Page 5 of Kissed By the Trillest Thug 2

His head jerked slightly, and his eyes forced open again. They were unfocused and barely holding on.

“Stay with me,” I said firmly, keeping a hand on his jaw to steady him. “Don’t you do that again in my house.”

He blinked a few times, trying to orient himself, then his voice came out rough.

“Hospital?” he muttered, like he was testing the idea out loud.

I studied him carefully. Before I could even answer, he shook his head slightly.

“No,” he said with his voice low but certain, “that ain’t safe.”

That made me pause.Not safe?He didn’t give all the details of what had happened to him, but he didn’t have to. The way he said it told me everything I needed to know. He was in some shit. His breathing tightened as he shifted slightly in the chair, trying to stay upright.

“Can you just patch me up?” he asked quietly.

I let out a slow breath through my nose while stepping closer.

“You got shot, Tahari,” I said. “There’s no just patching something like this up.”

Still, I moved him carefully anyway, guiding his arm so I could get a proper look. The second I saw it clearly, my expression changed. There was an exit wound. It was clean enough to work with, but still serious. I thought about the pain meds I had for my back that I could give to him once I was done here.

I exhaled slowly while steadying myself.

“I can sew it up,” I said finally. “But I need you to hear me clearly before I start.”

His eyes lifted slightly toward me.

“This is going to hurt like hell.”

He didn’t respond right away, but he gave a small nod. That was all I needed before getting to work. The second the needle went in, his entire body locked up. A sharp sound tore out of him before he could stop it. His shoulders jerked as he tried to pull away.

“Stay still,” I ordered firmly while trying my best to keep him steady. “Don’t fight me.”

“I’m not,” he started, but the rest broke off into a strained exhale.

I kept going. I was focused, and my hands were steady as he struggled against the pain.

Every stitch pulled a reaction out of him. He sat before me, exhaling tight breaths, muttering low curses under his breath, and his whole body tensed like he was trying not to come apart. Then, suddenly, it stopped. The movement. The sound. Everything. He was too quiet, so I looked up immediately.

“Tahari?”

But there was no response. His head had slumped slightly, and his eyes were closed again, but this wasn’t him choosing to rest. I dropped everything and pressed two fingers to his neck. Luckily, he had a pulse there, but it was weak. So damn weak, but steady.

I exhaled slowly while shaking my head as I adjusted his arm so the work I just started wouldn’t be ruined.

“Of course you pass out on me,” I muttered under my breath.

I looked at him for a second longer, then went right back to work.

“Stay alive,” I said quietly, more to myself than him.

I glanced at him again before I kept stitching. By the time I tied off the last stitch, my nerves were bad. I made sure to bandage the wound before washing my hands in the kitchen sink. When I got back, Tahari was still slumped where I had him. His body finally gave in after fighting through more pain than he should have. I checked the bandage again, pressing lightly to make sure the bleeding was under control.

That’s when I heard the front door open. Footsteps followed. The noise of the feet was familiar, so I knew exactly who it was. Plus, besides me, only one other person had a key to the front door. When Tahari had moved out, he had returned his, so that only left Giovani with one.

“Ma?”

I didn’t even turn right away. I could hear the confusion in Giovani’s tone.