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“Rooster?” she croaked.
“It’s okay, baby. I’m here. I’ve got you.”
Axel dropped to his knees beside me, shoving a wad of towels against Lou’s stomach in an attempt to slow the bleeding.
“Tank is on the phone,” he said. “Keep her calm, don’t move her. The bullet went clean through, but I can’t tell if there’s any serious damage to her spine or organs.”
“Rooster, are you…are you hurt?” Lou whispered.
My heart cracked in two.
“It’s the shock,” Axel said softly, for my ears alone. “She probably doesn’t know what’s going on.”
I never looked away from Lou. I grasped her hand, my stomach churning when I realized it was slick with her blood.
“I’m fine, sweetheart. You were shot. Just take it easy, okay?”
A frown formed on Lou’s face. She blinked slowly, sluggish, and when her eyes dragged open again, all I wanted to do was gather her into my arms and hold her. It wasn’t fair. After years of being apart, after leaving her behind, I finally had Lou back. And now I was faced with the reality that she might bleed out right in front of me.
“Shit,” Tank hissed.
My head snapped up. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“The ambulance had to be redirected for road construction. It will take another fifteen minutes to get here.”
In that moment, I could have sworn my heart stopped beating. I looked down at Lou, my vibrant, sun-kissed Lou to find her so pale that she was nearly gray.
No one said a word. The utter silence spoke what no one wanted to admit. Lou wouldn’t be able to make it that long. She was dying and I couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.
“Get the van,” I said, my voice hoarse. “We’ll take her to the hospital ourselves.”
My entire club flew into motion like a well-oiled machine. Half of them started their bikes, preparing to provide cover if Jed and his Devil’s Disciples decided to do another drive by shooting. Thirty seconds later, Brewer veered into the parking lot with the Alpha Riders MC van. It was a hunk of junk, battered and rusty, but I’d never been so relieved to see it.
Axel helped me carefully pick up Lou, trying my best not to jostle her. I gritted my teeth at how small and fragile she felt against me, her breathing shallow, labored. Axel yanked the back door of the van open and I climbed inside. When I sat down with my back braced against the wall and cradling Lou in my lap, I felt the slick warmth of her blood staining my shirt.
“Hang on, sweetheart,” I murmured, kissing her temple. The van lurched into motion. Axel steadied me with a hand to my shoulder, his other hand clamped to the bloody towels at Lou’s stomach.
“Show me that stubborn streak,” I pleaded. “Show me you can make it to the hospital, baby, all right?”
Lou’s eyes drifted closed. Her head lolled against my shoulder.
“No, no, don’t do that,” I said. “Keep your eyes open, Lou. Stay awake.”
I shifted her in my arms, clutching her a little tighter with a gentle shake. She didn’t respond. The scent of peaches and summer that always clung to her was gone now, replaced by the metallic, cloying smell of blood.
I brought my hand up, fingers trembling as I brushed a sticky lock of hair away from her cheek.
“Don’t die on me, Lou, please,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “This was our second chance. Come on, just…let me propose to you. Let me throw you the biggest damn wedding you could dream of. Let me see you walk down that aisle to me and take my breath away. Let me slide that ring your finger as I look you in the eye, just one more time, and tell you that I am never, ever walking away from you again.”
Lou remained still and silent in my arms. Distantly, I became aware of Axel’s fingers curled lightly around her wrist, searching for a pulse. Then he moved to her neck.
He said nothing. I didn’t dare look into his face for fear of the heavy truth in his eyes.
“How much further?” I shouted in Brewer’s direction.
“One more block,” he called back.
I released a shuddering breath, clutching Lou tight.
