Page 84 of Wanted
“Was there anyone else?” the man asked in a voice dulled by the mask, and it took Liv half a second to realize Cyborg had saved their asses now.
“No,” Liv said, holding on to Kn—
Why the hell was Knox not moving?
Struck by sudden terror, he rose to his knees and looked down, relieved when the pale eyes opened and closed. But then the sharp glow of a flashlight went on, illuminating them both, and it was impossible to miss thick blood soaking through Knox’s clothes.
Liv couldn’t breathe.
“Knox…”
Knox’s eyes met his and he raised his hand, grabbing at Liv’s face, still dazed. “Are you okay?”
The soft question took him out of his head, and he leaned down, cupping Knox’s face in both hands as regret poisoned his blood. “Of course I am. You’re the one who caught the bullet. Why? Why would you do that? You could have died!”
The light on Cyborg’s shoulder moved as he turned to the side, speaking on the phone. But all Liv cared for was Knox, and he was too frantic to gather his thoughts as he watched the tanned skin grow ever paler.
Knox’s breathing quickened. “We both know you’ll live longer. It matters less if I die.” He gasped, trying to move his shoulder.
The rush of denial inside Liv made him grind his teeth as he shook his head, blinking away the tingling in his eyes. “No! Don’t you dare say that! I don’t deserve this,” he whimpered andpulled off his jacket before pushing it against Knox’s shoulder, hoping it might stop the bleeding.
Knox’s lips trembled when he turned his head to the side. “Is it bad? Am I gonna…?”
Liv had to stop him from touching the shoulder as Cyborg kneeled by them. “Let’s get the hoodie off him. I need to see.”
“Of course you’re not. I’m here,” Liv uttered, lowering the zipper of the hoodie as Cy pulled off his mask and tugged on Knox’s sleeve, exposing a ripped T-shirt and the pool of blood covering the injured flesh. Nausea twisted in Liv’s stomach, and he put his hand on Knox’s forehead, staring at Cy. “Do you… how do we—”
Cyborg shook his head, pulling out a piece of cloth from one of the many pockets in his pants. “I’ve got experience with gunshot wounds, and I called the others. Just keep him occupied and lucid until we can get him to hospital. Fuck. There’s a lot of blood. I need more cloth.”
Knox’s eyes went wide as saucers, and Liv had to grab him because, despite the injury, he tried to crawl away. “I don’t want to go to the hospital! Can’t you just… dig it out? I’ve… I’ve got a knife.”
Cyborg frowned. “You’re not making sense.”
For once, Liv agreed with him on something. He pulled off his T-shirt and handed it to Cy, but he remained focused on Knox, whose features twisted into a mask of panic.
“Are you crazy? What if we fuck up some nerve in your arm by accident?” Liv asked, pushing on Knox’s chest to hold him down. Whatever happened, he would keep Knox alive and take care of him.
The heartbeat against Liv’s palm became even more erratic. “I don’t know! I don’t wanna go! Liv, please… Don’t let them take me there,” Knox croaked, clutching at Liv’s naked side with his uninjured hand.
As Cyborg mopped up the blood with Liv’s T-shirt, giving himself a better view of the ugly wound, Liv noticed Knox trying and failing to close his fist. Something was very fucking wrong. He would need to make the call and go against Knox’s wishes.
This wouldn’t have happened if Knox let life take its course. But no, he chose to be the hero and saved the man who’d proved himself unworthy of him just an hour back. A man who was a thoughtless, terrible person, and who always made those around him miserable.
Liv took a deep breath and stroked Knox’s face, locking his gaze on the blue eyes that always shone so brightly. “You need to. Do it. For me.”
Knox’s shaky sob and the tears spilling down his face sliced Liv’s heart in half. “Don’t make me… Cy’s dealing with it.” But when he searched Cyborg’s eyes for confirmation, he only got a grunt in response.
“You’ll need a doctor,” Cyborg said, lifting Knox’s shoulder to wrap a bandage around it.
Liv wanted to pull Knox into his arms and squeeze him until the pain was forgotten, but he couldn’t do that without hurting him, and panic buzzed all over his body.
“It’ll be okay, Knoxie. I’ll be with you. I’ll take care of everything,” he promised, sliding into the dirt, so he could lie alongside Knox and comfort him with his warmth. Gravel scraped his bare forearm and side, but it didn’t matter. Nothing would matter until Knox was safe in a hospital bed.
When he found Knox’s hand, Knox squeezed it as if he never wanted to let go. Knox depended on him, and that fact hit Liv with full force. The need to respond, to protect and comfort him was so visceral he found himself shaking.
Knox’s breath was ragged, and his face a mess of tears he didn’t try to hide for once. “Okay, b-but please come with me. Don’t leave me there.”
“I won’t. I will never leave you, do you understand?” he insisted, pressing his lips to Knox’s forehead and tasting his sweat as several voices whirred around them. “I’ll always be there.” He didn’t care to look around, because that would mean taking his eyes off Knox.
