Marie’s hand moves on the gun, her finger tightening on the trigger.
I throw myself forward with everything I have, covering the distance between Abel and me in one giant leap. I hit him in the chest as something hot and painful blossoms in my back.
A woman is screaming. Someone fires a gun, and the screaming stops.
None of it matters because Abel’s got his arms around me, and he’s lost that terrified look. No, now he’s fucking furious, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
He lowers me to the ground, which is a good thing because my legs don’t seem to be holding me all that well. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
It takes me two tries to speak. “She was going to shoot you.”
“And now she shot you.” His face spasms as if he’s holding back too many emotions. “I’m laying you down. Do not pass out. Do you hear me, Eli? If you fucking die on me, I will march down to the doors of hell and fight the devil himself to get you back.” He eases me to the ground on my stomach.
This is nice. The world spins a little less now that I have my cheek against the concrete. I laugh a little, but it hurts, so I stop. “Harlow would kill us both.”
“Yeah, she would. So don’t die and get us in trouble.”
I open my mouth to tell him that I won’t, but darkness takes me before the words can leave my lips.
32
Abel
They say you never know what you’ve got until it’s gone. I kneel in a pool of Eli’s blood and feel him slump into unconsciousness. Two things become terrifyingly clear in that moment.
The fool really does love me, or he wouldn’t have jumped in front of a bullet with my name on it.
If I don’t do something, and fast, he will die.
The world around me snaps back into motion. I register my youngest brother, Gabriel, and relief almost makes me weak. If he’s here, we have a chance. I yank my shirt off and shove it against the bleeding wound in Eli’s back. The woman who shot him lies in the street a few feet away, her eyes gazing sightlessly at the sky. Cohen doesn’t miss.
I put pressure on Eli’s wound and look at Cohen. “Find the rest of them and kill them. Gabriel will handle this, and I’ll watch his back. Hurry, before they scatter.”
For once, he doesn’t argue with me. He simply motions at Iris and Maddox, and they take off, following the trio of men who appeared with the woman. They won’t be the only ones, not if Cohen’s estimates are correct, but we’ll flush out the rest later.
Gabriel reaches us and drops to his knees. He peels the bloody shirt away from Eli’s back and then presses it into place and gives me a long look. “What do you want to happen?”
My brothers are loyal to the bitter end. This would be a clean way to get rid of Eli. No one can say that we were behind this, not when his own people shot him in front of witnesses. The thought of him dying leaves me so fucking cold, I have to focus hard on not shaking. “Save him, Gabriel.”
He nods slowly. “I’ll try, but you’re asking the impossible. The bullet is lodged inside him. I don’t think it hit an artery based on the fact he’s still alive, but that just means it will take him a few minutes longer to bleed to death. If we try to put him in a truck and drive him back to the compound, you might do more damage.” He pauses.
“Tell me the rest.” My voice hardly sounds like me. It’s almost as if the words come through a long tunnel that’s closing in around us.
“I’m not a surgeon, Abel. I can do simple bullet wounds, but I’m liable to do more damage than the bullet did if I start digging around in him.” Another pause. “I’m sorry.”
Gabriel, because he’s Gabriel, even sounds it.
“I can help.”
I look to find a petite Vietnamese woman standing before us, two of Chinh’s sons at her back. It takes my brain several long seconds to kick into gear and identify her. Cam, the only daughter of Chinh’s only daughter, Tien. Cam doesn’t work for the family business, so my information on her is less complete than on the others in the family. She’s a… “Surgeon.”
“Yes.” She nods, all business. “I can try to save this man.” She gives me a hard look. “In exchange, you’ll owe my grandfather a boon.”
I almost laugh. Of course Chinh would have me bargaining while the man I love is dying beside me. I clear my throat, trying to think, but it’s no use. All I can focus on is the stickiness of the street beneath my knees and Eli’s increasingly faint breathing. There’s no time for bargaining. Chinh could ask for the sun, and I’d do my damnedest to find a fucking rocket ship and go lasso the fiery bastard. “Done.”
