Rock Chick Revolution

Chapter Thirty-Two Salvation

One week later…

I drove my Mustang into underground parking at my office.

It was nearly noon and I was still working mornings at Fortnum’s because Indy was still in the throes of morning sickness, and according to her doctors, would be for a while.

Although this was gross, she now had so much practice hurling, a quick, “Hang on,” dash to the bathroom, return, “I’m back” happened frequently.

My BFF.

Nothing fazed her.

All was settling in Rock Chick/Hot Bunch Land, which also meant in Ren and Ally Land.

For me, it was mornings at Fortnum’s, work my cases, evenings with Ren.

For Ren, it was work enduring a Vito freeze-out and thus working to wrap things up in order to leave, then evenings with me where I tried to make him feel better.

He hid it, but it was wearing on him.

I’d done what I could do with Vito.

The rest was up to Ren to decide.

That was, of course, if I didn’t lose it, charge into Vito’s office and rip him a new one. Though, I suspected that wouldn’t help.

And I had cases. Two of them. One, Shirleen (and thus Lee) had punted me. One was from a friend who had a friend who needed help.

Surprisingly, when I shared that I didn’t accept gift cards or discounts as payment anymore; she said she’d talk to her friend and share this info. Then her friend came in and chatted with Daisy. After that, she hired me.

Both cases were domestics and I was working them with Matt. From experience, neither case would last long. That said, it was interesting having a partner.

Interesting in a good way.

Matt was kind of the Unknown Hot Bunch Guy. I’d spent time around him. Partied with him. Shot the shit with him. I knew his girlfriend, Daphne. I knew he was hot in a boy next door kind of way. But other than that, not much.

Now I knew he was good at his job.

Oh, and since we were working the job together and this necessitated communicating, I also now knew that he’d bought Daphne a ring. I further knew that the day of the Big Ask was this coming Saturday.

“And if you tell even a single Rock Chick, Ally, I’ll shoot you,” he’d warned me with a not-very boy next door look on his face.

So Matt could be badass.

Good to know.

I’d zipped my lips. He’d shaken his head. But I didn’t tell a single Rock Chick.

I was one of the girls.

But now I was also one of the guys.

How totally fucking righteous was that?

The one pall hanging over everything was the fact that neither Lee and his boys, nor Ren unleashing Lucky and Santo, had meant success in finding Snookie Rivers.

I tried to tell myself that he’d realized he’d been made and he’d found someone else to stalk. When I did this I didn’t believe myself, nor did I like the idea of him stalking someone else. So this concerned me and I was keen to have that situation done.

But Brody had a lock on my phone. I had devices in my car and purse, and they tracked me in the surveillance room at Nightingale Investigations all the time. Not to mention, I frequently saw Lucky or Santo hanging close.

So I was covered.

I still wished someone would find the sicko.

As I made my way to the elevator, I texted Ren with, In the building.

In the elevator on the way to our floor, my phone binged with, All right, honey.

I grinned, not caring that I had to check in (and frequently), with Ren. If it made him breathe easy, I’d do it. If I could do anything to make him breathe easy, I’d do it (mostly).

I exited the elevator, walked down the hall, opened the door to my offices and was confronted with World War III.

Namely, Daisy and Shirleen going at it.

“You’re makin’ me look bad!” Shirleen shouted, hands on hips, leaning across Daisy’s desk toward Daisy.

“So do the filin’, and not the kind you do to your nails!” Daisy shouted back, also with hands on hips doing the leaning thing.

Uh-oh.

I moved in, making sure the door swung closed, hoping that would drown out the noise.

“Ladies—” I began.

Daisy looked at me. “Just so you know, sugar, I got an appointment for fills, I do it on my lunch hour.”

“Suck up,” Shirleen snapped.

“I’m not suckin’ up!” Daisy snapped back.

Shirleen leaned back. “At least Shirleen don’t suck up.”

Daisy slammed a hand on the desk, her long nails (white with green glitter tips) clicking, and she screamed, “I’m not suckin’ up!”

Hmm.

That would filter into the hall.

Definitely.

Time to end this.

“Yo!” I shouted, and they both swung their eyes to me.

Okay. So. I didn’t get scared.

Shirleen and Daisy pissed with their eyes to me?

I had to admit. I felt it.

“Daisy isn’t a suck up. She doesn’t have to suck up. We’re a team,” I told Shirleen.

“See,” Daisy said snottily.

