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Nic throws back what’s left in his glass before slamming it back down on the bar. His cup is instantly refilled and that one goes straight down the hatch too. it’s going to be a rough night.
I haven’t seen Nic like this since … well, ever.
Not wanting to watch him self-destruct, I slide back off the bar stool and follow the loud grunts of agony until I’m standing before Eli. He instantly grabs hold of my hands as Kai stands at his shoulder with a pair of tweezers that look fucking dirty.
“Give me that,” I say, snatching them from his hands and grabbing the bottle of vodka at Eli’s side. “You’re going to give him an infection.”
“This isn’t my first rodeo,” Kai says as I dump the vodka over the tweezers and clean them off as best as I can.
“Yeah, I know,” I grumble, setting my jaw and not wanting to meet either of their eyes. “Tell me, how’d that turn out for you?”
Kai huffs, knowing damn well that I’m talking about last year when he dug a bullet out of Nic’s arm and three days later ended up with an infection that had him hospitalized for forty-eight hours.
Confident that the tweezers are as clean as they’re going to get, I hand them back and look down at Eli sitting on the bench. His face is white and he looks close to passing out, but the second Kai touches him, it’s all going to change.
He grabs hold of my hand, preparing to squeeze the shit out of it while I pick up his discarded shirt, getting ready to shove it into his mouth so he doesn’t accidentally break all his damn teeth when he bites down. “Just … wait,” he murmurs as I lift it to his mouth, having done this way too many times. “I …”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I don’t want to hear your broken apologies because right now, they mean nothing to me. I stayed because Nic needs me, not because I want to be here. Let’s get that straight. Things between us,” I say, glancing up at Kai so he knows this includes him, “will never be the same. You guys broke us by deciding not to be honest with me and because of that, no amount of shitty apologies will fix it.”
“Come on, babe,” Sebastian says, stepping into my side, his arm brushing along mine as he passes Eli a bottle of Absinthe that he instantly uncaps and raises to his mouth, cringing with the movement.
I flinch away from Sebastian’s touch and hate the way his face breaks. He’s always been one to wear his heart on his sleeve, especially when it comes to me. He’s not capable of hiding his feelings.
“Don’t. Don’t try and change my mind because it’s not going to work. You guys hurt me. You betrayed my trust and it’s going to take a shitload more than a few smiles and some shitty words to fix it. I just want to make sure that Nic is alright and then I’m out of here.”
Eli squeezes my hand but speaks to Kairo at his shoulder. “Let’s just get this over with.”
All strained conversation comes to an end as Kairo grunts and moves in closer. He gently nudges Eli, prompting him to lean over so he can see better and with a cringe and a quick drink of Absinthe, he does as he’s told.
Eli’s hold on my hand tightens and I quickly shove the discarded shirt between his teeth before giving him my other hand. He takes it eagerly and it reminds me just how much these guys need me. I hate how much I hate them right now, but I can’t seem to pull back on my basic instinct to protect them and offer comfort. They don’t deserve it, especially Nic, but at the same time, standing here and watching Eli in pain is killing me.
The tweezers dig into his skin and Eli groans low as his face turns a sickly shade of white. He squeezes down on my hand and I feel an agonizing crack in my left hand.
“Fuuuuuuuuck,” I shriek but don’t dare pull my hand away. My eyes fill with tears but he needs this more than I do. He got shot. I think I can handle a small fracture. I’ve had worse.
“Dude,” Sebastian says, looking between me and Eli. “You’re hurting her. Let go.”
“It’s fine,” I say through my teeth, looking up at a panicked Kai as Eli lets up on my hands. “Just get the fucking thing out.” Kai cringes, realizing exactly what’s at stake and digs deeper.
Eli doesn’t hesitate, squeezing my hands tighter as he bites down on his shirt in absolute misery. A high-pitched squeak slips from between my lips. “Holy mother of sweet baby Jesus. Tell me you’ve nearly got it?”