She looks over her shoulder at her uncles. “The stretcher.”
Things happen quickly after that. They produce a stretcher from somewhere and load Eli onto it as carefully as if he were made of spun glass. Cam directs them to take him to the main building where the Phan family resides and then turns to me. “You’ll wait here.”
“The hell I will.”
“You’ll wait here,” she repeats slowly, as if I didn’t hear her the first time. “I will need to focus if he has a chance of surviving, and you pacing and glowering will distract me. Sit with your brother, and wait.” Apparently she doesn’t need a response because she disappears after her uncles.
Gabriel hauls me to my feet and guides me to a nearby bench seat. He pulls out his phone and frowns at it. “Broderick has the whole compound locked down. There was a small team that tried to climb the wall, but Ezekiel and Donovan took care of them.” He grimaces. “Cohen hasn’t checked in, but it’s only been a few minutes.”
“He’ll be fine.” I still sound too distant, too empty. If Eli dies… Fuck. Thinking about it hurts. I should have made the time to talk to him again this morning after I found out about that late-night meeting. If we’d talked, it would have given him a chance to come clean, all three of us the opportunity to make a plan that doesn’t involve Eli bleeding to death on the street like a fucking dog.
If he dies, Harlow and I lose everything.
Harlow.
I give myself a shake. “Have Broderick send Harlow here with Finnegan or one of the others. It doesn’t matter who, but don’t let her come alone.”
Gabriel’s thumbs hover over the phone screen. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
I’m not sure of anything anymore. For the first time in so long, I’m not thinking shit through. I’m scared out of my mind, and I just want Harlow here so we can wait to hear about Eli together. “Do it.”
“Okay.”
We settle down to wait. Ten minutes later, Cohen, Maddox, and Iris appear. Maddox is cradling his arm, and Iris has a spattering of blood across her face, but they look otherwise unharmed. Cohen drops onto the bench next to me. “It’s taken care of.”
I nod at Maddox. “You okay?”
“Just a scratch.”
Knowing Maddox, that could mean anything from a literal scratch to a stab wound needing stitches. I motion at Gabriel. “Take care of it.”
Maddox rolls his eyes, but after Gabriel disappears behind the food trucks and reappears with a first aid kit, he allows my brother to patch him up. It’s not nearly enough of a distraction, but his snarling and Cohen telling him to shut the fuck up and let Gabriel take care of it fill the pocket of silence that’s formed around our little group.
People have come out of the buildings, but most of them wisely decide they had somewhere else to be, and the street is nearly deserted. It’s just as well. I’m not eager for a witness to this shit.
I stare at the body of the woman who shot Eli. Who would have shot me. Marie, his former head of security. She’s just a fucking human on the small side with a normal face; she hardly looks like the type of person who can burn my entire world down with one bullet.
I jerk my chin at Cohen. “Get her out of here.”
He nods and hauls the body over his shoulder, disappearing down the street in the direction of where we parked. Iris shadows him, her shotgun h
eld easily in her hands. She’ll watch his back.
That’s when Harlow shows up.
I’ve never seen a more welcome sight in my entire fucking life. I swear to the gods, the clouds part and a sunbeam shines right on her light red hair as she rounds the corner, moving at a fast enough clip that Finnegan is obviously struggling to keep up despite having a good six inches on her.
She sees me and changes course, picking up her pace until she’s running. I meet her at the perimeter of the tables and pull her into my arms. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
“Where is he?” She clings to me, but she’s looking over my shoulder. I can tell the exact moment she recognizes the stain on the concrete because she goes tense. “Is he alive?”
“He’s in surgery. Chinh’s granddaughter is handling it.”
Harlow leans back to look up at me. “He didn’t betray you. I know it might look like that with the ambush, but I swear he didn’t.”
