Page 76 of Burn Like An Angel

I carry her over to the kitchen table, gently laying her down across the tacky surface with her bleeding thigh on Xander’s side. He takes one look at the mess and begins rifling through the box.

“Jeans off,” he orders.

“Raine,” I call out. “Come help me.”

“You’re both going to strip me?” Ripley asks incredulously.

I’m not sure if it’s the booze or an actual blush staining her cheeks now. Raine laughs under his breath. I swear, the motherfucker knows exactly what’s running through my mind.

“Any scissors?” I ask with forced neutrality.

Xander scours the kitchen, banging drawers and cabinets. “Nothing.”

“Great.” I study her splayed-out form. “Alright, this isn’t gonna feel great.”

With my good hand, I pick at the knotted t-shirt to untie the tourniquet before tugging her jeans down as gently as I can. Raine slowly pulls the denim over her ankles.

“That hurts,” she spits through gritted teeth. “Go slow.”

I try my best to carefully ease the denim down when we reach her thighs. The jeans are stuck to her skin and take some manoeuvring, each inch causing her to curse bloody murder.

“God-fucking-dammit!” Ripley lashes out. “I am going to put a bullet in Elon’s fucking face. Fuck!”

“I think cheap whiskey breaks her cuss filter,” Raine mutters.

“Did she ever have one?”

“Fair point.”

“I can hear you both!” she bellows. “Fucking assholes.”

Raine smirks to himself. “Case in point.”

With the jeans removed, an inflamed, ragged mess is revealed. Thankfully, the thigh wound itself is small, maybe five or six centimetres wide. She’s lucky they only had handguns.

“Lift her leg.” Xander snaps on a pair of blue medical gloves. “I need to check the exit wound.”

Slowly raising her leg, I avoid looking at the agony that’s carved into her clammy features. Xander moves fast, ducking low to inspect the back of her thigh before straightening up.

“Clean shot, minimal damage. We need to flush the wound then pack it.”

“Stitches?” I frown at him.

“Not yet. Got to rule out an infection first. Re-evaluate in a few days.”

“A few days?” Ripley croaks.

“You’re going to rest while we scout the area.” Xander keeps his instructions clipped, leaving no room for argument. “We’re secure here for the time being.”

I lower Ripley’s leg back down. “What about a hospital?”

“Right now, we don’t even know where we are. We’ll get her stabilised then make a plan.”

Lining up sealed packs of bandages and swabs, Xander quickly scans the label on a bottle of clear liquid. Behind me, Raine is shifting on his feet in clear agitation.

“Ankles,” I order him. “You can hold her legs straight.”

“You sure this is a good idea?”

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