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“Anything,” I tell her.
“Take Lilliana and get her away from here.”
“You. I want you to do it,” I tell her, panic entering my voice, no matter how I try to keep an even tone.
“Wrynnie, I need you to promise,” she manages to say before coughing, blood trickling out the corner of her mouth.
I’m wrenched sideways as someone grabs my shoulder, pulling me. I look up at Connor as he yells at me, but I shake him off.
“Get off me! I’ve got to stop the blood,” I yell at him, moving back into position over Ruby. “She’s losing too much blood.”
“You’ve got to get out of here,” Connor says, and I realize the noise is dying down.
I look over my shoulder, seeing that Lilliana and Francesca are staring at us.
“More are coming, Wryn. We have to go. Get the fuck up.”
“I’m not fucking leaving Ruby,” I tell him.
“She’s dead. You’ve got to leave her.”
“She’s not fucking dead,” I scream at him. “She talked to me.” I turn back to Ruby. “Rubes, listen to me. I need you to open your eyes, babe.”
I lean toward her, watching for her chest to rise. Her lips to move. Her eyes to flutter.
Connor’s hands are on me again.
“I swear, if you touch me again …”
“Get back,” Connor says, untucking his shirt. He jerks the hem, tearing it in a long strip, and kneels beside me. He deftly moves her to her side, placing the fabric strip underneath, and then carefully rolls her back on it, pulling it together on top of her stomach. “Take Francesca and Lilliana and get out. I’ll be behind you.” I watch his fingers work on a tight bow before he barks at me again, “Dammit, Wryn, go!”
I jump and turn, finally convinced that he’s going to bring Ruby with us. She’s pale, and I know she’s lost a lot of blood. Too much blood.
“This way,” Lilliana says as I reach her.
She’s stoic and focused as she leads us from the room. We continue down the hallway until we hear pounding footsteps, and she opens a door, letting us duck inside. Once they pass, we are on the move again. We open the door to find Connor moving past, Ruby cradled in his arms. It seems to take forever and no time at all before we are stepping outside, eyes darting everywhere to get our bearings.
There’s a black SUV parked out the side door that we exited from, and I run toward it, opening the back of it and searching for how to lay the third row of seats down. I finally find it and climb inside as Connor hoists Ruby up, helping me place her. I cradle her head in my lap, and Connor shuts the door, rocking the car back and forth. Ruby lets out a deep moan, and my heart jumps.
“Oh my God, Rubes. It’s Wryn. Stay with me.”
The bandage around her is turning stark red at an alarming rate. A door opens, and then I hear screaming. I lean forward, looking out the side window, and see Francesca is distracting a guard for us. She slams against him and motions for us to leave.
“Go! I owe you. I’ll be fine,” she screams.
I watch Connor hesitate, and then he climbs in the driver’s seat. My heart drops when I realize that he’s doing what she said. He’s leaving without her, and I start to sob when it hits me that she won’t make it out alive. She will be killed for her part in this, and we are leaving her behind, knowing her fate. Lilliana climbs in the seat next to Connor, and she’s sobbing.
“Connor, you can’t leave her,” I yell.
He doesn’t respond as he starts the vehicle. Thankfully, it had the keys in it. Most likely, the previous occupant wasn’t expecting something like this.
“Connor!”
“She chose her path,” is all he says as he pulls away.
I stare out the back window and watch Francesca get pulled inside as more armed men pour out of the house and aim their guns at our retreating vehicle. I duck my head as they start firing, but soon, we are out of their range, and the silence envelops us all as I watch Ruby’s breaths grow more ragged.
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