“I know.” It’s the truth. Eli wouldn’t be Eli without some underhanded bullshit going on. Loving him means accepting that about him. “That fucking fool jumped in front of a bullet for me.”
Her hands tighten on my shirt. For one moment, I think she might pass out, but Harlow’s made of stronger stuff than that. Hell, I think she’s made of stronger stuff than either Eli or I am, too. She takes a slow breath. “Let’s get in there, then.”
Gabriel clears his throat. “She told us to wait out here.”
“You wait out here. We’re going in.” She takes my hand and turns, tugging me behind her. I glance back at my brothers, silently conveying the order to monitor the entrance. Finnegan nods and turns to Maddox, speaking in a low voice. They’ll keep us covered.
I lace my fingers through Harlow’s and keep pace with her. “Pissing off Chinh is a bad idea.”
“What did you promise him?”
Of course she would realize he didn’t do it for free. “A boon of his choosing.”
Harlow flinches. “Okay.” She faces the front door to the Phan place. It’s made of glass and has their name on it in stylish gold print. “I’ll take care of this.”
“Harlow, if he—”
“Eli will be fine,” she says firmly, the faintest tremor in her voice. “Cam is the best fucking surgeon in this city. She will save him. I’ll do the rest.”
Before I can ask her what the fuck she’s talking about, she steps through the door, leaving me to follow in her footsteps. I could haul her back onto the street and demand the details of whatever is going on in her head, but the truth is that I trust her to be thinking clearly while my head is all fucked up with worry over Eli. No matter what Harlow’s feeling, she’s more than proven she can still function under pressure. I trust her, full stop.
So I keep my mouth shut and follow her into the building. It’s nearly identical to how they had things set up when my father still ruled this faction. Soothing green walls, a fountain in the corner that’s a piece of art on its own, and a seating area filled with tasteful brown furniture.
Behind the receptionist’s desk is Cam’s mother, Tien. She’s a short woman with a rounded figure, a sweet disposition, and a penchant for baking desserts. If rumor is accurate, sometimes those desserts are poisoned. She glances up as we approach and leans over to look at the floor. “You’re tracking blood into our place of business.”
Harlow seems to morph before my very eyes. Gone is the fear and worry, replaced by cold calm. She gives a sharp smile. “It hasn’t been the first time and won’t be the last.”
Tien sighs. “I suppose you’re here to cause further trouble.”
“Hardly. We’d like an update on Eli.” She pauses. “And I would like a word with your father.”
“He’s busy.”
“No, he’s not.” She sounds so damn cold. Dangerous. That’s my girl. “Now, Tien.”
Tien’s gaze flicks to me. “This woman speaks for you?”
I slide my hands into my pockets to mask their shaking. When I speak, I almost sound normal. “She’s my Bride and my partner. She does.”
Finally, Tien shrugs. “Come along. I can’t have you sitting out here and smearing blood all over the place.”
We follow her into the back and through a series of hallways. She finally leads us into a waiting room that’s damn near identical to the first, right down to the fancy fountain. “Please wait here.”
It takes fewer than five minutes before Chinh appears. He’s as unflappable as ever, as if his sons didn’t cart him away from the violence the way parents would haul a child. He smiles at Harlow. I’ve seen that same smile a thousand times in the past. It’s warm and cheerful and as much a lie as anything else in Sabine Valley is. “Hello, dear.”
“Hello.” Her smile is tight and comes nowhere near thawing her eyes. “How is Eli?”
“My Cam will take perfect care of him. From what I hear, she’s removed the bullet and is patching him up as we speak.”
I want to breathe a sigh of relief, but his words just make Harlow tenser. Her hands fist at her side before she seems to make a conscious effort to relax them. “We will honor the bargain…as long as he survives.”
Chinh tsks. “The bargain was struck, the terms set.”
