Page 24

" S TEEL!" I scream, my voice cracking as I try to catch him and lower him to the ground. The man is huge, and all I manage to do is fall to the ground right beside him. I did at least manage to stop him from hitting his head. He already has a decent amount of blood coming from the back of his head as it is and from a cut above his left eye. How he was still fighting as much as he did I have no idea. It's a miracle for sure.

Standing, I rush to the kitchen and grab as many kitchen towels as I can, running back and dropping to my knees beside Steel's prone form. From everything I remember reading in books and seeing in movies, I need to apply pressure to the wound and slow the bleeding. Balling up one of the towels, I press it against his side and hold it there while fumbling in my pocket, trying to get Steel's phone out. I have no idea what to do next. I'm hoping that Knox can walk me through it or know someone who can.

"Illeana?" Grace's voice calls out softly.

Damnit, Grace! Why couldn't you just stay in the damn safe room as I asked you to? "You need to go back to the safe room Grace," I demand, keeping my eyes on what I'm doing.

"I can help. Please," she begs, crying from where she stands nearby.

"You don't need to see this," I state, shaking my head. Hitting Knox's name on the phone and lifting it to my ear as I listen to it ring.

"Steel," Knox grunts as he answers. "Give me an update."

"Steel was stabbed and is currently passed out on the floor," I cry out, the tears falling over, unable to hold them back anymore. I'm terrified and the adrenaline is wearing off now.

"Okay, listen to me carefully," Knox states in a soothing tone. "I need you to get some towels and press them against the wound. Don't let go. We need to slow the bleeding down. Where is the stab wound?"

"I... I already am applying pressure," I stutter, focusing on what he's telling me to do. "Where are you?"

"We're on the way and will be there as fast as we can," he answers. "Where is the stab wound, Illeana? I can't help you if you don't answer the questions."

"It's on his side. His left side." My eyes cut to Grace, as I watch her drop to her knees beside me.

"Okay, we need to try to stitch him up," Knox begins, but I cut him off.

"I can't do that. I have no idea what I'm doing," I shout. "I can't hurt him. You need to get here and do it. I can't lose him. Please!" I beg.

"You won't lose him if you listen to me carefully. You are the only one who can do this. Put the phone on video chat. Is Grace there with you so I can tell her where the supplies are?" Knox asks.

"She's here," I answer, nodding my head as I move the phone and put him on a video call. He answers immediately and begins speaking calmly to Grace, telling her where there are medical supplies in the master bedroom bathroom. I watch her follow his instructions, running out of the room. "How am I supposed to do this?" I ask, trying to compose myself. I need to be strong for Steel. He won't make it if I don't, and I'll never forgive myself. "Oh, Steel was worried about more people, but I haven't seen anyone else. Are we safe?" I don't know why that's what came to my mind right now, but if someone comes in while I'm working on Steel I'll have no way to fight back.

"I checked the cameras while we were talking, I've been watching them since you texted me. Steel handled all of them. You are safe. Is Grace back?" He asks at the same time, she rushes back into the room, dropping the supplies beside me. "Good, Grace, I need you to go boil a hot pot of water and bring it to your sister. Illeana, I need you to dig in the medical bag and find the alcohol. You are going to pour a good bit of it over the wound when you remove the towel. You need to be quick though because he is going to keep bleeding as you do this. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, I can do that, I think," I answer, digging with my free hand in the bag until I find the bottle of rubbing alcohol he was talking about.

"No, thinking about it, Illeana. You have to know that you can do it," he demands. "Before you pour the alcohol, you need to have the needle and thread ready as well. You have seconds to begin."

"What about Grace? What's the hot water for?" I ask, trying to buy myself a minute to breathe and think this through.

"It's so she doesn't see what you're doing," he gives me a knowing look.

"Thank you," I mutter. I'm grateful that he thought about that. She didn't want to listen to me, so I'm glad she listened to him. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Good. Pull the towel away and pour the alcohol on the wound, then, when it's semi-clear, you need to begin the stitches. It's just like tying a shoe in some ways, or if you have ever crocheted. Start at one side of the wound and slowly make your way across and down to the other side. You're going to want to keep the stitches close together but not right on top of the other," Knox explains quickly.

Nodding, I place the phone on Steel's stomach and take a deep breath before I begin. Pulling the towel away, I let it drop to the ground and grab the bottle of alcohol from beside me, pouring it over his wound. I expected Steel to wake up or flinch from the burn, but he doesn't even move. Knox was right, as the blood gets washed away with the alcohol, more gushes out of the wound. Tossing the bottle to the ground beside me, I grab the needle and push the thread into the small hole at the top of the needle. Pinching his skin together, I stick the needle through and try to follow Knox's instructions. Before I reach the end of the string, I make sure to tie a knot so it doesn't pull through the skin. Over and over, I repeat the process of sticking the needle into his skin as I create a sort of shoelace pattern until I get closer to the end of the wound.

