Page 106 of Beta Team-The Saviors: Part One

“Keon took a bullet to the shoulder,” Gavin answers.

“What?” Ari barks. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah,” I croak. “It hurts like a bitch.” I can feel the blood soaking my shirt and vest. I’ve been shot too many times to count, so I know I’ll probably pass out soon from blood loss.

“Where do I go?” Gavin asks, his voice verging on panic.

“Come home. I’ll call Les and tell her to send Doc. Ke, can you hold out that long?”

“Yeah.”

“Gavin,” Ari says, his voice soft because he knows he’s about to flip his shit. “Keon’s going to be fine. Just get him home.”

“He’s way too pale,” Gavin answers, his voice cracking. “He’s losing a lot of blood.”

“You can handle this,” Ari soothes. “Are you being followed?”

Gavin’s eyes flash up to the rearview mirror. “No.”

My eyelids start drooping, and I barely hear the conversation.

Then everything goes black.

35

GAVIN

“Keon!”

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

I stomp on the gas while still checking my mirrors. He’s completely passed out. I gently move his head so I can feel a pulse and blow out of breath when I feel it. It’s weak and thready, but there. The house isn’t that far away, but it feels like it takes us hours.

I screech to halt in front of the house, coming inches from slamming into Tyler’s Camaro. I get out and run to Keon’s side. By the time I open the door, Ari’s running down the steps. I glance up and see Kira tucked between Jason and Tyler, tears rolling down her face. “He still has a pulse, but he passed out.”

Ari gently pushes me to the side and leans inside the car. He pops an ammonia capsule under his nose. Keon wakes with a groan. “Hey, man. We need to get you in the house.” Keon gives him a weak nod, and we somehow get him to his feet between us.

Keon is almost like a dead weight between us, and I can’t help the overwhelming panic that he’s going to die. We get him into the house, and Ari takes him directly to the spare room downstairs that we use as a makeshift hospital room. Together,we get Keon’s shirt cut off, and the wound is gushing blood. Ari grabs a handful of gauze pads and puts pressure on it. Keon groans in pain, and all I can do is grab his hand. “We’ve got you, man. Doc is on his way.”

“I need to see if there’s an exit wound,” Ari says apologetically. He gently rolls Keon to the side, and Keon chokes off the pained sound. Ari looks at me and shakes his head, lying Keon back down.

“How bad?” Keon whispers, sweat beading on his forehead. Before I can move, Tyler hands me a cold washcloth. I place it on his head and hold it there, having no idea what the fuck to do.

“Nothing you can’t handle,” Ari answers. “I just need you to hold on a little bit longer, okay?”

“Where’s Kira?” Keon asks, trying to look around Ari.

“Right here,” she answers, walking into the room. She sits beside his hip on the bed, rubbing her hand across his chest. Her face is clear of tears, but I can tell she’s trying to be strong for him, so I grab her other hand. She squeezes it so tight that it feels like she’s cutting off the blood flow. “Why did you have to go and get shot?”

Keon laughs weakly. “It was Gavin’s fault.”

“What?” I demand. “I can’t help it that you’re slow.”

Keon’s eyelashes start fluttering again, and Ari gently shakes him. “I need you to stay awake.” Keon nods, but his eyes close anyway. “Keon? Shit. Sweet cheeks, can you grab that monitor over there?” He points to the heart monitor, and Jason carries it over to the bed. Ari puts the pads on Keon’s chest and hooks the leads to it. His heart rate is low, but it’s there.

“Is he going to be okay?” Kira asks, and her voice is so small. Ari kisses her forehead.

“Yeah. Keon’s tough,Mal’akh.”