“Goodammit!” Psycho shrugs off his cut and pulls his Henley up and over his head. With the collar between his teeth, he rips it in two and starts wrapping it around my hands that, to be honest, aren’t doing shit to stop the hemorrhage. “Don’t fucking move until I tell you.”
For once, I don’t have a snarky or off-the-cuff remark. I do exactly what my Enforcer tells me to do.
Quick and efficient, Psycho circles his shirt around Boner’s neck, then looks me dead in the eyes and nods. “Do it quick and don’t fucking hesitate.”
“Fuck!” Just as I move my hand away, Psycho pulls the shirt as tight as he can without strangling Boner. I place my hands back over his neck to…I don’t fucking know. It seems like the right thing to do, stopping the bleeding somehow. Or at least it gives me the impression that I’m not sitting here doing fuck all about the fact my best friend is lying in the middle of the fucking woods dying.
“Hey! Don’t fucking fall asleep, Boner, keep your eyes open!” Psycho’s not doing emotions right now and I’m grateful for it because I’m pretty sure I’m losing my shit.
“Gr—” I blink down at Boner, who’s trying to talk, but that can’t be good, right? I mean, if his artery is nicked, won’t the movement just accelerate the fucking end game?
“Shut the fuck up, Boner. You ain’t talking and making this worse.” My eyes meet Psycho’s over Boner’s chest and when he gives a quick lift of his chin, I know he understands my thanks.
In all my years, I’ve never had a hard limit. Until now. My best friend bleeding out in I-don’t-fucking-know-where is it.
“Tell…tell mom.” Goddammit.
“Shut the fuck up!” My aim is to yell at him, but all I do is sob out the words. The reason I know this is because I’m only now realizing that the warmth trickling down on my face is from the tears dropping all over Boner’s chest.
Loud crunching and yelling are coming from the woods and I’m guessing they heard my mayday.
Everyone’s here. This is good, right?
I look down at Boner and this motherfucker is closing his eyes even though we’ve told him not to. Can anyone follow instructions anymore?
The asshole was supposed to die. Instead, he shot us and now Boner’s taking a nap when he’s supposed to stay awake and alive.
“You listen to me,” I whisper-yell to Boner through clenched teeth. “If you die, I will tell your momma that you gave up. Then I’ll show her your porn stash.” I’m fucking serious and he knows it.
Boner’s eyes pop open and I swear to fuck he’s trying to burn a hole through my brain.
“Oh my God!” At the sound of Spencer’s voice, I snap my head up and narrow my eyes. What the actual fuck is he doing here? But also, thank fuck he’s here.
“Fuck am I glad to see—Parker?” Holy shit. Is every-fucking-one actively trying to give me a heart attack?
“In the flesh. Looks like you’re in a right pickle.” This woman…I don’t think anything could shake her. Except, when I look closer, she’s now frowning, her lips in a downturn and her body tight as a guitar string.
“Let me in there and someone give me some light!” Shaking my head, I do what Spencer tells me and move out of the way so he can see what’s going on. It feels like we’ve been here for fucking ever and the only thing I want is to get him to a hospital.
He can’t die.
“Here.” Hoops hands Spencer his phone with the flash light on and I do what I can to not lose my shit.
“Okay, it looks like it’s holding, whatever this was, it’s keeping him alive. Shade, you need to bring that van around here so we don’t walk through those woods with him. He won’t survive the move.”
“On it!” Shade calls out.
“Wait! There’s a first aid kit on my back seat, the red car out front. Bring that with you.” Shade nods at Spencer’s request then uses those long-ass legs to run back to the van. The drive in here is going to destroy what’s left of it but no one gives a fuck about that.
“His pupils are responsive, his breaths are shallow but steady.” Then he places his index and middle fingers on Boner’s wrists, concentrating on what I can only assume is the counting of pulse beats.
“Okay, his pulse is weak but we have a window here so we need to hurry up. Hoops, look up where the nearest hospital is,” Spence says, looking straight up at Prez, and I don’t know what it is that gives it away but I think my man knows exactly what my prez is about to say.
“No hospitals unless it’s in Rockford Beach.” Predictable.
“Christ. What am I supposed to do here?” Nobody answers the Doc, but I don’t even think he’s talking to us. Instead, he’s mumbling to himself for an answer.
“You said he’s stable, so a two hour drive shouldn’t be too much of a problem?” Parker is trying to help but we’re not buying it. “I’ll drive while you stay in the back with him and make sure he doesn’t die. I’ll make sure we don’t crash, how’s that?” She does some kind of Boys Scout sign with her fingers but nobody mentions the obvious…she’s not a boy and no fucking way she was a scout or else they failed on her education.