced myself to stand again, to choke down my emotions and assess the scene around me. There was nothing I could do for Matt in that moment, he was in the best hands possible and I still had work to do.
Carter and Peter were at my side, clearly waiting for me to give them something to do.
“Where’s Kenny?” I asked, knowing it would be the first question Matt asked me once he woke up. Because he had to wake up.
“They took him out on a stretcher a few minutes ago,” Peter answered. “It’s not looking good. He’s lost a lot of blood.”
“Fuck!” I spat, slamming my fist against the metal railing next to me. “How the hell did it come to this?” My gaze drifted back to Matt, who was being loaded onto the stretcher by the paramedics. “Where are you taking him?”
“DMC,” the medic answered. “The kid, too.”
“You want to go?” Carter asked gently, resting his hand on my shoulder.
“No, I need to process the scene. Will you go with them? I don’t want any of the grunts making a move in a public place.” I watched Carter and Peter follow the paramedics downstairs, then looked around for the DPD detective who would take point. I’d have to fill him in on everything before I could go to the hospital. And I had to call director Barnes and tell him that everything in Detroit had just been shot to hell.
It was going to be a long fucking night. And I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep it together with the man I loved fighting for life out of my reach.
But I was a soldier and I’d do my job. And when this was cleared up…someone else could take the mantel. Because I was fucking done. I wanted to get Matt healthy and just…go. Somewhere with a nice normal house and a nice normal picket fence where we could live a nice normal life away from all of this.
