Page 41 of Aviator
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
DEAN
“Put pressure on the wound,”I say.
“It hurts,” she replies through gritted teeth.
“I know, princess, but I don’t want you to bleed out on me. We’ll be there soon.” Thank God it’s late evening, and the roads are relatively clear. Crystal Mountain is a small town, and traffic isn’t really a thing. I thought drugs and murder weren’t either, so I guess I could be wrong.
“I’m dizzy,” Kenna says, her voice so faint I can barely hear it over the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears.
I take the hand on her good side and press it to my lips. I’ve never been the type to pray, but I send up a mental plea to whatever higher power there is. I can’t lose someone else. “From blood loss. But you’re going to be okay. Just stay awake for me. We’re almost there.”Don’t leave me.I don’t say the words, but I breathe them into her skin.
“Don’t leave me, okay?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” And I’ve never meant anything more in my life.
The feeling of rushing to the hospital strikes a little too close to home, wondering if someone else I care about will be okay. I don’t think I can survive losing someone else. As if to punctuate the thought, Felix groans in the back seat, and I press harder on the gas.
We make it to the hospital a few minutes later. I called on the way and relayed the situation, so two stretchers are waiting for us at the emergency department. Nurses swarm as soon as the truck rocks to a stop, and in a flash, Felix and Kenna are loaded up and whisked inside. I jerk the truck into a parking spot, pocket the keys, and dart inside. The receptionist directs me to a waiting room where I park my ass in a seat to wait for news.
Waiting is almost as torturous as the drive.
Finally, a doctor comes to the waiting room. “Mr. Tyler?”
“Yes?” I answer, pushing to my feet and running a hand through my dirty hair.
“You came in with Ms. Lynch and Mr. Bane?”
“That’s right.”
“There are some officers here who want to talk to you.”
“Can it wait?”
The doctor frowns. “I’m afraid not.”
“Can you tell me how Felix and Kenna are doing?”
“Mr. Bane is in surgery, and Ms. Lynch is getting stitches. But I’m afraid that’s all the information I have now. You’ll be able to see Kenna as soon as they’re done.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
Two police officers appear behind him and lead me to a secluded corner.
“Mr. Tyler, if you have the time, we have a few questions about everything.”
I grunt in response.
“Can you give us a play-by-play of what happened over the past few days?”
I recount to them in as much detail as possible about the cabin, the men there, and surviving on the mountain. One of them takes notes while the other listens intently. My hands start to shake as I detail the shooting, so I shove them in my pockets.
“We found the deceased assailant where you described the shooting taking place. Does the name Jeffery Turner mean anything to you?” the one taking notes asks.
I shake my head. “Doesn’t ring a bell. I didn’t recognize either of them.”
“You say the cabin belonged to a friend of yours. James Murdoch. Does he have a history of drug use?”
