Just then, the front door crashed open, and a voice bellowed, “Don’t move, stay down.”
Doing my best not to cry, I curled up and leaned my forehead on the back of my hands in relief. I wasn’t a crier - it just never seemed like it solved anything - but I’d never been in a situation like this so I figured it would be acceptable if I gave in and did it. That resolve went to shit when a hand gently rubbed over my back and then lifted my chin up, showing me concerned eyes belonging to Garrett.
Seeing I was ok, he winked and grinned widely at me. “Got her. She’s spooked, but ok.”
All the resolve I’d been blowing hot air about seconds earlier left me and I burst into tears, watching as the smile slid from his face and turned into a horrified expression. I was vaguely aware of voices in the room on the other side of the couch, but all the shock, fear and relief had taken over, making it impossible to make out who they belonged to.
Another hand rubbed over my shoulder, and a deep voice I recognized as Jarrod’s said, “Hey, you’re freaking your man out, honey. We’re holding him back from tearing the big dude’s head off, wanna help us out?”
Shifting so that I was on my knees, I peered over the back of the couch, seeing that DB’s dad and Logan were holding Raoul back while DB kneeled beside Chad. Seeing me looking at him, he sagged with relief against the men and shook them off. “For fuck’s sake, I’m good.”
Not taking his eyes off me, he turned like he was about to walk toward me when there was a roar followed by a thud and a gunshot. Like I was watching one of my worst nightmares playing out in front of me, a patch on Raoul’s shirt opened up as his body jerked backward. The other men moved immediately as Jarrod pulled me back down behind the couch just as something hit it, then he was covering me with his body. On the other side I could hear a struggle, but then deep growls and barks drowned it all out along with the sound of someone screaming.
I was only aware how hard I was shaking and crying when Jarrod tried to settle me, ordering me to stay down as I went to get back up to check on Raoul.
Then I heard the words that shattered my heart, making it impossible to breathe. “Fuck, I can’t feel a pulse. Dad, tell them to send an ambulance, there’s no pulse, and he’s not breathing. Logan, start compressions.”
I felt Jarrod’s groan, but I didn’t hear it over the rushing in my ears from how hard I was crying now. Every day almost had revolved around him for the last year of my life, and he’d been the best part of all of them.
Pressing my face against Jarrod’s chest, I sobbed, “We left it too long.”
RaoulFuck me with a cactus, that hurt. I’d been shot in the vest before, but there had always been more distance than this one. The pain in my chest paled in comparison to what I’d just seen happen when Ranger jumped at the arm Chad was pointing the gun with, though, clamping down on it just as he went to shoot where Rose was. It had gone off – and she definitely needed a new couch – but it had hit the cushions that you sat on instead of a thinner part of it that the bullet might have passed through.
I’d tried to get up to call Ranger off so Alex could put the cuffs on Chad, seeing as how he’d head butted DB when he’d thrown him off his back, but something had happened that stopped me. That something mainly consisted of Chad’s face turning purple as his eyes bulged slightly, and then he dropped to the floor and had what looked like a small fit. And then it had all stopped. Now, they were all working on him and trying to get a pulse back, while I sat staring at it all in shock.
“You ok?” Garrett asked, checking me over.
“Got me in the vest,” I wheezed, still winded by it. Never let anyone tell you otherwise, vests might save your life, but it still hurt like a motherfucker getting shot while you were wearing one. “Rose?”
“She’s good, bro. Jarrod’s got her,” he reassured me, pulling my shirt out to check I wasn’t bleeding. Seeing something, he pressed his tongue to his teeth and whistled. “Well, the good news is that you’re gonna need a new vest because man this one stinks. The bad news is, you’re gonna need a new vest and your shirt’s toast.”
Needing to make sure she was ok with my own eyes, I shook him off and started crawling over to the couch. A noise like a tortured animal came from behind it, and I heard her sob, “We left it too long.”