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“She’s my fiancée.” The lie spills from my lips as if I’ve said it a thousand times, which is probably why the nurse doesn’t question it. She taps away at her computer, then looks up.

“Ms. Brant is on her way to CT right now. I won’t have an update on her condition for at least another hour. If you’d like to leave a phone number where we can contact you—”

“I’ll be over there.” I stab my finger toward the waiting area.

“Okay. As soon as I get an update, I’ll let you know.” The phone rings, so she turns her attention away from me to answer it.

I stalk back to where Reaper, Talon, and Nina wait and sit in the empty chair beside Reaper. They all watch me warily. If any of them opens their mouth to try to placate me, I’m going to fucking lose my shit. I think they know it, so everyone stays silent.

An hour later, a doctor in a white coat comes into the room. “Is the family of Ms. Brant here?”

“Right here!” I jump to my feet.

“Let’s go somewhere we can speak privately,” he says.

“Is she dead?” I feel like I’m leaving my body—like I’m totally disconnected from reality.

“No. But we really should go somewhere quiet to talk.”

“They’re her family, too.” I point at the others.

“They can come with us.” The doctor leads us to a private room with a small, round table. We gather around it. Everyone sits except for me. I stand with my arms crossed over my chest.

“Julia has serious injuries. In addition to the gunshot wound to her shoulder, she has bleeding in her brain, broken ribs, a punctured lung, a broken jaw, not to mention bruises and contusions all over her body.” He glances at me, but I’m too stunned to talk, so he continues. “She was lucky that the bullet went clean through her shoulder. That’s actually one of the more treatable issues. However, we had to put her into a medically induced coma because of the swelling in her brain. The next few hours will be vital to her survival.”

The blood drains from my face. Lightheaded, I slump down into the closest, vacant chair. This can’t be happening.

“Is she going to make it?” Nina asks softly.

“I have to be honest with you; it’s not looking good. She suffered a lot before the paramedics were able to stabilize her. Her blood pressure is dangerously low, and she’s on oxygen. We had to put a chest tube in through her ribs to help drain the liquid from around her lungs, and we’re going to need to leave that in place for several days until her chest expands normally.”

“And the swelling in her brain, will she have any brain damage?” Talon asks.

“It’s hard to say. Some people make a full recovery. Others don’t,” the doctor says in a grave tone.

“What are her chances?” I ask.

“Not good. If you’re praying people, pray. She’s going to need all the help she can get.”

“I need to see her,” I say.

“We’re still running more tests, and she’s hooked up to a bunch of machines. You won’t be able to see her until tomorrow at the earliest.” He gives me a sympathetic look, and I want to smash his face in.

“I need to see her now.” I stand and get in his face, but he doesn’t back down.

“Sir, I understand you’re upset, so I’m going to ignore your hostility. We’re doing everything we can for her. That’s the best I can give you.”

“Well, it’s not good enough!” I glare at him as he leaves the room. “Fuck!”

“Scar, calm down,” Talon says.

“Shut the fuck up!” I snap.

“Let’s give him a few minutes alone,” Nina says. She ushers the others out of the room before closing the door.

As soon as it’s shut, I flip the table. I roar as I smash the chairs against the wall and break everything I can get my hands on. I destroy the room, but it does nothing to lessen the terror in my heart. She can’t die. She can’t. Not after everything we’ve been through. If she dies, I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to live with myself.

I should have been there.