Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 143(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 143(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
My eyes flicker to the other man, and I recognize it’s one of the twins. Kane. “She’s okay, Ace. Remember, we told you we met her.”
“Somebody tried to shoot me, and he got in the way,” I say again and again, as much for them as for myself. I can’t make any sense of it. He jumped in front of me so I wouldn’t get hit.
“She’s in shock.” Ace decides while he and Kane lay Archer across a bed in one of the upstairs rooms. “Get her out of here.”
Another one of the guys puts a hand on my shoulder, but I shake it off. “No way. I’m not in shock. I won’t leave him, so don’t bother trying to get me to do it. I want to help. What can I do?”
Ace looks me up and down before snorting. “Yeah, I can see what he sees in you.”
12
Archer
“I think he’s awake.”
Yeah, and he wishes he wasn’t. Being awake means feeling the pain.
It’s not like I’ve never been hurt before. I’ve been in more fights than I can count. I’ve gotten my ass handed to me—though I’ve handed a lot more asses to their owners than the other way around.
But this? A slug to the gut? There should be a new word invented for that kind of pain.
It didn’t hurt right away. Adrenaline. The overriding need to keep Madison safe from Deke and his pal, whoever the fuck he used to be before I blew him away. Him and Deke both.
Nothing had mattered more than protecting her. Killing them for trying to kill her. Thinking they could blow her away to—what? Punish me? Send a message? So I could hold her in my arms while she died?
Not a fucking chance.
“Archer?” Her voice is soft. Low. Gentle, like so much about her.
Though I saw another side of her, didn’t I? That core of steel. The way she got me here, making sure I stayed conscious, driving like a bat out of hell even though driving my car scared her. How she managed to hold herself together is just one more in a list of reasons why she’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever known.
And she’s just about the only person in the world I’d open my eyes for right now.
She comes into focus slowly, and right away, I notice the circles under her eyes, the paleness of her skin. “You look tired.” I hate how weak I sound, how groggy.
Her smile makes things better. “You would notice that first, wouldn’t you? You took a bullet to the stomach, but you’re worried about me being tired.” She lifts my hand and holds it to her cheek, where tears fall against my skin. I think I hear her murmuring something that sounds like a prayer.
“Hey, brother.”
I turn my head—slowly, I’m still weak—and find Ace standing on the other side of the bed in my old room—the room where I grew up. Never thought I’d end up recovering from a gunshot here. “Hey.”
“You’ve looked better.”
I would snicker, but even that might put too much strain on my stitches. I can feel them, can feel the wound. The slightest movement pulls on it. “You, too,” I manage.
His brow lowers. “It was Deke.”
“I know. And a friend of his.”
“He got away, but word’s already out on the street. Bruno’s not happy.”
“No, shit.”
“No, you don’t understand what I’m saying. He’s working hard to distance himself from this, saying it was all Deke’s idea, and he had no idea what his cousin was planning to do. He would never have approved of this.”
I narrow my eyes, and my stupid brother understands right away. “Sorry,” he mumbles, looking across the bed to Madison.
“It’s okay. I’m getting used to the idea of what happened.” She strokes my hand as she speaks, soft and gentle.
And I hate that she has to get used to anything like this. She doesn’t deserve it. I should’ve known better than to let my guard down. At least I was carrying, which I wouldn’t normally do during a trip to the mall, but I had to keep Madison’s well-being in mind.
It came in handy, didn’t it?
“I’m gonna kill him for this,” I growl. Slowly, I add in my head.
“You don’t have to worry about that right now; we have Vincent on it. He is more than happy to take care of it.”
Ace looks at Madison again, then at me. “I’ll leave you two alone. She’s been waiting this whole time for you to wake up. Wouldn’t leave your side.” With a wink, he turns away and walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.
As soon as he’s gone, I reach for her. “Come here.”
“I can’t. Your stitches…”
“We’ll be careful. I just wanna hold you, is all.” I need to know she’s real, that I kept her from getting hurt or worse. Sure, I see her, I hear her, but it’s not enough.