Page 2 of Blade

“It’s almost eighty degrees out here, Eloise. Do you feel 0kay?”

“I’m f-fine.”

“I’d believe you if your teeth weren’t chattering together.” He reached back in his pocket and pulled out his phone, tapping on it before putting it back in his pocket.

“Will you come back to the shop with me? I want to make sure you’re okay.”

I shook my head, only causing myself more pain. “I-I need to get b-back to the shelter soon.” Yuck. Shaking my head had made me dizzy too.

“I promise I’ll handle that for you. Let me help you right now. I think you’re very sick, Little one.”

Another wave of dizziness crashed over me and I swayed, the ground was suddenly much closer to my face.

Did he call me Little one? No, I must want a Daddy so bad, I’m hallucinating.

“Alright, I’m taking the choice out of your hands,” he said as he lifted me in his arms and kept me from eating asphalt. “Fuck, you’re burning up.”

“My bag,” I cried, reaching out for it.

“I’ll come back for the cans.”

“No, my backpack.” It held everything I owned.

He snagged it from beside the bin I’d been sorting through and slid it onto his shoulder.

“How long have you been sick?”

“I think it’s my leg.”

“Your leg?”

I closed my eyes as another wave of fatigue washed over me. From the sounds around us, I could tell we were crossing Main Street and walking back toward Daddies Ink.

“What’s wrong with your leg?” he asked, sounding concerned.

“I got shot and I think it’s infected. I’ve been treating it…”

“You were shot?” he yelled.

“Just a tiny bit.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, change of plans.”

***

Blade

“What do you mean change of plans?” she asked, struggling in my arms.

“You’ve been shot. We’re going to the hospital. That’s where normal people go when they’ve been shot atinybit.” Seriously, what the fuck?

“N-no, please. I can’t go to the hospital. I’ll keep treating it at the shelter.”

“Darlin’, the fact that you are burning up from an infection is a good indicator that that plan isn’t working.”

“You don’t understand,” she said, still struggling in my arms.

I didn’t understand, but dammit I wanted to. I wanted to understand everything about the redheaded beauty I’d been lowkey stalking for months.

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