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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

ROYCE

“Come on. You have to wake up. There’s no way you’re going to leave me like this, and I need your help. Wake up, damn it!”

I try to open my eyes, but it feels like there’s a weight keeping them closed. My body aches and there are little bright spots dancing across the inside of my eyelids.

“Royce, you really need to wake up. I don’t know what to do and I can’t take care of both of you right now. Come on. Please.”

The sound of Gia’s broken voice is like a knife straight through me.

I groan and roll to the side, my head throbbing and a pain shooting through my bicep. “Gia.”

Tears stain her bloody cheeks as she looks down at me. My gaze roams over her body, stopping on the crimson stains on her hands and shirt.

It feels like time comes to a standstill around me as I push myself up to sit in front of her. “Where are you shot?”

“Not me,” she says, her voice breaking as she scrambles to her feet. “You need to help me. I can’t get the bleeding to stop on my own and I don’t know what to do. I’ve never had to patch someone up before.”

The world around me is spinning as I stand and reach for her. “You need to tell me that nothing is wrong with you, Gia. Where is Bianca?”

Gia sniffles and tries to snatch her arm away from me. “You need to let go. She’s going to die if we don’t do something.”

A sharp pain rushes through my chest. It’s impossible to get a breath in as I look at her. “Bianca?”

“No.” Gia takes a step back, her chest rising and falling like she’s just finished a marathon. “It’s Skyla.”

Though the world stops falling out from beneath me, it doesn’t feel like the words Gia says are real, even as I follow her over to the bottom of the front steps.

Skyla is stretched out, but her eyes are shut, and her breathing is shallow.

I crouch down beside her, touching her clammy skin. “Gia, go inside and get my phone. Now!”

Gia stands and runs into the house, taking the wooden stairs two at a time and nearly tripping over a patch of slush.

“Skyla, you’re going to have to open your eyes for me.” I stop and listen to her breathing. Though it’s shallow, she isn’t wheezing, and I don’t hear any signs of gurgling.

As long as she hasn’t punctured a lung, she should be okay.

I glance down, trying to figure out where the blood is coming from as all the snow around her melts with the warmth.

There’s a bullet wound on the right side of her ribs, but it’s closer to her arm than her heart.

Please let the shot have missed her lungs.

Gia launches herself down the stairs and over to me, handing me the phone. I press my hand against the bullet wound while dialing Ellie’s number.

“You need to go back inside and get me some towels,” I say to Gia, tone stern. “We have to get the bleeding to stop and a hand or a shirt isn’t going to cut it. Haul out all the towels you can find.”

The color drains from Gia’s face as she runs back into the house.

The call connects, Ellie’s worried hitch of her breath coming from the other end. “What’s going on, Royce?”

“Skyla’s been shot in the ribs. I don’t think her lung was punctured, but she’s bleeding a lot, and I have no clue how to get it to stop.”

“Are you applying pressure?” Ellie asks, her voice tight but controlled as she switches into nurse mode. “You have to keep the pressure hard on her, even if you think it’s going to hurt her. Check to make sure there’s an exit wound too. If there isn’t, you need to get her to the nearest hospital.”

I put the phone on speaker, leaving it on Skyla’s stomach while gently rolling her to the side to check her back. “There’s an exit wound.”

“You’re going to need to apply pressure there too. You’re going to go through a lot of towels, and we aren’t going to know what the damage inside her looks like until we can get her to a doctor. Are you going to be able to do a blood transfusion if you have to?”

“Yeah. Gia went to grab what she can find for towels. I can give blood if I have to, but I don’t know if I have everything we need to do it.” I feel sick as I press my fingers into Skyla’s wound, sealing the hole the best that I can and pushing down. “She’s going to need stitches.”

“I’m getting in the car now. We should be there by the morning at the latest, but you’re going to need to do everything you can to keep her alive until then.”

I make a strangled noise in the back of my throat as Gia reappears with towels. “I think one of her ribs might be fractured, but there’s no bullet stuck in her.”

Gia nods and gets to work shoving towels beneath Skyla’s body before focusing on replacing my fingers with the thick cloth pressed tight to her abdomen.

Ellie takes a wavering breath. “If you need to do the transfusion, call me back, okay? You can handle this, Royce. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

The call ends as I turn to Gia.

She looks at me with wide eyes, her bottom lip quivering. “How much damage do you think was done to her?”

“There’s no way to know until Ellie gets here and takes a look at everything, but she’s on her way and we should know soon.”

Though I’m trying to stay calm, I feel like I’m on the verge of falling apart.

