Page 24 of Tone Deaf

“Yes, and I refused but it was no use,” I say truthfully.

Dom slowly sits up and a small smirk spreads across his face, making him look a lot younger than his forty years. “Did he twist your?—”

The door swings open and a woman walks in, her face partially covered by a mask. Her eyes widen in surprise at seeing us. “I’m here to take Mr. Fitz’s vitals,” she says with hesitation.

She’s unfamiliar to me, but she is wearing the standard dark blue scrubs with the hospital logo on the shirt. Her red hair is in high bun with long ornamental chopsticks sticking out of the mass.

She looks out of place.

She hesitates for moment, assessing Dom and Callum, then me. But her stillness has me on instant alert.

“Where’s Lyric?” Dom asks, slowly getting up from the bed, his attention never leaving her face.

The nurse takes two steps, and then everything happens fast. She pulls a gun from behind her back. “Silencer,” I shout and move without thought.

Her aim is directed at the two men I care most about. Right as Dom covers Callum with his body, she whirls around and takes a shot at me. The sting doesn’t stop me from catapulting myself at her.

On impact, her hand releases the gun and it clatters to the floor. I wrestle her until she’s face down, then manage to get her forearms under my knees, and my hand clamped onto the back of her neck. For a small, thin woman, she has strength and nearly gets away from my hold.

“Don’t fucking move,” I hiss and tighten my hand on the back of her neck, pushing her face into the floor.

“Get off me, asshole. You’re hurting me,” she screeches.

I ignore her, and ask Callum and Dom without looking at them, “Are you two okay?”

“We’re good. But you… You’re shot.”

“It’s only a graze,” I say, as the shooter tries to wiggle out of my hold again. I put my full weight into my hold. “Stay fucking still.”

Dom climbs off Callum then snatches the gun from the floor and tucks it behind his back as he walks over to me.

“What the hell?” Fig shouts, storming into the room. He then sees me on the ground with the woman. “God-motherfucking-damn-it!”

“She tried to kill Dom and Callum,” I growl.

He rushes to my side, snags her left arm from under my knee, and twists it behind her back. “I got her.”

With Fig restraining her, I get up and together we pull the woman onto her feet. Even with both of us holding her, she still tries to kick her way free.

“Stop moving. You’re going to hurt yourself,” Fig sighs like he’s bored.

Dom approaches her, his eyes emanating rage. “Who are you?”

“Fuck you,” she spits, trying to get out of our hold. “Fuck you all.”

“I suggest you stop fighting, because you’re going nowhere,” I growl and tighten my hold on her arm.

“Fuck off,” she screams this time. “I have rights.”

“What the heck is going on?” A female nurse rushes in, her eyes wide with shock.

“Call the police. We just apprehended a shooter who tried to kill me and Mr. Fitz,” Dom barks out.

The nurse looks at me, sees the bloody patch on my shirt and then races out of the room.

“Are you going to be okay?” Dom asks me, as he stares at the red spot on my shirt.

“Yeah,” I say, waving off the ache in my arm. “I said it’s only a graze.”