Alissa
You can do this, Alissa. Do it for Nate.
I would do it for Nate.
And for Tony.
I checked Tony’s wounds once more, making sure there wasn’t any fresh blood.
Several minutes later, I was sitting behind the wheel of Nate’s big black Escalade. I drew in another deep breath for courage, then backed out of the parking lot.
The military barricade was wide open still, but there was no more gunfire. Paramedics were loading injured soldiers into backs of ambulances as I drove past. Several new military vehicles had arrived on scene. Surprisingly, no one tried to stop me, though several military personnel glanced my way and nodded. They must recognize Nate’s SUV. Either that or they were all too upset by the injuries to their comrades and the murder of some of their own to bother trying to stop me. Maybe this new act of violence would force the government to take this situation more seriously and send more troops in to shut the gangs down.
Tony was silent as we headed out of the city, and at first I thought maybe he’d passed out, but when I glanced in the rearview mirror at him, his gaze caught mine.
“Now you’ve got me right where you want me,” he murmured. “You can let me bleed to death, and none of the other dregs will know.” The look in his eyes was serious. He truly thought I would intentionally let him die.
I let out a snort of disbelief. “Do you really think I would do that to you?”
He held my gaze a moment longer, then looked away, his jaw clenching as he obviously tried to fight off the pain. I wish I had Nate’s healing touch to help sooth Tony’s pain. But since I didn’t, all I could do was try to distract him from it.
“You know, I used to compare you to a hyena,” I admitted. “You were so cold. So calculating. A brutal, merciless hunter. And that evil cackle you let out…it scared the hell out of me.”
I had been trying to make him laugh, but when something that looked unbelievably like hurt flashed in his eyes, guilt slammed into me. Then shame.
I cleared my throat. “But now I know better. You just like to scare people. You act like an asshole on purpose. I’m not sure why. You would make a lot more friends if you learned how to be nice once in a while. You’re not a bad-looking guy. You just need to lay off some of that condescending attitude. Maybe you’ll even find a girl who likes you someday if you lighten up a bit and don’t be such a jerk all the time.”
He let out a grunt, then lifted his right hand to press it over the hip injury. “Shut the fuck up,” he growled out low, but another glimpse in the rearview mirror at him showed his lips twitching in what looked like amusement.
We traveled in silence for a while. Then Tony’s voice startled me from my thoughts. “You’re really going to help me? You’re not going to let me die?”
I pulled my gaze back to his in the mirror. “Yes, Tony, I’m really going to help you. Why wouldn’t I? You helped me, remember?”
He hesitated, then jerked his head in a nod. “That wasn’t until after I scared you off. And after the Spartans fucked you up. You should hate me for that. If I hadn’t run you off, the Spartans wouldn’t have beat you.”
I lifted my chin. I couldn’t let him blame himself for that. “First of all, you didn’t scare me off. I left of my own accord. I wanted to make myself stronger so I could be worthy of Nate, but now I know I don’t need to be away from him for that. And I don’t hate you. What the Spartans did to me wasn’t your fault.”
He didn’t say anything in response to that. But another quick glance in the mirror showed the contemplation on his face as he considered my words.
We traveled in silence for a while longer, then reached Eatonton. “We’re almost there,” I said unnecessarily. “Try to hang on a bit longer, okay?”
His eyes were closed. Had he passed out? Then he spoke without opening his eyes, “You jumped in front of a fucking Taser, chica. Who does that?” He paused, then opened his eyes and looked at me. “You must really love him.”
To say I was a little stunned by that comment would be an understatement, but I was more shocked by the fact that he didn’t sound upset by it. Was he now okay with me being with Nate?
“I do,” I admitted. “I would gladly do it again if I had to. He would have died if those Taser probes had struck him.”
Tony grunted. “Yeah. You’re all right, Alissa. So long as you don’t try to kill me while I’m injured.”
Our gazes met in the mirror again. I smiled. His lips twitched. Then we both grew silent again.
We reached the forest and traveled the last half hour toward the dregs’ hideout. It occurred to me when we finally arrived at the garage and I drove the vehicle inside, that getting Tony into the maze by myself was going to be difficult, especially if he wasn’t able to walk on his own. Did the other dregs have so much faith in me that they thought I could handle all of this on my own? I suddenly felt inept. I couldn’t do this by myself. How the hell would I get Tony’s big body into the maze all by myself? He had to weigh at least two hundred pounds or more. He was about the same height and weight at Nate, and Nate was a big guy.
