Tattoo (Take It Off #7)(22)
Author: Cambria Hebert

Another gun went off and I was knocked from my feet, landing brutally against the unforgiving wooden stairs, pain ricocheting throughout my entire body.

Brody wrapped his arm around me, pulling me into the security of his body as loud rumbling filled the tiny space. The stairs where I fell began to vibrate and shake. It was almost as if an earthquake were ripping through this tiny abandoned place.

Shouts and yelling erupted as things went from bad to worse.

11

Brody

There she goes again. Confusing the shit out of me.

I finally get the chance to get her out of here. I finally manage to get her to the stairs. So what does she do with the three-second window of escape I get her?

She runs back down the stairs toward me.

Damn, I knew I had a way with the ladies, but this was just excessive.

The only lighting came from one of those flashlight apps so there were definite shadows to disappear into, but it was hard to fool those gunning (literally) for us because we had to head toward the only exit in this place.

It became obvious as Taylor pulled on my arm, desperate to get to me follow, that I wasn’t going to be able to stay behind to make sure she made it out first. She wasn’t going to leave me behind.

As fucking frustrating as that was, it was also slightly endearing.

Most people in this life would shoot you, stampede over your body and then leave you there to rot if it got them somewhere. There wasn’t much honor among thieves. There was a code, yeah. That’s where the tattoo came in. But code went out the window when people were getting shot and there was a cop in the midst.

We only got about one step when I saw the gun being aimed through the bright flash of the light. I was rough when I threw her onto the steps and shielded her with my body, but having a few bruises was better than another bloody wound.

The bullet embedded itself in the block wall, inches above where we landed. A little bit of the wall crumbled and fell across the side of my face. God, that had been close.

Overhead, I heard men storming the building, vibrating the worn, thin floorboards above us. Well, it’s about fucking time, I thought as the app shut itself off and we were once again plunged into absolute darkness.

Ignoring the sharp sting in my side and the warmth I felt running down beneath the waistband of my jeans, I scooped Taylor up, holding her against me as I practically dragged her up the stairs. Just as we reached the top, the door burst inward, shards of wood splintered everywhere, and I ducked over her, trying to shield her face.

“Raleigh PD!” a man roared from above, and an ultra-bright light shone down the stairwell, bathing everything in artificial white light.

I squinted against it and held up my hand. “It’s West!” I yelled. “I have the hostage and I’m coming up!”

I hoped they were listening because I towed her up the rest of the way, rushing past what was left of the ancient door on its hinges. A bunch of scuffling and swearing could be heard from downstairs, and I glanced at the officer standing there, ready to go down.

“They have guns and have already used them.” I warned and then pushed through the other ten or so officers who were standing there dressed in bulletproof vests, helmets, and gloves. All of them were armed with weapons and all of them meant business.

Orders were being shouted and footsteps rained down the stairs as we walked out of the gas station and into the parking lot, which was full of police cruisers and flashing lights.

Across the pavement was an ambulance, the lights on the top flashing in welcome.

“Over here!” I yelled, and the EMTs started toward us.

“I can walk,” Taylor said, and I looked down, realizing I was still carrying her.

I stopped and let her slide down the side of my body until her feet touched the ground. “Were you hit again?” I asked, running my gaze over her body. It was dark, but I still noted the dark stain on the side of her hoodie.

“Shit!” I spat and grabbed at her, bringing her closer and yanking up the hem of the too-large sweatshirt. “Oh, Tay,” I heard myself say. “I tried to shield you. I’m getting help right now,” I said, frantic that she was shot again. If she lost any more blood tonight, she was going to be in serious danger.

I looked up, my eyes searching for the EMTs. Where the hell were they? She needed attention.

“Brody!” Taylor yelled, grabbing my face and forcing me to look at her. “Listen! I’m not shot. That isn’t my blood.”

It took a second for the pounding of my heart to let the words sink in, and when they did, I grabbed her by the waist and looked down again. “The blood—”

“The blood is yours,” she said, covering my hands with hers.

I looked down at where the bullet grazed me earlier and noted the dark-red stain across my stomach and side. It lined up perfectly with the stain on her. The blood must have soaked into her clothes when I was carrying her.

“Thank God,” I muttered, running a hand over the top of my head.

“Thank God?” She scoffed, looking at me like I was insane. “You’re relieved that you got shot?”

“I’d take ten bullets if it meant you didn’t have to take any.” The truth just burst right out of my mouth, shocking the shit out of both of us. I knew I was attracted to her. I mean, shit, she was hot as hell. But that comment… that comment made me wonder if maybe I felt something more toward her than just sexual attraction.

Taylor’s lips parted and her eyes widened. Both of us stood there with blood on our clothes, wounds in our bodies, and exhaustion under our eyes. Yet I couldn’t feel any of it.

The EMTs chose that moment to arrive and separate us, each of them looking us over and assessing our injuries. I brushed off the man’s hands when he tried to look under my shirt. “I’m fine. It’s her that needs the medical attention.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Taylor called. “He was shot!”

“Eh, it just grazed me.”

“That’s a lot of blood for a drive-by,” the EMT said, referring to the fact I claimed the bullet just nicked me on the way past.

“Ma’am…” The other EMT sighed loudly, and I looked up to see Taylor with a stubborn set to her jaw.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my eyes narrowing on the EMT. If he hurt her…

“She’s refusing to get in the ambulance,” the guy replied.

I looked at Tay for confirmation, lifting my eyebrows.

“I’m not going unless you let them look at you too.”