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I grabbed him awkwardly, just before he hit, and I fumbled to draw him fully into my arms. As soon as I did, I curled myself around him to shield him with my body.
Frederick stumbled forward, leaning into me as he grated with pain, his mouth at my ear when he muttered, “One more time. Your blood. It belongs to me.”
My eyes went wide as the piercing pain sheared through my flank. So deep I thought it went all the way through.
I fumbled back, struggling to keep Nolan in my arms. To hold him. To protect him.
Frederick started to take another step toward me, still wielding the knife that dripped with my blood.
Only River was suddenly behind him.
His storm-cloud eyes had darkened to pitch. Black lightning that struck in the middle of the night. He gripped Frederick by the forehead and pulled his head back. “You sick motherfucker. You’re getting off lucky.”
River dragged the blade across Frederick’s throat.
Blood gushed.
Gushed and gushed as my tormentor gurgled for air that had ceased to exist.
I met Frederick’s eyes as awareness befell him.
As he realized there wasn’t enough money in the world to stop this.
His power no match.
No match for this love.
No match for this devotion.
No match for the truth that River and I would do anything to protect this child.
And with my own realization, I dropped to my knees, still clinging to Nolan as I slumped to the ground.
FIFTY-NINE
RIVER
Panic slammedme as Charleigh crumbled to the hard, unforgiving ground with Nolan still in her arms. I dropped the motherfucker like a rock, his worthless body toppling to the ground, and I flew for Charleigh and Nolan.
“Charleigh. Fuck, Charleigh.”
Hands shaking out of control, I rolled her over, and a shock of pain ripped from my lungs when I saw the blood that saturated the front of her shirt over her stomach. Her skin was pale and sticky with sweat, though those arms still clutched Nolan.
His support.
His sanctuary.
I gulped through the disorder, and my crew came hustling up, Otto at the helm. “Are they okay?” Otto shouted.
Anguish shook my head as I peeled back her shirt enough to reveal the wound. It was more than a cut. It was a two-inch wide puncture that went deep. So deep that the skin gaped open as blood poured from it.
“Someone get me a compress,” I roared, the desperation hemorrhaging from my mouth.
Kane knelt down, already prepared as he started pulling supplies out of his pack. “Here.”
I accepted the compress and pressed it against her injury, my hands pushing firm to it, praying it’d be enough to staunch the flow of blood.
I did my best to keep my cool as I shouted orders, though I could feel myself splintering apart. “Someone help me get her to the car. Get Dr. Reynolds on the phone and tell him we need him. Otto, you drive. Trent and Jud…take Nolan and follow us.”