The escape hatch. It was the only way. I’d have to somehow help Tony down the ladder and hope he didn’t crash to his death in the process.
I turned the car off and came around to open the back door. Tony was already trying to sit up, gritting his teeth with pain as I leaned in to help him out of the vehicle. It was obvious he was reluctant to accept my help, but there was no way he could get inside the building on his own, not with two bullet wounds.
“Come on, I’ll help you.” I wrapped an arm around his waist and helped him from the car. He paused for a moment and leaned against the vehicle, closing his eyes. I guessed a wave of dizziness has passed over him, and waited patiently for him. The last thing I wanted was for him to pass out because there was no way I could I drag his body anywhere. He was much too heavy.
Finally, he opened his eyes and nodded. Leaning heavily into me, he let me steer him out of the garage. When I headed toward the front of the mansion instead of around the back toward the underground maze, he tensed.
“Where you going?”
“The escape hatch. There’s no way I can help you all the way through the maze, not in your condition. You won’t be able to stay on your feet that long. You’re already about to pass out on me.”
He grunted, but he didn’t argue, and we moved forward again. Slowly. Carefully. I sensed it was extreme willpower that kept him upright. He was certainly a stubborn guy.
That angry ghost hovered around as I helped Tony across the dilapidated mansion toward the closet where the escape hatch was hidden.
“Why does that damn ghost always hover around? Who is he and what does he want?”
Tony snorted. “That’s Phillip. He’s the evil ghost. He likes to scare away any trespassers. He never goes behind the front porch of the mansion. The other ghosts move around outside and into the maze. But not Phillip. He’s a loner. He stays here.”
Phillip? The other ghosts? How did Tony know all this?
“And you know this how?”
“He told me.”
Phillip disappeared as I helped Tony into the closet.
Tony talked to ghosts. Interesting. Was he simply delusional from the pain and loss of blood? Or did he seriously talk to ghosts?
I pushed open the stairs and helped Tony sit on the floor of the closet.
“Just a minute,” he breathed out. “Let me catch my breath.”
There had been a time when I’d been terrified of Tony. But I wasn’t afraid of him anymore. Right now, he was too injured to be a threat to me. And besides, I didn’t think he truly wished me any harm.
“Can you get down the ladder by yourself?” I asked. “I can go in front of you if you want. Then if you fall, at least you’ll have something to catch you.”
He let out a soft snort. “I won’t fall on you, chica.” He breathed in deeply, then slowly eased it out. “Let’s go.”
I went down the ladder first, anyway, helping so Tony wouldn’t fall. Slowly, he followed. I put my arms around him from behind, helping to keep him upright. We went down, one rung at a time. Several times he wobbled and nearly sent us both pitching forward off the ladder, but fortunately, it wasn’t a long way down, and we soon reached the floor of the workout room.
Tony collapsed and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply, then out.
“Need to…catch my breath.”
While he lay there, I leaned over him and checked his bullet wounds. Both wounds were bleeding again from his movements from the garage to the escape hatch, and then down the ladder. I needed to get him to a bed so I could take care of him. ASAP.
“Just a little farther,” I murmured, leaning back. “Come on. Let’s get to your room.”
He didn’t respond. His eyes were closed. He’d passed out. I would have to take care of him right here on the floor.
Lunging to my feet, I went to Nate’s apartment for his medical bag and some towels, blankets, and pillows. When I returned, Tony was awake again, trying to sit up. His normally dark skin was pale from blood loss, and his eyes were a little dazed from pain.
“Just lay back,” I instructed gently. “I’ll have to tend to your wounds right here. You’re too weak to go any farther.” I stuffed a pillow behind his head and tucked a blanket beneath him. Then I used the towels to wipe away the blood and inspect the wounds again. Opening Nate’s medical kit, I went to work.
The chest injury had reopened. I flushed it out with antiseptic, then pressed a large bandage to the entry wound on his chest. Tony was still awake, and he rolled sideways so I could attach another bandage to the exit wound on his back. He barely made a sound, though he had to be hurting terribly.
