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I want to take him in. I want to make sure Broderick is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for his crimes against humanity. He deserves to rot in a jail cell with the other murderers and rapists and have his anal virginity taken in the most horrible way.
Right now, bloodlust overrides everything else. I keep Aria behind me, absorbing her trembles into me, and train my aim on Broderick. Another clip reloaded.
My first step lands firmly on cement. The second one, not so much. My leg won’t hold me, and I go down to my knees, lightheaded, my mouth filled with the taste of old pennies. I don’t understand.
Aria is still screaming, except this time, it’s no longer curses. She’s yelling my name. She’s everywhere, around me, in me, her scent permeating my senses but not strongly enough to block the pennies. Old copper.
“Hold on! Hold on, Devan. Please, God, you’ve got to look at me!” Her hands are on my face, and I barely feel the cement at my back.
How did I get on my back?
How did I…wait, no. No. I never even felt the shot.
“Broderick.” My lips form the words, although I can’t hear my own voice.
Aria’s hands are on my cheeks, on the side of my face, my neck. I’m aware of my arms moving before she presses my own hands to my stomach, and agony rips through me, taking any bit of numbness with it.
Ah.There.
“There were bullets everywhere. So many bullets. I’m not sure when you got hit, but it’s going to be fine, all right? Just fine.” Aria is talking to herself, keeping my hands pressed to my stomach. “Devan, hold on. You’ve got to hold on.”
“I’m shot?” The words escape in a hiss of air.
Her face swims into view, pale-skinned and so damn beautiful, with tears trailing down her cheeks. “You have to hold on for me. Okay? I’m not going to let you die on me. Naomi!! Help me get him out of here. We’re losing time.”
There are footsteps already growing louder by the second, but my world narrows. Draws closer together with edges colored by darkness.
I’ve been shot before.
I jumped in front of a bullet meant for Layla and stopped it with my body. The scar is there. I remember this kind of pain from before, the unbearable agony where it feels like your body is encased in fire and all systems approaching shutdown. This is somehow worse because I never felt the hit in the first place. Had no idea of the injury until it was too late for me to help myself.
The cold has seeped into my limbs, and half a thought to try to move my hands proves futile.
There’s only the pain and Aria.
“Please tell me we got him.” It’s what I want to say.
But then Naomi looms over me with a phone pressed to her head, calling for backup to secure the scene. She clicks off before too long and turns, weak and worried and nearly undone. “Come on. We have to get him out of here. My car is closer,” she tells Aria. “If we can somehow get him into the back seat, then I’ll make sure we get to the hospital.”
Her voice is distant, hollow, as if she’s rolled up a magazine and is speaking through the center.
“Broderick is down. But so is Devan.” Naomi, again.
“Is he dead?” I have to know.
AmIdead already? There’s still pain, so I’d like to think not. Then my world implodes when someone loops their arms underneath mine and drags me off the floor.
“Broderick is breathing. He’ll be dead before we leave the building. I got his guard right through the eye. But we don’t have a lot of time to waste. We’ve got to get Dev out of herenow.” Naomi.
“Are the police coming?” Aria.
Their voices swim together into a single monotonous drone just as black overtakes my vision. If this is the way I go out, then maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe the world is a better place because Broderick went down with me.
* * *
Each breath is labored, a huge weight pressing down on my chest. The ceiling blurs, sharpens, blurs again, my fingers twitching at my sides.
The end.
