Page 88 of Targeted By Desire

But, I still needed to find someplace warm and have my leg treated. That explosion may not have taken me out, but an infection surely will.

I rummaged through my bag again, another thought presenting itself. I didn’t particularly like it, but I didn’t have any other options.

I found the burner phone he’d given me and turned it on. Only one number was saved in the contacts.

Swallowing my pride, I hit the call button and held the phone to my ear. “Mateo,” I said the moment I heard the click connecting the other end. “I need your help.”

THE ASSASSIN

Simone’s voice was the only thing holding me back from setting the entire world on fire. Though low and laced with exhaustion, it was proof she was still alive.

Thankfully, Simone knew approximately how far off she’d gone from the main road. The information made it easier for us to find her.

I sped ten miles over the speed limit and through every red light on the road while Maria prepared medical supplies in the back of the van. Within an hour, we reached the location we’d seen on the news.

The crowds and camera crews were gone. Only the broken vehicle lay untouched on the charred grass. Those bastards didn’t have the decency to move it yet.

I parked the van a few feet down from the explosion site and climbed out of the car. I jogged across the field, over the hill, and towards the shallow grave where Simone lay.

She looked like a corpse under the moonlight, the silver light illuminating the novel paleness and the scratches stretched across her skin.

I almost grimaced at the thick blood pooling beneath her left thigh. I wondered what kind of person could do this to someone like Simone - and then I remembered not too long ago I was. Back then, I would’ve grinned at the sight of her like this. Now, I only wanted to cover her with a blanket and shove her somewhere the rest of the world can’t touch her.

Her half-lidded eyes rose to me as I approached the grave. “You really came?” She whispered, her neck shifting backwards in surprise.

“You didn’t think I would?” I asked, leaning down to gather her in my arms.

Her shoulders started to raise in a shrug. They froze mid-movement as she hissed from the pressure of my arms hooking underneath her knees.

“It’s alright,” I assured as I lifted her up. “I’ve got you.”

Her head weakly leaned against my chest for the entirety of the walk back to the car. With every step, her body lost more and more tension, relaxing in my grasp.

Maria’s eyes lingered on us as she opened the back doors of the van. She subtly shook her head, but continued to flit around to grab the rest of her materials.

As I lay Simone down on the makeshift gurney, Maria pulled on a pair of gloves. She grimaced at the sight of the shrapnel sticking out of Simone’s leg. You might have to hold her down, she signed to me.

Simone watched with a crease between her brows as I stepped near her head and lay my hands on her shoulders. “What are you doing?” She asked.

“Close your eyes,” I demanded.

Her eyes bounced between me and Maria who was setting a hand on her knee and the other on the piece of shrapnel. “Wait, you guys don’t have anything to numb me with first?”

“No time,” I replied.

The crease between Simone’s brows deepened as she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain.

Maria didn’t bother doing a count to prepare for the removal. She quickly yanked the piece out.

Simone let out a small scream, her nose scrunching up from the discomfort.

Blood immediately seeped from the open wound, squirting out like a fountain waterfall.

Maria grabbed a warm, wet towel she already had prepped and pressed it against the wound. “Drive,” she spoke since her hands were busy. “I’ve got her.”

“But-”

The next look she shot me was sharper than a knife. “Go,” she snapped, the jagged edges of her voice more visible at the louder volume.