I’ve been with my siblings when they’ve been shot before, but this is different. This time, there’s too much blood and I don’t have everything I need to treat it. We’re at a vacation house, not a safe house.

I should’ve known that coming here was going to be a bad idea.

Skyla got hurt because I couldn’t protect my family. I could lose her because I had the chance to kill Noah when he took Ellie and Sean months ago, but he got away before I could take the shot.

It’s my fault that the bastard is still alive and hurting my family.

The bleeding slows as the icy wind howls through the trees.

I pull the towel away to get a better look at the wound. Getting her inside without making the bleeding worse again is going to be difficult, but it’s too cold to stay out here much longer.

Gia’s teeth chatter as she looks at me. “Are we going to move her inside now?”

Nodding, I shove my phone in my pocket before sliding my arms beneath Skyla. Slowly, I lift her and stand. “Go open the door, please, and then make sure the kitchen table is clear.”

She gets to her feet and leads the way inside, not sparing a passing glance at the other bodies in the yard.

I follow her into the kitchen, waiting while she sweeps the placemats to the floor.

As I put Skyla down on the table, she groans, her hand flying to my forearm. Her fingers squeeze tight as her eyes open. “You’re not going to leave me on the table like an invalid.”

Laughing, I scoop her back up and take her up the stairs and to her bedroom, setting her on the bed.

“I’m going to be fine,” Skyla says, her voice raspy as she leans back into the pillows. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“You got shot. I’m going to worry about you.” I check the wounds again, but there isn’t any more blood leaking. “I’m going to get you cleaned up, and then you need to rest. Ellie is going to be here as soon as she can to see how you’re really doing.”

“You didn’t have to call her. I’ve been shot before.”

“And this time was worse.” I grin down at her, wishing that I had done more to protect her. “I’m going to be in the next room with Gia and Bianca if you need anything, okay? And I’ll be coming in here every hour or so to check on you.”

Skyla rolls her eyes and reaches for the phone and headphones on the nightstand, even though she still looks weaker than I’ve ever seen her. “Everything is going to be fine. You worry too much.”

Knowing that she is only going to get worked up if I stay, I go into the other room with Gia, both of us heading straight for the shower.

* * *

The night is getting later as I lounge on the bed beside Gia, Bianca between us even though she’s struggling to keep her little eyes open.

Gia rests her head on my chest, toying with my fingers. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

I chuckle and lace my fingers with hers, kissing the back of her hand. “I’ve taken on as many men by myself and been fine. You don’t have to worry about me. Just worry about keeping yourself and Bianca safe.”

“I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to do that. You’re part of the deal too. That means I get to worry about everyone, whether you like it or not.” Her voice breaks as she looks at me, her eyes glossy with tears.

“I know you are.”

Gia sighs and stands up, reaching for Bianca. “I’m going to put her to bed.”

“I’ll be right here,” I say, tucking my hands behind my head as I stare up at the ceiling, the warm light from the lamps on the nightstands bathing the room in a soft glow.

She watches me for a moment, our daughter in her arms, and I don’t think she’s ever looked more beautiful.

If this is what peace feels like, I think I might be addicted to it.

When she leaves the room, I tap my foot to a melody in my head, trying not to think about the way I could’ve lost them today. If there had been one second of waiting too long or if Skyla hadn’t raced to those stairs and took out two of the men while the other bashed the back of my head into a rock, Gia and Bianca might not be here anymore.

“Come here,” I say, voice husky when Gia comes back into the room.

She arches an eyebrow, a playful smile curving the corner of her perfect lips as she inches her way toward me. “And why would I do that?”

“Because I took a hard hit to the head and I’ve heard about the mythical healing powers of sex.”

Gia head tips back as she laughs, eyes sparkling with amusement despite the hell of a day we’ve had. “I don’t think I’ve heard of that one before.”

“Then come here and let me show you, woman. Stop being so difficult.”

Smirking, she sways her hips as she walks, hooking her thumbs into the sides of her shorts and shoving them down her legs.

When she grips the bottom of her shirt, my cock stands at attention, straining against the fabric of my pajama pants.

She tosses the shirt to the side, her nipples stiff the second the chilly air flowing through the bedroom meets them.

I lift my hips long enough to slide my pants off before leaning over the edge of the bed and grabbing her by the hips.

Her laughter dies as I haul her onto the bed, her knees landing on either side of my head.

“Grab the headboard, baby.” I slide my tongue along her slick pussy, tasting the arousal already pooling there for me.

Her back arches as she rolls her hips, grinding down against my mouth. Smirking, I suck her clit into my mouth, grazing it with my teeth.