“Just like,” I put in quickly when Shirleen opened her mouth, “you’re a member of Lee’s team. You have your way of doing things over there.” I threw out an arm. “We have our way of doing things here.” I pointed to the floor.

“You’re workin’ with the boys,” Shirleen said to me. “They’ll see Daisy in action and get ideas.”

Was she high?

I wasn’t certain that Lee’s boys even knew Daisy worked for me. And if they did, it was in passing and they didn’t give a shit.

“Does Lee care if you file?” I asked.

“The word ‘file’ isn’t even in Lee’s vocabulary,” Shirleen answered.

This, I figured, was true.

“Do the boys pay any attention to administration at all over at Lee’s?” I kept at it.

“Hell no,” Shirleen replied.

I swung an arm out again. “Then why would they here?”

Her head cocked to the side.

“I see your point,” she muttered.

Jeez.

“Okay. So are we done with this ridiculous fight?” I asked.

“I am,” Daisy declared, sitting her ass, encased in a skintight green skirt, down in her office chair. This afforded us a view only of a white blouse that was unbuttoned way beyond professional levels that had the added attraction of being nearly see-through, so we saw the miles of lace that was her bra. Not to mention a head of hair that needed its own area code.

Shirleen narrowed her eyes on Daisy, and I cautiously got closer to the desk.

“What’s really on your mind?” I asked Shirleen and she looked at me.

“Shit’s boring,” she decreed.

Oh man.

Tex in black woman form.

I didn’t know which was worse, but at that moment, with Shirleen close and in a pissy mood, she was.

“Everyone’s hooked up, you were the last, and you were boring,” she complained. “Sure, you stripped. And it was hot. La-di-da. But now, no more apartments exploding. No one’s left to get kidnapped. Nothin’. The boys, they take care of business. I answer the phone. I send invoices. I run payroll. Then I go home and watch TV. I didn’t sign up for that shit.”

“So you came over and picked a fight with Daisy?” I asked.

“What the hell else am I gonna do?” Shirleen asked back then leaned in. “File?”

My answer to that would be yes.

If I was insane enough to verbalize it.

I wasn’t, so instead I studied her and got closer.

My voice also dipped lower when I pressed, “Okay, Shirleen, now tell us what’s really on your mind.”

She pulled in a breath, looked at Daisy, looked at me then declared, “Sniff’s got a girlfriend.”

Oh shit.

“They’re tight. He’s never home,” she went on.

Crap.

“I never see him,” she kept going. “And when he’s home, he’s on the phone…” she paused, “with her.”

Hmm.

Momma wasn’t liking her cubs shifting away from the den.

Shirleen wasn’t done, and she saved the scariest for last.

“And we gotta have the talk, and not only do I not wanna have the talk, I don’t know how to have the talk.”

I was thinking, with Roam and Sniff (mostly Roam, but it also could be with Sniff) it was a little late for the talk as in, the sex talk. Both had been serial daters for a while, with Roam going for the world record.

I didn’t share that either.

But Daisy (as always) was in the mood to share.

She flicked a wrist and advised, “Just buy him a pack of condoms and put it on his pillow.”

“Say what?” Shirleen asked, eyes huge.

“That says it all,” Daisy answered.

“What it says is I’m down with him havin’ sex, which I am not,” Shirleen fired back.

“He’s a boy. He’s seventeen. It’s gonna happen, if it already hasn’t, sugar,” Daisy pointed out.

“He’s my boy and it’s not gonna happen until he gets what it means,” Shirleen retorted and finished, “And it has not already happened.”

Hmm.

Maternal denial.

I moved to switch subjects by asking, “What does it mean?”

She swung her gaze to me, and I successfully stopped myself from taking a step back.

“You don’t know?”

“I know what it means to me. I just don’t know what you want Sniff to know what it means,” I replied.

“You do the business with Zano. What’s that mean?” she returned.

“I said I knew what it meant to me,” I repeated, trying for patience. “I want to know what you want to share with Sniff.”

“That he should find a girl that means something to him so it will mean what it means when you do the deed with Zano. Or Indy with Lee. Mace with Stella—”

Daisy interrupted Shirleen with, “We get it.”

Shirleen looked at her. “You with Marcus.”

“Oh darlin’,” Daisy waved a hand, palm out, “to get to a Marcus, he’s gotta get in the saddle before he finds The One. And do it a lot. Comprende?”

“And maybe along the way get some silly white girl knocked up?” Shirleen shook her head. “No fuckin’ way.”

Daisy leaned toward Shirleen and put her hand to the desk, reiterating with strained patience, “That’s why you buy him a pack of condoms and put them on his goddamned pillow.”