"You're doing that wrong," Grace states, as she sets the boiling pot of water on the ground beside me.

"Wrong?" I question. "Pick up the phone and show Knox. I'm doing what he told me to do." I swear if I'm doing this wrong, I may start crying again. Steel's life is literally in my hands and I don't want to fuck it up.

"You're not doing it wrong, Illeana," Knox's voice rings out over the speakerphone. "For someone who has never done stitches and is doing it on the fly, you are doing it correctly. We just need them to last for us to transport him and slow down the bleeding, it doesn't need to be perfect."

Glaring at Grace, I go back to focusing on my stitches, getting the last couple in. When I do, I tie off the stitch and begin to gather all the supplies. "What about his two head wounds?" I ask, focusing on the next big problem.

"Head wounds?" Knox grumbles. "Maybe I should have asked you for a detailed description of all injuries before having you start trauma surgery on the dining room floor. Show me the other wounds," he sighs, shaking his head.

Doing what he says, I turn the camera around and point it at the laceration above his eye first. "That's superficial. A butterfly bandage is all he needs for that. What's next?" Moving the camera further, I tilt his head so Knox can see the wound at the back of his head. "Can you move his hair some? It's blocking the wound." Grace moves forward and does what's asked. "That's gonna hurt like hell, but it's not bleeding enough for us to be concerned with it right now. When I get him to the hospital, we'll get an x-ray and CT scan done. For now, there's nothing we can do about it. Are there any other wounds that we need to be concerned about?"

"No, I don't think there are any more. At least not that I can see. I'm sure he took a beating, I saw him in a lot of hand-to-hand combat and took some hits." I hate that his body suffered while trying to defend all of us. He should have let me help. I could have done something, anything.

"Okay, that's good. He can handle taking some hits; it wouldn't be the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last time. Now, are either of you injured at all? Did any of the men get their hands on you?" he asks, his eyes getting serious and moving like he is trying to look both Grace and me over, or at least as much of us as he can see.

"Grace wasn't touched, I was slapped, grabbed by my hair, and dragged down the hall," I answer him, knowing a lie would do no good. "Is there anything else we need to be doing?"

"How are you feeling? I can see a bruise already forming where you were hit on your cheek. Make sure to put ice on it," Knox instructs, pausing for me to agree. When I nod my head, he continues with instructions. "Just let Steel rest. Don't worry; he doesn’t look uncomfortable, he honestly isn't going to be feeling a thing right now. If he wakes up before we get there, then give him some pain meds, he'll know what to do. Now, no one should be there before us or our allies, at least not according to my intel, but clearly, that was wrong earlier, so I don't want to take any chances. Grace, I want you to go wait in the safe room, and this time, please don't come out until one of us gets you. Illeana, I need you to go around to all the bodies; gather all of the weapons and put them in a pile in the office. I'll handle them all while I get there. It gives you a pile of weapons to use, just in case someone does show up before we can get there. Just do me a favor, when the Chaos Brotherhood announces they arrive, don't shoot them. I'd rather not have my brother-in-law give me shit for you shooting one of his men."

"Who, what is the Chaos Brotherhood?" I ask, rising to my feet to begin doing what Knox directed. I'm intrigued to know more about what Knox is talking about and who he is sending to keep us safe until he gets here. I feel so naive in this world and I don't like it.

"The Chaos Brotherhood is a motorcycle club. They will protect you both but don't think they aren't dangerous. They are one-percenters, which means they go against the law. They may be family through me but don't piss them off. Follow their rules and everyone will be fine. They are there to protect you both, not be your friends, okay?" I can see the worry in his eyes as he talks. Why would he send dangerous people to protect us, who are family, if he is worried about them being around us?

"What about Steel? If this Brotherhood arrives, will he be safe?" I glance to look at where the unconscious man that I'm pretty sure I'm in love with is lying.

"They won't hurt Steel. Hell, I'm pretty sure half, if not all, of that motorcycle club likes him more than they do me," he chuckles. "Now, hang up with me and go gather all the weapons. I'd prefer it if you went to the safe room with your sister, but I understand not wanting to leave Steel unattended. I'll leave you to make up your mind on what you wish to do. Just be safe. This fight isn't over yet. Oh, and if Steel wakes up, tell him not to overexert himself. That man definitely will try to."

"I will. Thank you, Knox. Really. You helped me save his life." I give him a soft smile before we both say our goodbyes and hang up. With another look at Steel, I go back to collecting all the weapons. Some of these men seem to have a whole damn arsenal on their bodies. I'm careful to only grab the knives and guns. The grenade-looking things I found I didn't touch. I'll leave those for someone who knows how to handle them. I'd rather not accidentally set one off and have even more of a mess to deal with. When I've checked both floors of the house, I put on my winter coat and head outside. Knox didn't say to grab the mens outside as well, but I figure it's safe enough to do.