Page 38 of These White Lies

My brow furrows. Her question was more air than sound.

Where the hell is the ambulance?

“What?”

“Did he get you, too?”

I shake my head. “No, I’m okay.”

“Why do you sound like that? Are you mad at me?”

She squeezes her eyes shut for a second, and I hate knowing it’s because she’s hurting.

“Yeah, I’m pretty pissed.” My gaze falls to the red seeping through the khaki cloth.

“Are you going to disappear again?”

My jaw works, an emotion I can’t identify roiling inside my chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She opens her mouth, trying to say something, but her eyes flutter closed again.

Rage burns through me.

I’m going to end whoever sent those men.

10

ELIZABETH

For a moment, I can’t remember where I am or why my entire body feels like it’s lit on fire. Then, white-hot pain spikes in my side, radiating through my torso, and it comes rushing back.

A hiss of air escapes me, and I realize I’m on the floor— half in Brady Worthington’s arms. I shift to find relief, but the movement is met with a solid pressure keeping me still.

I tip my chin down, and my gaze lands on his red-stained hands clutching my side. His blood-stained hands.My blood… Because someone stabbed me. A deafening ringing fills my ears.

“Hey!” Brady’s rough voice snaps me back into focus.

I know he’s trying to distract me, but the tight line of his jaw and the tension around his eyes don’t match his calm tone. My lids drift shut again.

“Stay with me, Firefly. No naps allowed.”

There’s that nickname again. I should tell him to stop calling me that, but it makes me feel safe, the same way he did that night.

But I don’t trust anyone anymore.

Except I do.

For some unfathomable reason, I trust this man.

Brady shifts his grip, folding the bloody cloth tighter against the wound, and I bite back another hiss of discomfort. The torment swirling in Brady’s eyes makes me feel guilty. This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t stormed off.

I’m not sure if I’m trying to make him feel better, or if I’m defending myself, but I lick my lips and say, “I tried?—”

“I know. I saw. Don’t talk.” The words are so clipped, he sounds like he’s suffering too. “Just stay awake. Stay with me.”

“Are you hurt?”

“What?”