“Uh… just saying,” I butted in, and both of them looked to me. “You don’t want to do the talk. You don’t know how to do the talk. But you know about eight guys you can call on who are tight with Sniff and found a woman where sex means what you want it to mean to Sniff who can talk to him.”

Shirleen’s eyebrows nearly hit the edge of her enormous afro. “Lordy, are you sayin’ you think one of the Hot Bunch should give my boy the sex talk?”

“That’s what I’m saying,” I confirmed.

“Are you crazy?” she asked.

“No,” I answered.

“Well, just sayin’ right back at cha, all ‘a those boys have been in the saddle so often before they got their Rock Chick, it’s a wonder none of them are bow-legged,” Shirleen remarked.

“Doin’ the business doesn’t require the man to have his legs open,” Daisy muttered, and Shirleen swung her glare to her.

“It’s been a while for Shirleen, but I remember that part,” she snapped.

Seemed it was time we hooked Shirleen up.

“Personally, I think we should ask one of the Hot Bunch,” Daisy stated, her hand reaching to the phone on her desk. “And tape it. That I would love to see.”

Holy shit!

I would, too.

Totally.

“Call Mace,” I ordered, immediately losing interest in our earlier subject. “That would be awesome.”

Daisy nodded, her hair nodding with her, and she started jabbing buttons on the phone with the tip of a nail.

“Daisy girl, put that phone down,” Shirleen demanded.

Daisy held the receiver aside and lifted her eyes to me. “I’m changin’ my mind. Luke.”

I shook my head and grinned. “Hector. Totally Hector.”

Shirleen’s hand darted out, pulled the receiver out of Daisy’s and slammed it in its base while Daisy’s head snapped back and she yelled, “Hey!”

“Fuck it,” Shirleen muttered, stomping to the door. “I’ll do it.”

“Shirleen,” I called.

She turned, hand to the handle, and bit out, “What?”

“Hank,” I said softly. “And while he’s at it, get him to talk to Roam, too.”

Her face got soft.

She got me.

Hank would be perfect for the talk, and we both knew it.

“Hank,” she said.

“And, just so you know, any other issues with the Hot Bunch, your Hot-Bunch-in-the-making at home or anything, you wanna come over and gab. Do it. But bring coffee instead of attitude next time,” I said.

She rolled her eyes, turned and was gone.

I turned to Daisy. “Right. Crisis over. Anything I need to know?”

She nodded. “Roxie’s got the beta version of the website good to go, so you need to look at it. And Ava sent the finals for the letterhead and business cards that you need to approve so we can go to print. I sent all that shit to you, it’s in your email.”

“Cool,” I replied.

“And Smithie called. He wants me to have a sit down with JoJo this afternoon, so I’m takin’ off to do that. And tomorrow they’re puttin’ our plaque on the wall in the hall.”

Tomorrow they were putting our plaque on the wall in the hall.

I smiled at her.

She smiled at me.

Then I hauled my ass to my office and booted up my machine.

I was clicking through the website Roxie designed for me when Daisy called from my door, “I’m gettin’ a sandwich, darlin’. Want me to get you one?”

I shook my head. “I’m not here long. I’ve gotta go meet Matt and go over our strategy for tonight. I’ll pick something up on the way.”

“Gotcha,” she murmured and turned on a wave and a, “Later.”

I watched the door close on her.

Then I thought about my plaque in the hall and meeting Matt later.

This brought me to thinking about Hank and Lee.

This sent my hand to my phone.

I called Shirleen.

“Girl, I just got done rappin’ with you,” was her greeting.

“You know,” I told her, getting to the point of what was really upsetting her, “they’re gonna grow up and when they do, they’re gonna leave.”

She said nothing, but I felt the vibes, and they were not good. Not angry, just unhappy. So I kept speaking.

“But what you need to know and never forget is that the love and stability you’ve given them since you’ve had them is the most precious thing they’ve had in their lives. And they’ll never forget that either. So they’re gonna grow up and they’re gonna live their lives. And because you gave them that, you are not ever gonna lose them.” I took in a breath and used Duke’s words. “But now, you need to give them freedom to fly.”

She again said nothing and I waited.

Then she said something.

“You’re right, child.”

“I know, Shirleen.”

“Still, gonna kick his ass if he knocks up some skinny white girl.”

I laughed and said, “I’ll help.”

“Good to know,” she murmured. “Later.”

Disconnect.

