Page 50 of Baked

Not for long though. Scrambling to her feet, she cursed as he grabbed onto her leg and yanked.

Goddamnit.

With an almighty thump, she was back on the ground. But the man who’d put her there was too busy being dragged up by his collar to worry about her. The one doing the dragging was an extremely pissed off Hunter, who slammed him against the dumpster next.

“You think you can come here and touch my fucking woman?” he roared, not noticing Den was preparing to strike him in the back.

Next thing she knew, instinct kicked in and she was on her feet and jumping onto Den before he had a chance to hurt Hunter.

She might have overestimated her strength, though, as he easily flipped her and held her down, angry curses raining down on her as she struggled in his tight hold.

But Hunter had noticed and came to her rescue once again, lifting Den with only one hand and literally throwing him across the deserted parking lot, giving her some relief and a chance to push up onto her elbows to get a good look at what was going on.

Hunter’s eyes were roaming all over her as he twisted to face her. He was still clutching ashtray man by the neck off to the side, and she could have sworn the man was off the ground, his feet kicking out beneath him.

“You okay, honeybun?” He wasn’t hiding his concern or the despair creeping into the corners of his mouth. “Jesus Christ, you’re bleeding. Son of a bitch.”

His back was to her now as he turned and slammed the man back against the metal dumpster.

“Go inside now, baby, and wait for Cody,” Hunter yelled as he tossed the man around like a rag doll.

She didn’t go inside though. As soon as she was back on her feet, she backed up against the wall, watching the violent scene in front of her unfold. Hunter administered not just one punch but three, leaving the man’s face bloody and bruised.

“Stop it.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she started to shake. “Please. Stop.”

Another punch went to the man’s ribs before Hunter let go and let him slump to the floor. He turned then, getting another look at her and the panic attack she was pretty sure she was having. He started toward her, and that’s when it happened.

A shot rang out, and almost in slow motion, Hunter dropped to the concrete.

“No!” she cried, her heart going a million miles an hour as her gaze flew from Hunter’s lifeless body to Den. The man with the goddamn gun, who was now up and running as fast as he could.

Rachel ran too. To Hunter. Plummeting to the floor next to his big body and lifting his blood-soaked hand to survey the bullet wound on his side.

“Stay with me, Hunter. You’re gonna be okay. Just stay with me, yeah?” Pulling her vest over her head, she tried to stop the blood, putting as much pressure on it as she could. “I’m here, honey.” Hunter’s eyes struggled to stay open. “Stay awake for me, sugar. Please. Just a little while longer.”

Sirens were ringing out. Loud enough that she knew help was on its way. He just had to hold on a little longer.

Trying her best to soothe him, her attention never wavered as chaos ensued around them. Police descended and arrests were made.

But it was when the EMTs came that all hell broke loose. The fire department had been called, which meant Hunter’s friends were there, horror on all their faces as they surrounded them both on the ground.

Zach, a trained EMT, was the one who took charge, ordering others around and using all sorts of instruments to check Hunter’s vitals. When it came time to assess the wound, she knew she would have to move, but the idea of leaving Hunter’s side wasn’t computing.

“You did a good job, darlin’.” Zach’s voice was gentle. “But I need to take a look.”

“You’re supposed to keep pressure on a bullet wound. I read that. You shouldn’t stop. I don’t want to stop. Please don’t make me stop.” Even to her own ears, she sounded hysterical.

“You did good, Rach. Let me take over now, yeah?” Zach was the epitome of calm. How was he doing that? “While I do that, why don’t you hold his hand and keep talking to him? It’s important he stays awake as long as possible. Can you help me do that?”

She nodded and reluctantly released her blood-soaked vest. It wasn’t until Luke placed a shirt around her shoulders that she realized she was in just her bra. But her public flashing concerns would need to be placed on the back burner for the time being. Hunter was fading right before her very eyes.

“Honey, listen to my voice. Stay awake for me. That’s it. Stay with me. I love you, Hunter. I love you so much. Please stay with me. I can’t lose you. Do you hear me? I can’t lose you. Please just stay with me.” Tears were back and burning her eyes as strong arms wrapped around her and brought her to her feet.

She didn’t let go of Hunter’s hand though. Not even as they prepared to transfer him onto a stretcher. And she didn’t leave his side as men carried his big body across the lot and into the ambulance. Without even asking, she followed him inside and crouched beside him.

He had to be okay. There was no other outcome she could comprehend. He just had to.

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