“Chinh, that bargain was a shit one, and you know it. If Abel had been thinking clearly, he would have included the caveat of Eli surviving.” She leans forward, not quite close enough to get in the old man’s face, but close. “You’re a savvy man, and a savvy man might instruct his granddaughter to ensure Eli doesn’t make it through. Looking at it from your perspective, your life would be simpler if he didn’t. Civil war isn’t good for business, whether it’s within an individual faction or between one faction and another.”
Chinh folds his hands in front of him, dark eyes shrewd. “I am a businessman.”
“Yes, you are.” She motions at me without looking away from him. “Eli is valued to both of us. If he dies by your granddaughter’s hand, we will dig out every last root of the Phan family tree and burn it to ash and then salt the ground. Your legacy will vanish overnight.”
I tense, but Chinh smiles. “I’m delighted to see that you’ve finally found your feet, dear.” He transfers that smile to me. “And that you recognize a valuable asset when you see it.”
“What she promised stands,” I say roughly.
“That’s all well and good, but I told the truth when I said Eli is doing well enough. You should be able to see him soon.” He turns and walks out of the room.
Harlow slumps, and I have to rush forward to catch her before she hits the ground. I guide her to a chair and sink down into a crouch before her. “That was stunning, sweetheart.”
“I feel like I’m going to puke.” She rubs her hands over her face. “He must have weighed the odds and decided not to kill Eli before we got here.”
I agree. “Even so, it drew a very clear line in the sand. I suspect the Phan family will think twice before they fuck with us.”
“Hopefully.” Her lower lip trembles. “I’m really worried about Eli.”
“Me, too.”
“I’m terrible at waiting.”
I rise and sink into the chair next to her. “So am I. But we’re together. That counts for something.” I take her hand, letting her presence anchor me, and settle in to wait for as long as it takes.
33
Harlow
We wait in that room for two hours and thirty-six minutes. Abel manages to sit still for about ten minutes, and then he’s up and pacing for the rest of the time. I might be doing the same, but I’m not sure my legs will hold me. Sheer determination got me from the compound to Old Town and through the conversation with Chinh, but I have nothing left right now except fear.
Eli can’t die.
Not when we have so much left to figure out. Not when I finally, finally have settled into the idea of a real future where the three of us are together and happy. It seems cruel that just last night he and Abel were reassuring me that this was real, that I had n
othing to worry about, and now I’m sitting here, waiting for news on if Eli will survive.
“Abel.”
He turns on his heel, in the middle of another circuit around the room with his phone in his hand. It’s been buzzing regularly, no doubt with updates from his brothers. “Yeah?”
“I love you.”
His expression goes soft and then hardens. “Save it.”
I blink. “What?”
“That sounds a whole lot of goodbye or some kind of final words before everything goes to shit. Tell me again after Cam shows up to let us know that Eli’s fine and awake and already making himself a pain in the ass.” He crosses to me and takes my hands, pulling me to my feet and into his arms. “I love you, too, Harlow. And I’m not just saying that because I’m scared shitless right now.”
“I know.” Abel’s never lied to me. It seems too soon to feel this way, but despite the rocky start, we’ve eased into each other’s lives with barely a ripple. We just fit.
We fit better with Eli in the mix.
The door opens, and Cam steps in. She looks exhausted, sweat dampening the hair at her temples and lines imprinted on her cheeks from some kind of mask. She gives us a tired smile. “He’s pulled through. He’s a lucky son of a bitch, because if that bullet was a few inches lower, it would have fucked up his internal organs instead of just lodging in muscle and bone. He’s not awake, but you can see him now.”
Abel and I cling to each other’s hands as we walk through the door and down yet another series of halls into a room that would be at home in any hospital in the city. I give Cam a long look, and she shrugs. “Sometimes the family business gets complicated.”
“I understand.” Honestly, this is something we should have in the compound, too. I add it to my mental list, but most of my focus is on the man in the hospital bed.
Eli is several shades paler than normal and has a series of tubes hooked up to one arm. Bandages wrap around his torso, seeming to wash him out even more.
Abel: A Sabine Valley Novel Page 23