I put my phone on the desk and my eyes to the computer. I had them there approximately three seconds before the door to the suite opened.

Ren was sauntering in. Trousers. Dress shirt.

Delicious.

“Hey,” I called, getting out of my chair and moving around the desk.

His lips were quirking when he said, “You know, you don’t have to get up, babe.”

I made it to him, got on my toes, put a hand to his abs and touched my lips to his before I replied, “Yeah, I do.”

He shook his head, lips still quirking, and he asked, “Got a sec?’

“Sure,” I answered.

He jerked his head to my desk as it hit me we hadn’t broken that in yet, and I made a mental note to schedule that for the near future.

I moved to sit in my chair. He moved close and leaned against my desk, arms crossed on his chest, chin dipped, eyes on me.

“Vito and I just had it out,” he declared.

Shit.

Ren kept going.

“It was ugly and I’m done. I resigned.”

Fuck!

Ren wasn’t done.

“I got shit to tie up and Marcus isn’t quite ready. Vito’s got a month of me around to make the transition. Then I figure you and me can spend a couple of weeks on a beach. That’ll give Marcus time so when we come back I can get down to that.”

Nice.

Me. Ren. And a couple of weeks on a beach.

One could not say I liked why he had time for a vacation. But I was not going to argue with it.

Therefore, I agreed, “Okay.”

“Can you arrange it so you’re not workin’ anything and you can get away?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” I answered.

“Good,” he muttered, but the look on his face said that nothing was good.

I reached out a hand and slid my finger down his thigh. “You okay?”

“Always had hope,” he told me.

People always did when shit was going down with families.

“He still has a month,” I reminded him.

Ren shook his head. “No. I’ve committed to Marcus. It’s done.”

I got out of my chair and got close. He uncrossed his arms and wound them around me, pulling me off my feet so I as leaning into him. I returned the favor and settled in, curling my arms around him.

“He’s stubborn. His loss,” I said gently.

“Still sucks.”

It totally did. Ren excommunicated by Vito and us not able to carpool.

Not that we rode to work together much.

But still.

I pressed closer and gave him a squeeze. “Well, the good news is, you’ll have another desk we can break in.”

His eyes warmed and he grinned at me.

I pressed even closer and whispered, “I’m sorry, baby.”

“Me too,” he whispered back on his own squeeze.

“How about we go out tonight? Maybe to Brother’s. Relive our first date with food this time. And, of course, sex on the stairs at home,” I suggested.

His eyes seriously warmed and he replied, “Works for me.”

I grinned. “Cool.”

He bent in and gave me a quick kiss before pulling away and saying, “Gotta get back.”

“Yeah. I gotta go grab some lunch and meet Matt. Since we’re in separate cars, I’ll meet you back at the house. Say five thirty?”

“Yeah, honey.”

He leaned in and gave the top of my hair a kiss before he moved me back and disengaged.

“Later, Ally,” he called as I watched his broad shoulders in his dress shirt as he walked away.

“Later, honey,” I replied.

He gave me a look over his shoulder and a low wave before the door closed on him.

I gave some thought that made my happy place tingle as to how I was going to take away Ren’s bad day that night. Then I turned my attention to my computer.

I sent Roxie some changes, sent approvals of the proofs to Ava and shut down my computer.

I grabbed my phone, shoved it in my back pocket, and tagged my purse. I took off, locking up, and thinking about where I’d hit in order to get lunch.

I took the elevator down to the parking garage, texting Ren as I went, On my way to lunch and Matt.

I knew I wouldn’t get his return text until I drove out because the signal was lost under the building. I also knew I’d get it when I drove out because he always returned my texts.

I had my keys out and was close to my car when I felt it.

I wasn’t alone.

I braced and turned to see Darius baring down on me.

He did not look happy.

Oh man.

“Hey,” I greeted.

“Fuck hey, Ally and,” he lifted a finger and jabbed it at my face when he got close and stopped, “fuck you.”

What the hell?

“Darius, why’re you—?”

He cut me off, his handsome face twisted with fury. “I know it was you.”

Uh-oh.

“Me what?” I asked hesitantly.

But I had a feeling I knew what.

“I know it was you. Ally, always up in everybody’s shit, tellin’ me you’d be up in mine. So it was fuckin’ you,” he jabbed his finger in my face again, “that set Lee and Eddie on Malia.”

They’d had the talk.

They hadn’t told me, but Darius sure found out.

Fuck.

“Darius—”

He got in my face and I snapped my mouth shut.

“You stupid, nosy, fuckin’ bitch.”

