Page 77 of Shield

Matti looks down. I follow his gaze.

Shock ricochets through me as I realize that Matti’s crisp white shirt is blooming red, the stain darkening as it spreads across his torso. There is terror in his eyes, and when I followhis sightline to my chest, I see that my shirt is a damp, dark crimson as well.

Matti rips open my shirt, his hands skimming over my chest and stomach, searching desperately for the source of the blood.

But it’s not my blood.

Matti blanches, his face stark white, and his eyes start to roll back in his head. Tommy lunges, catching him before he falls, and pulls him off of me.

The last thing I remember is the sound of me screaming his name.

**

“Looks like she’s coming back to us.”

The voice is familiar. My vision sharpens, and I see Tommy crouched in front of me, a gentle, pinched smile on his face.

A blanket is wrapped around me. I shift in the chair and clutch it tightly, looking around.

The room we’re in is small, stark white, with a door at one end across from a wall full of cabinets over a counter. Chairs line the other two walls, and I’m seated in one one of them. Tommy moves to sit next to me while Vin leans against the counter.

Tommy is wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and he has stitches across the top of his arm. He sees me checking out his wound and pats my hand. “The shot grazed me just deep enough to require stitches. It’s not bad. Dr. Rossi stitched me up. He’s in with Matti right now.”

Vin crosses his arms over his chest. “We’re at the Edge and have been for about an hour. You checked out for a bit, butyou’re fine.” His voice is laced with irritation, the last words almost mocking.

“Yes,” Tommy agrees. “You went into shock, but Doc will make sure everything’s okay when he’s done treating Matti.”

My jaw feels heavy, my tongue thick. As if he can read my thoughts, Tommy pushes a bottle of water into my hands. I take a drink and clear my throat. “Matti?”

“Matti got shot, Siena,” he says gently.

“Is he going to be okay?” My voice is hoarse, cracked. I barely recognize it.

A shadow flits across Tommy’s face. “He should be fine,” he says.

His voice sends a shiver through my already cold body. I’m still wearing the blood-soaked clothes, my stockings are ripped beyond what Matti did to them in the vault, and my shoes are off.

“Don’t lie to her,” Vin says, his piercing stare pinning me in place.

“Vin.” Tommy’s tone is sharp.

“What? She needs to know.” Vin uncrosses his arms and pushes off the wall, stalking toward me. “He took a bullet saving your life, because your fuckhead brother tried to take you out. And do you know why he had to do that?”

Tommy stands up straight and puts a hand on his chest. “Ease off. Now’s not the time.”

Vin throws himself down in the chair next to me. “Because you fucking took his gun away from him.”

His words hit me like a gut punch, and I feel like I can’t breathe. I did take his gun from him. I took his gun and shot Franco. I left him defenseless.

Tommy glares at Vin, and touches my chin, turning me tolook at him. “Actually, you gave him a fighting chance, Siena. When you shot Franco, you hit him in the arm and it caused him to miss the first time when he was aiming at Matti.”

Vin scoffs. “But when he shot the second time and aimed at you, Matti couldn’t do shit to defend you other than get in front of the bullet because you fucking took his gun!”

Fuck. I double over, my arms around my stomach, trying to suck in deep breaths as my vision starts to go fuzzy. Did I get Matti killed? I stand quickly, too fast, and reach for the wall. I can’t fucking handle this.

Tommy scowls at Vin and rises with me. “Siena, you were protecting Matti. Anyone with a brain in their head can see that. You saw that Franco was going to shoot before Matti did, or Matti would have pulled his gun before you had a chance to take it. You also saved his life when you shot at Franco from the ground. Do not blame yourself—”

“She could have fucking gotten him killed!”

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