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“Fuck! You bitch!” He hit me again, this time with a fist instead of a gun and that about put me over the edge of consciousness.
My cheek and eye were swelling up and bleeding and this blow busted my lip and left a ringing in my ears.
He used both hands on my neck now. I shot my arms up and spread them to alleviate the pressure, then jammed my thumbs in his eyes.
“Ah!” When his grip eased further, I hiked my knee between his legs and he went down.
Breaking free and breathing hard, I tried to step around him, attempting to run.
He kicked out at my legs, taking me to the ground.
No! Feet! Stay on your feet!
“Help!” I screamed and scrambled to stand. “Help!” I yelled again, but knew it was useless.
I could barely see or maintain my balance from the throbbing pain in my head. I tasted blood on my lips, my belly stung and I couldn’t breathe right.
I was ten feet from the door when it was kicked open and I saw Rhys.
“You came,” I choked out. It was like witnessing a miracle. Maybe it was. Maybe I had passed out already and this was all a dream.
Mase yelled something from behind me. I turned to see him pull the gun from his belt and aim at Rhys. Fantasy or reality, my reaction was the same.
I ran toward Rhys and threw myself at him just as a loud bang went off and a sharp slice of pain hit my right shoulder.
More of the bangs rang out, hurting my already sensitive ears. Everything was a blur and I couldn’t stand up any longer. I tried to keep my body near Rhys, to cover him, but I was slipping.
A chill washed over me. It came from the inside, not the outside. Something like a warm blanket wrapped around me. With my eyes squeezed shut, I went to cling to it, to pull it tighter around me, but it wasn’t fabric, it was arms. Rhys’s arms.
“Emma? Emma baby, look at me.” Rhys said, holding me and gently easing with me to the floor.
No, not the floor. Feet! I had to tell him Mase had a weapon. Had to save him.
“Get away,” I said. “H-he’s got a gun.”
“I know, baby. He’s dead. He won’t hurt you anymore. You just hang on, okay?”
It took every ounce of will I had to open my eyes. But only one did, because no matter how hard I tried, the other wouldn’t move, it was swollen shut.
“Are you hurt?” I asked, trying to look up at him.
The concrete floor was so cold that even though Rhys held me, all I felt was a chill seeping up from the ground and clawing at me.
“I’m fine. Ah, baby, what did you do?” he said softly.
“I saved your ass.” I smiled, then coughed and an icky metallic taste lined my throat. My lip felt busted and my inner cheek throbbed and bled from being cut on my teeth. Something heavy and painful pushed down on my shoulder and it took me a moment to realize it was Rhys’s big palm putting pressure on the wound. I thought I heard him say that the bullet when straight through.
“I tried to stay on my feet,” I said, but I didn’t recognize my own voice. It sounded too garbled and distant to be mine.
“You did so good, baby.” Something wet hit my forehead. Barely able to see through the haze, I made out that it was Rhys’s gray eyes shedding tears.
Sirens sounded in the distance and came closer. “Help is almost here, you just hang on.”
“You found me . . .”
“Of course, I bugged you, remember?” His tone was soft and I wanted to smile, but it hurt. “Emma, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. You’re my world. I swear with everything I am, Emma, you’re it for me.” His hands tightened. “This is my fault, baby. I’m so sorry. Please just hang on. Please.”
Somewhere in my foggy mind I realized that Rhys, a big strong man, was on his knees, begging me, a small woman, for something. I didn’t know if it was the feel of him holding me or the look in his eyes, but I believed him. And I didn’t care if that meant I was trusting or stupid. Instead, I decided that it meant I was in love with him. And there was something he had to know. I had to say before my mouth refused to stop working.
“Listen to me Rhys.” I coughed again and that time a hefty taste of blood flooded my mouth.
“Shhh, just rest, they’re almost here.”
I shook my head. “No, listen. This isn’t your fault. You have to promise me that you’ll let go of this. You can’t keep blaming yourself for all the badness in the world.”
“Emma . . .”
“I love you, Rhys.”
“Damn it,” he growled and more of his tears hit my forehead. “Emma Wade, you are the most stubborn woman on this earth. Don’t you dare give in now. You hold on. Do you hear me?”
“Will you just stay here for a moment?” I said, but it didn’t sound very clear.
It was hard to talk with the rising ache in my throat. But I had a wonderful vision of Rhys next to me, within me, a part of me, all his warmth and strength there for me as I looked up the last time I asked him to stay . . . I wanted that moment. It was calling to me and I was following.
“Emma . . . Emma, damn it . . . no . . . stay with me, baby . . .”
The last thing I heard before giving in to the blissful numbing dream was Rhys’s voice doing the one thing I’d never heard it do.
He called out for help.
Chapter Twelve
Everything in my body hurt. Felt heavier than normal. There was a soft, soothing voice and an even softer palm brushed across my forehead. I could smell the faint hint of clay and basil.
“Emma . . . ?” Her voice seemed so far away. I tried to open my eyes, but everything was foggy. So I blinked repeatedly, trying to make the blur go away.
My vision cleared enough to see Gwen, hovering over me and swiping tears away while brushing my hair from my brow.
“I’m right here, dear.”
Rhys’s mom. Which actually was the closest thing I had to one myself. But she was here. Was worried about me. She placed a small cup near my face and angled the straw so I could sip some water. Nothing ever tasted so good.
After giving me a few drinks, she glanced up and called out, “Rhys. Emma’s awake.”
I swear I felt the whole room shake as if Bigfoot was unleashed to run through the halls.
Then Rhys was standing over me.
“Hey, baby,” he said softly. I tried to smile but it fricking hurt.
“I . . .” I tried to glance around. Between the beeping and the sterile smell of metal, I could guess I was in a hospital. “I’d love for you to elaborate right now,” I grated out.