My back snapped straight, but Darius wasn’t quite finished.

“We’re done,” he clipped. “You and me. And ‘cause of you, me and Lee and Eddie. We’re done. It’s all done. It’s…”

He kept blasting me with angry words, but I felt another presence. My eyes went around him and they got huge.

Fuck!

“Darius!” I shouted, grabbing his hand.

But it was too late.

Snookie Rivers, or at least the man in the DMV picture Brody got, was there and he was ready.

As Darius turned, Rivers slammed a tire iron in the side of Darius’s head. I saw the blood start to flow even as he went down.

No.

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

I screamed, reaching into my purse for my pepper spray as Rivers turned to me.

I started backing up quickly, still screaming.

He was on me before I had the pepper spray out, but I got my hand on it and pulled it out as he shoved me into the side of my car. He swiftly lifted a hand, and I felt a sharp stab in my neck just as I got the pepper spray out and up between us. I blasted him in the face and he reeled away, choking.

I wanted to go to Darius but to get him help, I needed to get away and find somebody.

So I ran.

The problem was I got five steps in, and on the sixth, my leg weirdly gave out under me. I hit the deck on my hands and knees, still shouting, but weaker now, as a strange lethargy invaded my limbs.

I kept crawling, fell to my stomach and started dragging myself before my cheek planted into the cement and everything went black

I heard the gunshots.

One.

Then two.

It took effort but I forced my eyes open.

I managed this, but I couldn’t get my wits about me. My head was fuzzy and I couldn’t focus on anything.

I struggled to get it together and sensed movement.

It was then I struggled to focus and saw something looming over me.

“Shot him in both legs.” I heard. “He wakes up, he can watch, but he can’t move.” Then the voice went on musingly, “If he doesn’t bleed out first.”

I had no idea what whoever that was was talking about, and I didn’t have it in me to put it together.

I did have it in me to feel that whatever I was laying on moved and the thing looming got closer.

So I could focus.

Rivers.

It all came back to me.

Fuck!

His fingers came to my face. “Now it’s just you and me, Ally. Just you and me. Finally.”

Fuck, shit, fuck.

I realized I was drugged, but that didn’t mean I didn’t try to scoot away as he bent over me.

I didn’t succeed and I felt his mouth wet on my neck, shifting up to my ear.

My stomach roiled.

“When we’re done, I’ll get rid of him. Your man. The black one. Then I’ll find the other one, the Italian, and get rid of him, too. And then it’ll really be just you and me,” he whispered in my ear.

He’d seen me with Ren and Darius.

He’d so totally been watching me.

Sick.

“Get away from me,” I pushed out between my lips.

His mouth moved from my ear and his face came close to mine. “Never, Ally. Never.”

It took a lot out of me, but I focused on his eyes.

They were burning with a light that scared even me.

Not a little.

A lot.

I was terrified.

God, I had to get my shit together.

Pronto.

I took stock.

I was on a bed. And I could feel my phone still at my ass.

This was good. I didn’t know where my purse was, but Brody had a lock on my phone. I had no idea how much time had elapsed since Rivers took me, but when I didn’t meet Matt or even before, when I didn’t text Ren that I was with Matt, they’d mobilize.

I needed to buy time

“Is Darius here?” I asked.

He tipped his head to the side and his eyes moved over my face. Then he moved into me, curled his arms around me and lifted me up so my torso was pressed to his and my chin was to his shoulder.

I squinted then swallowed, my head swimming, my heart clutching, my eyes seeing Darius prone on the floor about ten feet away. He was bleeding from two gunshot wounds to his thighs and a wicked gash on his head.

God.

Please.

God.

Please.

Let Darius be okay and let Ren have mobilized Lee.

My mind went off that thought when Rivers’s hands went into my tee and pulled it up. Unable to do anything else, my body not at my command, my arms went up and it was gone.

This was not getting better.

He laid me gently and sickeningly lovingly in the bed, still bent to me.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” he told me, his hand moving on the skin of my side, stroking me.

I tried to lift a hand. I got it up, weakly, and rested it on his forearm.

I took this as good.

“We need to talk,” I told him.

“I like this,” he replied and I was hoping that was an affirmative on our talking. Though, what he wanted to talk about when he spoke again, I didn’t like all that much. “I didn’t expect him to be here, but I like it. He had so much of your time. You smiled at him. You laughed with him. You teased him. So now, if he wakes up, he gets to watch me with you.”

I lifted my other hand and tried to push it against his chest, but I didn’t have enough in me to do anything but rest it there.

