Page 6 of Taking His Heart

Daniella gets behind the wheel. “You do realize I’ve never actually driven on the wrong side of the road before. There better be a doctor waiting for you at Alfie’s.” She gives me a look as she starts the engine.

“You’ll be fine. Just focus on the road and try not to scratch my car, darling,” I tell her.

“You’re currently bleeding all over your car and you’re worried about me scratching it?” she grumbles while pulling out onto the street.

“I’m not worried about my car. I’m worried about the contents within it,” I say before I can think better of what I’m admitting. “Just drive, Dani.” I punch Alfie’s address into the GPS and then tap Sammie J’s number on my phone.

“Where the fuck are you?” my cousin answers.

“On my way to Alfie’s. I took a bullet.”

“You what? Where?”

“Stomach. I’m fine.”

“You driving yourself?” Sammie J asks.

“No, Daniella is with me.”

There’s a moment of silence before he speaks again. “She okay?”

“Yeah. I think you’re going to have to run the errand with someone else, though. I might have to sit this one out.”

Sammie J’s laugh comes through the phone’s speaker. “Yeah, okay. I’ll meet you at Alfie’s.” And then he cuts the call.

The entire drive to my cousin’s place is quiet. Daniella keeps looking over at me, right until we pull up to the gate and I tell her the code to enter.

I can feel the energy draining from my body with the more blood I lose. Daniella helps me inside the house, moments before my cousins are parking out front.

“Alfie, get out here! Now!” Daniella yells through the house as we enter the foyer, while I’m doing my best not to put too much of my weight on her. “Where the hell is he?” She looks to me before yelling out again. “Hurry up!”

Alfie groans as he jogs down the stairs, a pissed-off expression on his face. That is until his eyes fall on mine. Hudson, Sammie J, Aiden, and Elias all walk into the room behind Alfie.

“Fuck, you look like shit,” Elias says.

I fall to the ground, lying on my back. Unable to stay upright any longer. “And still look better than you, asshole.” I laugh, regretting it instantly when pain shoots through my abdomen.

“Where’s the doc?” Alfie turns to Hudson as he holds something onto my wound, pressing down fucking hard while attempting to stop the blood flow.

“On his way. Another three minutes,” Hudson says.

“Fuck. What the fuck happened?” Alfie yells at Daniella, who is standing over me with tears streaming down her face. Why the fuck is she crying?

“I… He jumped in front of me,” she explains.

“Of course he fucking did. Fucking idiot,” Alfie grunts, pressing down harder on my wound. Asshole.

“Worth it,” I tell him through gritted teeth. I would catch any amount of bullets if it meant they didn’t hit her. I keep this fact to myself, though. Because I can’t forget exactly who she is.

“Where is the doctor?” Daniella asks. “This is taking too long.”

“He’ll be here,” I assure her. “You need to relax, sweetheart. It’s as if you’ve never seen a bullet wound before, which I know for a fact you have.”

“It’s different when the one with a hole in them is…” She stops herself and turns away from me. “I swear to god, Alfie, if he dies, I will kill you.”

“Careful there, Daniella. You sound like you actually care.” This comes from Elias, who isn’t shy about sending an icy glare in Daniella’s direction.

“Elias, leave her alone.” My words are dripping with an unspoken warning. I might hate her. I might give her the cold shoulder, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit around and let other people be assholes to her.