The soft whimper she makes has me throbbing, desperate to be inside her, but I want to make sure she’s not thinking of anything other than me when I sink deep into her.

I press two fingers into her as my tongue swirls around her little bundle of nerves.

She rocks into the touch, moving with me as I thrust my fingers deeper into her. I crook them, driving against her inner walls until her legs start to shake.

My other fingers dig into her hip, holding her in place.

“I’m going to come.”

I nip at her clit again, barely more than a touch, but it’s enough to send her over the edge. Her body shakes as she rides out the orgasm, her hips rocking with every thrust I give her, pushing her closer to the edge of another.

She squeals when I toss her off me and onto the bed beside me before crawling my way up her body.

Heat blazes in her eyes, her fingers lacing through my hair as I take my time tracing the planes of her body with my tongue.

Her soft hand reaches between us when I kiss her neck. She grips my cock, her thumb rubbing over the head before she strokes down my length.

“If you keep that up, I’m not going to last long.”

She smirks, repeating the motion until I’m thrusting into her hand while I kiss her. The way she squeezes me has my balls drawing tight, cock stiffening.

And then she hooks a leg over my hip and flips us over. “I want to be in control tonight.”

I arch an eyebrow, linking my hands together behind my head and looking up at her.

This is a side of Gia I’ve never seen before, but if this is what she needs to feel better, then I’m more than happy to give up control to her.

She smirks and leans over, reaching for something in the nightstand.

“Oh, hell no.” I glare at the rope as it dangles from her fingers. “If anyone here is getting tied up, it’s going to be you.”

Gia laughs, hovering over my cock and leaning forward, her lips just barely hovering over mine. “Please?”

And just like that, I can’t resist her. “Do whatever you need to, baby.”

She grins, teeth grazing over my jaw before she reaches for my hands, tying them to the spindles that make up the bedframe.

“You’re going to be pretty sad without me touching you.”

“You think so?” She runs her hands down her body, pulling her nipples between her fingers.

I strain to touch her, the rope biting into my wrists.

She smirks, fingers trailing between her legs and teasing her clit. “I bet you wish this was you, don’t you?”

“Your ass is going to have a permanent handprint on it if you don’t sink that tight little pussy onto my cock right now, Gia.”

“I don’t know.” Her head tilts back slightly as she moans, back arching and two fingers slipping into her. “What do I need you for?”

“Funny.” I grit my teeth as my cock aches. I need to be in her. She’s like an addiction I just can’t beat, but here she is teasing me instead.

And I have to be honest, it’s the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.

Just when I think she really is going to make herself come, riding her fingers and whimpering my name, she smirks and holds them out to me.

“Want another taste?”

Lifting my head off the bed, I take her fingers into my mouth, licking every drop of her sweet arousal from them as she takes my cock, inching it into her pussy.

I rock my hips off the bed, driving deeper into her and sending her tumbling forward against my chest. “You’re going to ride me now, and you’re going to make yourself come.”

She smirks flicking her tongue over my nipple. “Ask nice.”

“Please fuck me before I spank you so hard you won’t be able to sit for a week.”

Her eyes flare with lust as she rolls her hips, changing the angle and taking me deeper.

Her nails press into my chest as she rides me, hips rocking and moans filling the room.

I’m throbbing, desperate for release as she comes on my cock, her pussy milking me.

The feeling of her is all it takes to send me over the edge, stiffening as I finish, letting her continue to ride until she’s completely spent.

She gives me a lazy smile, reaching for the rope and untying it before tossing it to the side. “How are your wrists?”

I show off the red marks around them before grabbing her by the waist and rolling us over, pinning her beneath me. “I’m perfectly fine, but I think I owe someone a red handprint.”

Gia grins, her foot trailing down the length of my leg until her knee is pressed against my hip. “Oh, do you?”

Smirking, I lean in and kiss her, losing myself in her for the rest of the night.

* * *

“You rat bastard!”

I jolt upright in bed, looking over to see Gia sitting up with the sheets clutched to her chest. “That sounds like Skyla.”

Gia springs out of bed and grabs one of my shirts, pulling it on and dashing out of the room while I’m still scrambling to get my joggers on. I take off after her, nearly missing the bottom step as I skid into the kitchen.

Skyla stands with her arms crossed as she glares at Aiden. “You can’t just waltz in here and start making demands after the attack yesterday. You need to give everyone a fucking breather.”

Aiden glares at me, the frown deepening when he gets a good look at what Gia is wearing.

Shit.