Page 2 of The Devil After Dark

two

LIANA

Nitrile gloved hands were gently removing my hands from my bloodied blouse covering the bullet wound and replacing them.

Someone helped me to stand up and a blanket was draped around my shoulders.

“This way ma’am, let's get you checked out.” A woman’s voice filled my ears.

I just looked down at my hands. They were covered in blood.

“I’m not hurt,” I whispered.

“You might be in shock. Let's go have a seat. The officers will want to talk to you anyway and we can get you cleaned up,” she said, her voice was firm.

I let her lead me to the back of one of the ambulances and sat where she told me to sit.

I watched water pour over my hands as I rubbed them together and the blood washed away into the street. “Was that your friend?”

“No. I was across the street when it happened,” I replied numbly. My heart was still pounding in my ears and I was just trying to keep my hands from shaking as the medic helped clean them off .

“You might have saved that man’s life,” she said as I dried my hands.

I only nodded and reached up to pull the blanket around my shoulders. Looking down I realized I was just in my lacy bra. I tugged the blanket tighter to cover myself.

“Stay here, I will be only a few steps away, but the officers will want to come talk to you. It could be a while,” the medic said as she extended a bottle of water to me. I reached from under the blanket and took the bottle. This was certainly not how I expected my night to go.

I was in a daze as officers and medics moved around the scene. Someone brought me my purse and phone and asked me what I had seen. I did my best to tell them everything I remembered. Then they told me to stay where I was a little longer and someone would come to take me home.

Watching the red and blue flashing lights as I sat in the back of the ambulance, I felt incredibly alone.

Adjusting the blanket around myself, I wanted to just curl up into a tiny ball.

Someone had been killed right in front of me.

I could have been killed. Before I could spiral further, a warm body sat down next to me.

In my exhaustion I wanted to just lean over and rest my head on the person's shoulder.

Instead, I turned my head and realized it was the biker who had not been shot.

I had to tilt my head back to look up at his face.

Gods he was a large man and I rarely felt small around other people.

“Thank you,” he said as his clear blue eyes connected with mine.

“He is on the way to the hospital and they said he has a chance.”

“Good,” I breathed. “Your other friend?”

The man shook his head. “He’s gone.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered and looked away.

I had been wrong with my assumption that the bikers were younger than me—at least he was not ten years younger—probably in his mid to late thirties if I had to guess.

I could not fathom what he was feeling right now.

One friend was dead and the other was on the way to the hospital to hopefully not die.

Here I was feeling bad for myself when I was not even a victim. “Are you okay?” I managed to ask.

“Okay as one can be,” he responded. Both of us were just staring straight ahead.

An officer approached us at the back of the ambulance.

“Cassio, shit, I’m sorry man,” he said as he extended his hand to the man next to me.

Cassio extended a tattoo covered hand back.

I looked back up at him. It was clear the officer knew him.

In the flashing lights I could see tattoos peeking out the top of his open leather jacket and onto his neck, but I could not make out what they were.

Was he part of the gangs? But the officer seemed friendly with him, not like he knew him from arresting him or something.

“The medics said Jason has a good chance, but I am sorry Kalvin didn’t make it.

He was a good guy,” the officer continued.

“Thank you, Rome. This was not what we had planned for tonight,” Cassio responded thickly. There was emotion behind his voice and he was stifling it.

“I imagine not. Anyone you think we need to look into?” the officer asked.

Cassio glanced back at me and I quickly looked away, not wanting to obviously intrude on their conversation. “The usual. I will have my head of security send you over the current details.”

Well, that sounded fancy. This man looked like he was part of a street gang with his tattoos, but head of security that would cooperate with the police did not sound like he was gang affiliated.

“Miss, my name is Rome. I can take you home now,” the officer said as he turned to me.

“I will have my driver take her. No offense, Rome, but I think a town car will be more comfortable for her,” Cassio said as he subtly moved between Rome and me.

“It’s up to you, miss.” Rome shook his head at Cassio before side stepping around him .

Cassio turned to me. “My driver just pulled up, I will have him take you.”

“I live outside the city,” I said as I looked between the two men.

“Doesn’t matter. My driver will take you home,” Cassio said firmly. It was a tone that would probably convince me to do anything.

“Okay, that’s fine.” I really did not care who took me home, I just wanted to get home.

Cassio held out his hand to me. “I’ll take you to the car.

” I looked down at his extended hand with his neatly trimmed nails and back up into his gorgeous eyes.

I had not realized how handsome he was—probably because there was blood everywhere and death and flashing emergency lights.

I took his hand and let him help me stand up from the back of the ambulance.

Cassio didn’t let go of my hand as he led me out of the flashing lights to a town car parked just on the other side of the police car barrier blocking the street.

The way his thumb stroked the back of my hand made me feel safe even with the police tape sectioning off the street.

A man in a black suit with a black shirt opened the car door for me and Cassio released my hand, letting his drop to the small of my back and guiding me to crawl inside.

This car was nice . I never paid attention to vehicles, but this was clearly no regular car.

Cassio leaned down to look in the open door and pressed fabric into my hands. “Here, put this on since my friend bled all over yours.” I looked down and unfolded a shirt.

“Thanks,” I said quickly, tugging the blanket more closed around my shoulders in an effort to hide my lace bra and boobs from his eyes.

“No, thank you. I hope the rest of your night goes better than this,” Cassio said with a small smile.

I nodded. “Me too … I am sorry about your friend and I hope the other one makes it … could you … if I gave you my number could you let me know? I know that is a lot to ask. I just want to know if he is okay.” I looked away with my question.

I should not have asked. He should not have to worry about updating a stranger whether his friend survives or not.

Cassio turned to the driver who still stood outside the door. “Zac, please get her number so we can send her an update on Jason.” The driver nodded and Cassio turned back to me. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” I responded breathily. Then Zac closed the door and I watched Cassio walk back towards the flashing lights.