Page 19 of Gin & Jewels
“Three.”
I nodded and motioned that I would go right and he would go left. Brown agreed, and we moved, firing without hesitation. There were more than three, but we were well trained and able to take down multiple enemies. Just as we were almost finished, a bullet came out of nowhere, piercing through my side.
“I’m hit!” I shouted, the burning engulfing my entire right side. I didn’t fall. Instead, I kept shooting, needing to protect Brown because we didn’t leave a man behind nor alone to fight.
Once the last enemy was dead, we retreated, going back to the Humvee. I could see our backup coming, and I leaned against the side of the vehicle as the pain overtook me.
Present Day …
“Oh my god, you’re bleeding,”Leslie shrieked.
I looked down and saw blood seeping onto my shirt, andthenit felt like my armpit and right pec were on fire. I’d heard a gun go off, but I hadn’t realized I’d been hit. “It’s okay,” I stated. It wasn’t the first time I’d been shot.
“It’s not okay. You’ve been shot,” Leslie argued.
I looked over at Cassie to make sure she was okay. Her arms were still in the air. “Cassie,” I whispered. Only her gaze moved to mine. “You can put your arms down now.”
She nodded as she lowered them, and I heard her male coworker say, “Yes, I pressed the silent alarm a few minutes ago. I work at The Velvet Box, and we were just robbed. Also, I think one of our customers has been shot.”
“Bradley, I think you need to sit down,” Leslie suggested.
“I’m fine.” I gave her a tight smile. It felt nothing like the time I was shot in Iran, so it was probably just a graze.
“You’re bleeding,” she pressed as though I didn’t know.
“I’m fine,” I stated again. “Is everyone else okay?”
Everyone nodded and said they were fine, except Cassie, who still seemed to be shell-shocked.
“Hey.” I walked over to where she still stood behind the jewelry case. “It’s okay. It’s over.”
Her gaze met mine again, and she nodded, but I didn’t think she understood. Before I could reassure her further, firetrucks and ambulances pulled into the parking lot. The paramedics rushed in a few moments later.
The ambulance drove me from the jewelry store, and I was taken into surgery to remove the bullet that was lodged in my right shoulder. It wasn’t a graze as I’d assumed. I woke in a hospital bed, florescent lights blinding me somewhat as I tried to open my eyes.
“Good morning, Mr. Rhodes.”
I blinked at a nurse near my bedside. “Morning?”
“It’s 2 a.m., and we’re going to be transferring you to a room shortly. How are you feeling?”
“Thirsty,” I replied hoarsely.
She smiled and walked over to a pitcher and poured water into a cup. “Take a few small sips to make sure you can keep it down. The anesthesia is still in your system.”
I nodded once and grabbed the cup from her, sipping through the straw. I was able to keep the water down; however, I quickly fell back to sleep.
When I woke again, I was in a different room, but I wasn’t alone.
“Welcome back,” Gabe greeted. He sat in a chair near the window.
“How long was I out?”
He stood and walked to the bed. “Not sure. I just got here not that long ago. Had to use my dimples to get in too.”
I chuckled only to groan as pain tugged at my shoulder. “Don’t make me laugh.”
“Fuck, dude. I’m glad you are laughing.”