Now for the bullet in his hip.
“Now would be a good time for you to pass out,” I hinted. “This next part is going to hurt. I have to get that bullet out of your hip.”
He inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled, his chest rising and falling. “If Nate could stand it, so can I.”
I chuckled. “Okay, tough guy. Here we go.”
He grabbed my hand suddenly and squeezed it tightly. “If I die, take care of Nate. He’ll need you.”
What? A huge lump formed in my throat. I swallowed hard. He wasn’t going to die. I wouldn’t let him.
“You’re not going to die, Tony. I promise.”
He held my gaze for a long moment, searching, then closed his eyes, letting go of my hand. “If I pass out, don’t tell the other dregs.”
Why was he so worried what the other dregs thought? I knew none of them would judge him if he did pass out. They might joke around and sometimes get into disputes, but these guys were all very close. They obviously cared about each other a great deal.
“I’ll just tell them you squealed like a little girl.”
He jerked his eyes open, horror filling his gaze. “Don’t do that. They’ll never let me live it down.”
I chuckled softly. “I’m kidding. I’ll tell them you handled it all very stoically, and I could hardly even tell you were in any pain.”
This time, gratitude filled his gaze. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. Finally, he said, “If you manage to keep me from dying, I promise to be nice to you.” The way he said the word “nice” made it sound like it was something distasteful.
I snorted. “We can’t have you ruining your reputation. Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to be nice. Relax now, this is going to hurt.” I went to work on the bullet injury, carefully cleaning the wound, then injecting some local anesthetic to help with the pain. Tony remained awake throughout the entire procedure, though he grimaced when I located the bullet and pried it out of his hip bone. After removing the bullet, I rinsed the wound out thoroughly and doused it with another squirt of antiseptic. Then I covered the wound with a bandage.
“Nate has some antibiotic IV fluid in a cooler in his medical bag,” I told Tony. “I would feel better if I hooked you up to an IV and gave you some antibiotics to help fight off any possible infection. Is that okay with you?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Go ahead.”
Several minutes later, I had him hooked up to an IV line with an antibiotic drip. “Do you want anything for the pain?”
Tony hesitated, as if he feared he would appear weak if he asked for drugs. “Yeah, I could use something.”
I handed him two pills and a bottle of water that had been sitting near the sparring ring. Then I gathered up all the supplies and closed Nate’s medical bag. “You just need to get some rest now. I know the floor’s not very comfortable, but as soon as the other dregs come back, they can help you to your bed.”
Tony snorted. “I’ve slept on much worse, believe me.”
I was sure he had. I tucked the blankets around him so he wouldn’t freeze, then scooped up the bloody towels.
Tony grabbed my arm as I was rising to my feet. I paused, my gaze darting to his.
“Thank you,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion that surprised me, his gaze serious as it held mine. “You didn’t have to help me, but you did anyway.” He paused, his chest rising and falling. “You threw yourself in front of a Taser! Tu niña loca.”
I smiled hesitantly. “What does that mean?”
His lips twitched. “You crazy girl.”
I chuckled softly.
“Just don’t fuck Nate over,” he warned. “He’s a good guy. I wouldn’t want him to be hurt because I feel the things he feels. If he hurts, I hurt.”
Was he saying he was okay with me being with Nate now? I wasn’t sure, because he hadn’t come right out and said it.
My eyes swam with tears. I had never in my life believed Tony would open up to me like this. He’d just proven how human he truly was and how deeply he cared for Nate. I blinked rapidly, trying to push the tears back, but one stubborn one slipped persistently down my cheek.
Tony groaned. “Ah, fuck. No. Don’t cry.” He closed his eyes, as if he couldn’t stand the sight of tears. Maybe he couldn’t. Maybe he was more sensitive than he let on. Maybe the tough guy attitude was nothing more than an act.
I rose. “Get some rest, Tony. I’ll come back to check on you later.”
He watched me leave, and I glanced back at him as I reached the doorway. A look of discomfort flickered across his face before he looked away. Was he embarrassed he’d told me those things? Probably. But I wouldn’t hold it against him.
Tony was a good guy.
Even if he didn’t normally show it.