Page 87 of Brandishing Betrayals

Jason

“Fuuuuck,” I groaned, cradling my shoulder. The gunshot wound was bleeding profusely and hurt like a motherfucking bitch. My whole arm hung limp, too painful to fucking move. The force of the bullet tearing through my upper arm had dropped my ass to the ground, and I was struggling to my knees while still aiming my gun at our enemies.

I fired another round down the alley way, at the group of three guys that we’d followed here tonight. The three fucking Las Serpientes we need to kill. It was fucking stupid that I got shot first.

“Jesus, Stone.” Phoenix groaned and looped my arm over his shoulder and pulled me to my feet.

More gunfire erupted down the alley, aimed at us.

“Fuck!” I shouted as another bullet tore through my calf.

“Move!” Axel shouted.

We had just turned around when the burning in my neck hit. I hissed in pain and dropped my Glock.

“Oh fuck,” Phoenix groaned. “Come on, man.” Phoenix helped me limp to safety, taking cover behind a damn dumpster in the alley. Phoenix lowered me to the ground and I landed heavily on my ass. Phoenix immediately prodded at the wound in my neck and sighed heavily. “Just a graze, but its bleeding like a bitch.” He pulled his bandana off his head and folded it up until it was an inch thick, then he wrapped it tightly around my neck and tied it off, holding pressure on the wound. “Can you breathe, ok?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” I groaned; my voice raspy.

“Good. Stay here.” Phoenix turned away then, and went back to helping his brothers, leaving me propped up against the dumpster.

Annoyed as shit and bleeding out, I reached into my leather jacket and pulled out my cell phone. There was no way I was going to be able to ride out of here, I’d need someone to come get me.So much for being fucking discreet.

I pressed dial on Marcos’s number, listening to the gunshots continue down the alley. “Yo,” Marcos answered on the third ring. “What the fuck?” he demanded, clearly hearing the gunfire.

“Hey, I need a pickup. Probably back up too. I’m hit. Axel, Phoenix, and Blaze are under heavy fire.”

“Where?” Marcos demanded.

I rattled off my last known cross streets then said I’d drop a pin for Marcos to find me. I hung up the phone and immediately dropped the pin in the group chat with Marcos and Nico, knowing both men would come immediately.

My vision swam in an out, probably indicating I was losing too much blood. Things grew quiet in the alley—or I dozed off, I didn’t know which. But the next thing I knew I was being jostled as Marcos and Nico hefted me off the pavement. “You dead, man?” Nico asked.

I rolled my eyes. “Didn’t I just ask you the same question last week?”

“He good?” Axel’s voice broke through the haze that I had fallen into.

“Right as rain,” I said. “You get them?”

“Yeah. Snapped a picture and sent it to Nico to send to his cousin,” Blaze said.

“Awesome. Good work.” I huffed out a breath as Nico and Marcos dragged my sorry ass over to the back of Marcos’s pick-up truck.

“I’ll ride his bike out of here,” Nico said. “Where you taking him?”

“Can’t go to the hospital. And he’ll need round the clock care.” Marcos sighed.

He must have said something else that I missed as they transferred me into the backseat of the truck, because Nico said. “Yeah, I’ll meet you there.”

Maya

Iwasrousedawaketothe overhead light in my bedroom turning on and heavy boots stomping on my floor. “What the fuck?” I snapped, sitting up.

Marcos and Nico were carrying a very limp Jason between them. He had bloody gauze wrapped around his shoulder, neck, and calf.

I jumped out of bed and ripped back the top sheet and blankets, tossing them out of the way. “Sorry about this,” Nico said, as he and Marcos maneuvered Jason onto the bed.

“Doctor’s on his way; we couldn’t bring him to the hospital,” Marcos said.

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