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As he drew within a foot of the house and probably because he held Emma’s hand, the doorway finally revealed itself to him and he crossed the threshold.
But as he entered her home, he noticed she’d started limping. Glancing down, he saw that she was leaving bloody shoe-prints behind.
“Emma. Holy shit.”
She turned back to him, appearing dazed. “What?”
“You’ve been shot.”
CHAPTER TWO
Emma had been shot a couple of times before, once painfully in the stomach. But as she turned to look back at the tracks of blood, the bruising in her leg suddenly blossomed into a mountain of pain.
Sometimes adrenaline would do that, keep you from getting the full impact until it was safe.
She felt the floor pushing toward her face.
The next moment, strong arms held her tight against a broad chest, then she was airborne.
At first she couldn’t figure out what had happened, until she heard Vaughn’s voice. “Hang on, Em.”
She was in his arms and he was carrying her.
“Bathroom,” she called out through a haze of pain.
“Which one?”
“Master.” She tried to lift her arm to gesture to the east wing of the house, but her eyes were closed, squinched together, and she couldn’t see anything. She felt abominably nauseated.
“It hurts.”
“I know. I’ve got you.”
She grabbed his tank, maybe at the shoulder, she wasn’t sure. She pulled it into a knot and breathed through a spasm. Her whole leg was on fire.
Cool tile hit her next as he laid her out on the floor near the tub. She felt him tugging at her shoes and cursing a couple of times.
He began easing her pants off. “This is gonna hurt.”
“Do it fast.”
He swept her pants down her legs. She cried out and turned on her side, struggling to get air in her lungs.
She felt warm hands on her legs. “The bullet went through but you’ve got a nasty wound. Let me call someone.”
She forced her eyes open and caught his forearm. “No. Don’t. We can’t. There’s so much corruption. I don’t want anyone to know where we are or that I’ve been hurt. I just need my stuff. This isn’t my first GSW. There’s a wicker basket under the sink I made up a while ago.”
She lay her head on her arm and swallowed hard. Another wave of nausea hit her because of the pain.
Vaughn opened one of several cupboard doors until he found the basket. He held it up for her to see.
“Just slide it over. Fast.”
The basket hurtled toward her. She caught it then reached for the vial first, popped the cork with one hand and guzzled the contents.
The effects of the spelled liquid were immediate, sending a warmth down her throat and into her stomach. A similar sensation sped through her veins. The pain started drifting away.
