Page 95 of Fierce Hearts

Gray's eyes were unfocused, his breathing shallow. There was too much blood spreading from his wound, and I moved his hand aside to cover the wound with my own, keeping the pressure on it. From the feel of it, he'd taken a few stabs.

Fuck.

"Sofia," Gray whispered.

"Don't talk. Save your strength." I applied more pressure, feeling his warm blood seeping between my fingers. Daniel was already hooking his arm under him, barking into his radio for backup and to inform the Donatis of this attack, that there was body now.

I barely even glanced at the man who'd come for us, focusing on Gray as I helped Daniel carry him to the hospital entrance.

"Need to tell you..." Gray turned his head to me, gritting his teeth. "I love you."

My vision blurred, but I blinked the tears away as we got closer to the entrance. "Don't you dare say that like you're saying goodbye."

"Not goodbye." His breathing was labored. "Just need you to know. In case?—"

"No 'in case,'" I snapped as Daniel hit the elevator button. Thankfully, they opened immediately, and we stepped in. "You're going to be fine. Our baby needs you, Gray. I need you."

His lips curved into a weak smile. "Love you both."

"I love you too," I whispered, knowing that I meant it. "So you can't die now, understand? I won't allow it."

Gray's gaze drifted to where my hands pressed against his wound. "It's different," he murmured.

"What is?"

"My blood. Seeing my own blood right now, after everything. It'd normally have me so… distressed." His voice was faint. "But now, it's almost... calming. Not like before."

"That's the shock talking," I said, glancing desperately around as the elevator opened on the main floor. "Just stay with me."

Daniel was shouting for help now, and thankfully, everyone was quick to react.

Hospital staff swarmed around us then—nurses I recognized, a doctor I'd worked with in the ER. They moved me gently aside, taking over with practiced efficiency.

"Several stab wounds to the right flank, significant blood loss," I reported automatically. "He's going into shock."

They loaded Gray onto a gurney, cutting away his shirt to reveal the ugly wound beneath before applying pressure. I walked alongside, holding his hand until we reached the doors to the emergency surgical suite.

"You can't go any further, Sofia," one of the nurses said gently, placing a hand on my arm.

"He's going to be okay," I said, more to myself than to her. "Tell them he's going to be okay."

"We'll take good care of him."

I watched as they wheeled Gray through the doors, my hands still covered in his blood.

This wasn't a random attack. This was either Ernesto or the Ference family, making it look like a simple robbery gone wrong.

My hands shook as I pulled out my phone and called Leo.

"Gray's been stabbed," I said when he answered, my voice steadier than I expected. "We're at Ironstone Memorial. He's in surgery now."

Leo's response was immediate. "We're on our way already, Daniel alerted the team. He said there's a body. What happened?"

"Someone attacked us in the parking garage. Stabbed Gray when he tried to protect me. Daniel shot him dead." I swallowed hard. "This wasn't random, Leo."

"I know." His voice was grim. "Stay where you are. Don't go anywhere alone. We'll be there in fifteen minutes. There's men headed to you nearby. I'm going to call Daniel, we need to deal with the body. He's to stay with you, but a team will deal with it."

After hanging up, I called my mother next, glancing back to find Daniel on the phone.

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