“Snookie, please,” I said softly. “I feel funny.”

His hand slid over ribs and toward my breast, his lips curling in a creepy smile. “You know my name.”

“Yeah. Now, please—”

“I like that you know my name,” he told me.

Gack!

“Snookie—”

He leaned in closer.

“I’ll make you feel good, Ally,” he promised.

Oh God.

Shit!

“Just five minutes. Please. Just five—”

His mouth came to mine and he brushed it there, back and forth, and again, and again before he replied, “No, Ally. I’ve been waiting too—”

He stopped speaking and my body jerked in surprise as two hands cuffed together came between us. They yanked back at Rivers’s throat and Rivers was gone.

I struggled to sit up and saw Rivers on top of Darius, his back to Darius’s front. Darius’s cuffed hands were pulling back hard on Rivers’s neck, and by the sick sounds he was making, it was clear Darius was choking him.

I rolled to my side. It seemed to take years while Rivers gurgled and he and Darius grappled on the floor as I went for my phone. I fumbled with yanking it out of my back pocket, cursing to myself and keeping my eyes to the men on the floor.

Then Rivers took one hand from pulling at Darius’s cuffed wrists at his neck and it went to his belt.

My eyes went to his belt.

He had a knife there.

“Darius,” I whispered, swallowed, and went for it again, trying for louder, “Darius! He has a knife!”

Darius rolled Rivers but Rivers was fighting for his life. He wasn’t wasting time.

And thus he didn’t waste time yanking out a huge-ass hunting knife, twisting it around, and sinking it into the flesh of Darius’s side.

And yanking up viciously.

Darius grunted, but by some miracle he did not let go of his hold on Rivers’s neck.

Shock and terror pulsing through me, along with adrenaline (thankfully), I shrieked, “No!” and moved to grasp the edge of the bed.

I pulled myself off and pushed up on my hands and knees, scooting toward them, my hands slipping on Darius’s blood flooding the floor.

“Fuck!” I shouted, making it to them as they rolled this way and that. Rivers’s face was now blue, his legs kicking in panic and agitation. Darius was grunting, the noises full of exertion and pain. I got my hands on the knife still in Darius’s side in order to use it on Rivers and get him off Darius, but they slipped free over the warm blood. “No,” I whispered, going for it again just as sunlight hit the scene.

I looked up to see Ren charging in, Lee and Hank behind him, Eddie and Luke following.

Thank God.

Thank you, God.

Thank you, God.

“Ambulance!” I shouted. “Darius. Shot and stabbed.”

Ren hauled Rivers off Darius and dragged him away.

I didn’t look to see what Ren was doing, although I distractedly heard a fist thudding into flesh then flesh thudding into a wall (or the floor).

Instead, moving urgently, I slid on the blood to get closer to Darius who was on his back and not moving.

Lethargic, panting, my heart beating so hard it was painful, I didn’t need the knife to sink it into Rivers and help Darius, so I left it where it was but pressed a hand to his wound. I lifted my other hand to his chest and got in his face.

“There’re here. There’re here. You’re gonna be okay,” I told him.

Darius stared at me and I could hear Luke saying, “Gunshot wounds. Stab wounds. Head wound. It’s bad. We need a medic immediately.”

I felt hands on me and heard Lee speaking.

“Ally, let me get to him.”

I reached out and grabbed Darius’s hand. With effort pulling it to his chest and pressing in, I got even closer.

“You’re gonna be okay. The ambulance is coming.”

He kept staring at me.

I pushed in at his chest with our hands. “Talk to me.”

“You’re gonna be okay,” he repeated my words quietly.

For some reason, hearing his voice sent relief sweeping through me.

“Yeah. Yeah,” I nodded. “I’m gonna be okay.”

“They’re here,” he said, his voice weak.

Shit. Shit. Fuck.

“Yeah. They’re here.”

“So you’re gonna be okay.”

The hands on me grew urgent. “Ally, honey, let me in there.”

I ignored Lee and said to Darius, “Yeah.”

“’Cause they’re here,” Darius said to me.

I pressed harder to his wound as his blood flowed over my hand.

“No.” I shook my head. “Because you saved me.”

He held my eyes and lifted a hand to my face. “Yeah.”

I pressed my cheek into his hand and held his other one tight.

It was then, he closed his eyes and his lips curved in a smile I did not like.

“Finally,” he whispered. “Salvation.”

Then his hand fell away, landing at his side.

Lifeless.

After that, I threw my head back and screamed.