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My brain is in overdrive, my senses alert to any danger as we run out onto another street. I have no idea where we are or where we’re going, but I just keep moving.
We need to hide, find somewhere to hold up until we can come up with a plan. We are not fucking dying in the street. If those dogs want to come after us, let them, but we will be the ones walking away.
Heidi stumbles, the movement almost dragging me down with her as she falls against a car, her face pale.
“We need to keep moving,” I tell her. She nods, as if she agrees, but she doesn’t move. “Heidi.”
“Just need… a second.” She’s breathless, bent over slightly as if trying to draw more air into her lungs. As much as I want to give it to her, we don’t have a second. We need to keep moving if we’re going to survive this.
Just as I’m about to say this, I notice a red stain peeking out from under her jacket. I grab the edge of the leather, ripping it aside to see the blood just above her hip.
Sticky panic floods my veins, making my heart pound so fast, it’s dizzying. I reach for the hem of her sweater, shoving it up. There’re more layers beneath. How much material does one person need on their body?
As I push up the last one, I see bright red blood covering her skin, thick and shiny.
Heidi tries to push my hands away, but I don’t allow her, ignoring her protests. I need to see how bad the wound is.
My throat is tight, choked as I use her top to wipe her skin. The whimper she lets out threatens to unravel my nerves, but I ignore it, searching instead for the source of the bleeding.
Ragged flesh just above her hip seems to be where she was hit. To my relief, it looks as if it nicked the very edge of her side, more of a flesh wound than a serious injury, but I’m still choked with fear.
I let go of her sweater, scanning the street as I grab her hand and press it against the wound forcefully.
She cries out, her back bowing to escape the pain, but I don’t let her, holding her hand in place.
“I know it hurts, babe, but you need to press hard while we run.”
The shaky breath she forces out through her barely parted lips almost breaks me, but we have to keep going. I grab her other hand, and while I slow my pace slightly to consider her injury, I keep us moving. The men behind us aren’t going to care that she’s hurt, nor are they going to stop chasing us.
I drag her into another alleyway, but this time, I don’t follow it onto the next street. Instead, I lead her between the houses, looking for somewhere we can hide.
At the end of the row is a patch of scrubland and more garages. Keeping hold of Heidi, my gaze splitting between the doors and our surroundings, I test each of them until one opens.
Fucking yes.
It creaks and groans as it goes up over our heads. There are a few old boxes piled in the corner and rows of shelves along the back wall.
There is no way out other than the up-and-over door, but it will have to do. Heidi can’t keep running, and we’re a target on the street.
I pull Heidi behind me, shoving the door down until we are consumed by the darkness. The only light comes from around the garage door, where it doesn’t meet flush against the brickwork. It takes my eyes a moment to adjust, but when they do, I pull her over to the boxes, slipping in behind them.
Carefully, I lower her onto the concrete, leaning her back against the dirty wall. She’s breathing heavily, but that is more likely shock at being hurt and the forced cardio we just had to do.
“You hurt anywhere else?” Fear makes my words sharp.
“One bullet wound isn’t enough?” The quirk of her lips tells me she’s joking and, fuck, I wish I had it in me to laugh, but nothing about this is funny.
How did those fucking pricks know I was here? Fucking Pioneer cunts.
I pull my phone out my pocket, thrilled to see it has survived, and fire off a message to Howler, telling him we’re in trouble before I pull up the maps app and send him a screenshot of our location.
A response comes in less than thirty seconds telling us to hold tight, that help is on the way.
My shoulders loosen and I switch on the flashlight on my phone, facing it upwards so it provides light in the small dark space.
Heidi’s face is pale, but through her heavy gaze, I see determination and strength. I fucking admire that so much. Heidi is a fighter. I didn’t realise how much of one until I learned about her past, but knowing the things I know now, I am in awe of her strength and resilience.
Her wound doesn’t worry me, but the bleeding does. I need to slow it down until someone can stitch her up. Her hand isn’t going to cut it.
