Page 154 of Lovely Venom

The EMT grunts, “I need it and I need it right now.”

I don’t wait, I search the empty hallway and notice a trail of blood leads to the primary bedroom. I burst in there, sickened to see Tahiri’s clothes strewn around. Raina was in his fucking bedroom.

My eyes snag on a pair of white panties on the floor. Cotton. Hip huggers.Raina’s. I bend down to scoop them off the carpet. A rage like I’ve never felt before fires through me and I even black out for a second. If Tahiri raped her, I will not only kill him again, I will wipe out anyone who is unfortunate enough to share his DNA.

Putting that bloodbath out of my head, I drop to the carpet, crawling like a fucking madman to find the antidote.

Raina had it on her, but then Noel beat her to shit and she dropped it. Where the fuck is it? Tahiri can’t have it on him, or he would have taken it. And not be lying there dead as a slug.

I’m praying. Cursing. Bargaining.

And then I see it.

A small, dark bottle is barely visible under a chair near the windows.

I dive, my fingers scraping the coarse rug until they close around the glass.

“Got it!” I sprint back into the hall, but some prick NYPD patrol officer steps in front of me.

“What’s going on here?” he demands. “You’re DEA? I have two drug overdoses. One guy coded. ME’s on the way. My sarge is asking questions and—”

“Get out of my way!” I roar and push him aside.

The female EMT spots me hurtling toward her. “Give it to me.” She opens the bottle, sniffs once, and nods. “This is it.”

“No, I give it to her.” I tilt Raina’s chin, hands shaking. “Just tell me what to do.”

This is a first.

“On her tongue, let it slide down her esophagus,” she murmurs. “Don’t let any drip out.”

Looking as carefully as I can through teary eyes, I pour the antidote down Raina’s throat.

Seconds pass.

Nothing.

More nothing.

Oh Christ, I feel sobs building.

But...

Raina coughs.

Hard.

Violent.

Her body jerks like she’s just been tased. She chokesand gasps for air. Her eyes fly open, wild and unfocused.

I pull out one of her inhalers in case this triggers an attack. She chokes and coughs, but she’s breathing.

She’salive.

Then I break. I crash on the floor beside her, burying my face in her braid.

“Jesus, baby,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “Don’t you ever do that to me again.”