Page 48 of His Sinful Need

“Come on!” Bricker shouts, peeling himself off the concrete, gesturing for the crew to pile into the back of the van. With Bricker’s help, I lift Rook inside and climb in after them.

“Go, go, go!” Bricker yells, and Pony slams his foot down on the accelerator, peeling away from the scene.

“Where?” Pony asks in a panic.

“Hospital,” I bark at him. “Like we planned.”

During the planning sessions, it became clear that the Espositos have a lot of pull at one particular hospital in the area, and even though Pony had a momentary blank, he seems to have remembered himself now, taking a wild left on the next street.

The hospital was a last resort plan, if the worst happened.

And the worsthashappened.

Rook is in Bricker’s arms, and Bricker shifts him up, hugging him tight. “You’re okay,” he says in Rook’s ear. “You’ll be okay.”

Rook just coughs up blood in response. I crawl over to them and Rook’s wet eyes meet mine, a flicker of hope in their depths. “Hey, kid,” I say, and smile. “You gotta pull through. I owe you a beer, remember?”

Rook manages a weak smile, but his breath is ragged and his mouth is bloody. The life is draining from him with each passing second.

“Stay with me, Rook,” Bricker pleads, hoisting him up again.

My heart is breaking for both of them. Bricker is desperate, despairing, but Rook is getting weaker by the moment. “Stay awake, buddy,” I say, trying to sound reassuring despite the sorrow bubbling inside me. I already know how this will end. “You hear me? Stay awake.”

“Max...” he whispers, more blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. I lean in close to hear him. “Thanks for...getting me out...”

But when I lean back up to tell him he has Bricker to thank for that, it’s too late. His life has slipped away, leaving an empty void where that cheeky grin used to be.

CHAPTER21

BRICKER

In the backof the van, I cradle Rook against my shoulder, his warm blood seeping through my clothes, and I stare into his glassy eyes as time stops.

Something in my head clicks over and over. Undo. Undo.

Why can’t I undo this?

But this is reality. Rook is dead. There’s no undoing it. His body is limp in my arms, and Max’s head drops too, eyes closing as he rubs a hand over his face.

No, no, no...

I can’t look at the faces of the crew around me. This is my fault. This is on me.

“Bricker,” Max says quietly, resting a hand on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

I can’t speak. Can’t even nod.

Rook trusted me. They all did. And I sit here covered in my crew’s blood, butI’mjust fine. I don’t have a hole through me.

I’m not bleeding out.

“Come on, now,” Max says softly, loosening my arms around Rook. “Let’s lay him down, okay?” I let him tug my arms open and we lower Rook to the floor of the van, Max stripping off his own sweater to spread over Rook’s face. I can finally look away from Rook then, staring up at the ceiling of the van as it speeds away from the bank, leaving nothing but chaos and death in its wake.

“Nico’s not good,” Max tells me in an undertone. “Giddy got shot too, but I think he’ll be okay.”

I pull my attention back and stare at Max. He puts a hand on my shoulder again.

“Bricker,” he says quietly. “They need you.”

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