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“Raven! Raven!” Porter shouted at me as arms pulled me into the ambulance. A second later, Phoenix was shoved on me, the doors slamming shut before the ambulance took off. Porter kept shouting at me, but I couldn’t focus.
I stared at the liquid, trying to figure out what it was, as my senses returned to me, and the smell of copper filled my nose. Sucking in a breath, my heart pounded in my chest as my vision blurred.Blood. There was blood on me.
Hands gripped my face, yanking me toward them. “Raven. It’s Phoenix. He’s been shot. You have to save him.Please.”
23
RAVEN
Panic and fear gripped me;the past fighting with the present to take hold. My heart pumped hard in my chest, the sound echoing in my ears as the world around me blurred. The smell of copper threatened to overwhelm me, the slick substance becoming sticky with each passing minute.
“Raven!”
Porter’s cry shook me loose, and I pushed my panic aside. I’d trained for this. I’d learned everything I could, so I’d never have to be in the situation again where I couldn’t save someone. I could curl up in a ball and cry, passing out from the memories. Or I could use the strength I’d been developing, proving I was more than I believed.
Taking a deep breath, I instantly regretted the action when the smell threatened to send my body back to my freakout state, not caring what I’d mentally prepared for. Grabbing some cotton out of the bags, I shoved it up my nose, hoping it would keep the smell at bay. Snapping on gloves next, I tuned out everything else and zeroed in on Phoenix. If I just focused on fixing him, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
I scanned his body as I crouched on the ground, noticing that Porter pressed something to his shoulder. Red soaked the material, making it impossible to tell what it had been.
“It’s just paint,” I whispered, trying to trick my mind. “On three, lift his shoulder. I need to check if the bullet went all the way through.”
I concentrated on the procedure, the steps falling into place in my mind.
Find the wound.
Check for the bullet.
Clean the area.
Stop the bleeding.
Lifting his shoulder, I found an exit wound and sighed in relief. Grabbing a bottle of saline, I counted out loud to three and had Porter remove his shirt as I squirted the saline over the bullet hole. I cleaned the area thoroughly, removing debris and germs from the wound. Once cleared, I used the blood clotting agent to slow the bleeding.
“Just like onPhoenix Hospital,” I chanted, grabbing the staple gun and sealing the wound shut. I hadn’t let myself look at Phoenix’s face, too worried I wouldn’t be able to compartmentalize if I saw him. Now that my steps were done, I glanced at his face, not liking how pale it was. My fingers found his pulse, the steady rhythm a welcoming beat.
“I think he’s going to be okay,” I whispered, too scared to look at Porter now.
He apparently didn’t have the same feelings, wrapping his arms around me as he squeezed tight.
“Thank you, Raven. You saved him.”
The numbness I’d been in faded at his touch, and the panic returned. Squeezing my eyes shut, I blocked out the horror of the back of the ambulance and the knowledge I had almost lost someone I loved.
The ambulance slowed, my eyes flashing open in fear. Why were we stopping? Was the bad guy still after us?
Which I knew was funny to think since we were technically the bad guys in this situation, but anyone who came after the people I loved was the villain. It might be messed up logic, but it was my logic.
The doors flew open, and I lifted my butterfly knife, ready to take down whoever threatened us. Sagging in relief at the sight of Otto, I held back the tears that wanted to fall.
“What happened?” he shouted, his fear covering his face as he scanned us.
“Someone shot Phoenix.”
“No. Someone was trying to shootyou, and Phoenix stepped in, Raven. I think it was your nemesis,” Porter corrected.
My mind went red with rage as a feeling unlike anything I had ever felt before filled me. I thought I’d been angry earlier at what that dick had done to Rueben, but this was ten times more.
“Steel Strike just signed her death certificate,” I hissed, moving to go after them.
