Chapter 7

Isla pov

Rhino shoved me hard. I fell to the ground, my waist slamming painfully against the concrete. A sharp cry tore from my throat as pain shot through me, my knee scraping harshly.

“Jesus, what the fuck is wrong with you?” the other man shouted, rushing toward me. He grabbed my arm, helping me sit up. “Are you trying to kill her? We need her alive, remember?”

Rhino stared at him for a long moment, jaw clenched, then scoffed. “Whatever,” he muttered, stalking away.

“Are you okay?” the man asked softly.

I nodded weakly, though nothing about me felt okay.

Something felt wrong. An explosion this big, and no cops? No sirens? No flashing lights?

Then again, the warehouse sat deep in the outskirts, isolated and forgotten. No one would come. No one was coming.

“Can you sit up?” he asked.

I tried to. But as soon as I did, pain exploded through my abdomen, sharp and relentless.

 I gasped, doubling over, and then I felt wetness between my thighs.

Oh, God! No. No, please.

I squeezed my eyes shut, whispering a prayer I hadn’t spoken in years. Begging God not to be what I thought it was.

My hands shook as I reached between my thighs. The moment my fingers touched the slick warmth, my stomach dropped. When I pulled them back, they were stained red.

“No,” I sobbed. “No, no, no.”

“Hey, hey,” he said quickly. “What is it? Are you okay?”

His words stopped abruptly when his eyes followed my gaze. He stared at my trembling, bloodstained fingers, then at the darkening stain spreading across my thighs.

“fuck,” he breathed. “You’re bleeding.”

I clutched his sleeve desperately. “Please,” I whispered. “My baby.”

His breath hitched. “You’re… pregnant?”

I nodded frantically, sobs wracking my body. “I…I haven’t even got to tell anyone yet.”

“fuck,” he muttered again, running a hand through his hair, panic flashing across his face. “Okay. Okay. We need to get you to a hospital. As soon as possible.”

He bit his lip hard and glanced toward the path Rhino had taken, his jaw tightening like he was weighing something dangerous. “Don’t move,” he said firmly. “I’ll be right back.”

He disappeared down the path. I lay there in agony, blood pooling beneath me, the world spinning. My breathing turned shallow, uneven. Every second felt like an hour.

Voices reached me faintly through the haze.

“What the hell are you doing?” he snapped.

“She’s pregnant!” the other shouted back. “You said we weren’t killing her!”

“I didn’t sign up for this–”

“You don’t get to back out now!”

The argument grew louder. Angrier.

The argument grew louder, angrier, and then—Bang.

Silence swallowed everything whole. My heart pounded so hard it hurt. Please, I begged silently. Let him be the one who stopped him.

Then another shot cracked through the dark, and my whole body jerked with it.

I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming, tears streaming freely. Please, please let that be Rhino.

Footsteps approached quickly. I froze, holding my breath, every muscle locked in terror. Then he appeared, running toward me, eyes wild. 

Relief washed over me so hard I nearly cried.

He lifted me carefully into his arms and rushed me down a narrow bush path. A car was hidden inside the bush. He laid me gently in the backseat, climbed in, and sped off.

“I’m sorry,” he said shakily as he drove. “I didn’t know they planned to kill you. I swear.”

Blood soaked through my clothes. My ears rang so loudly. Everything he said blurred together.

“I just needed the money,” he continued. “My mother’s surgery, I was desperate.”

He glanced at me just in time to see my eyes flutter.

I barely heard him.

He glanced at me and swore under his breath when he saw my eyes flutter.

“No,” he shouted. “No, don’t sleep. Stay awake, okay? Please.”

“I’m… so tired,” I whispered, my tongue heavy.

“Talk to me,” he pleaded. “Tell me your name.”

“Elara,” I breathed.

“Okay, Elara. Stay with me. We’re almost there.”

The car screeched to a stop. He jumped out, lifted me again, and rushed me toward the hospital entrance, and laid me at the hospital entrance.

“I’m sorry,” he begged. “This is all I can do.”

Then he ran.

I watched through my blurred vision as the car reversed and disappeared into the night. The farther it went, the harder it became to keep my eyes open.

Voices echoed suddenly.

“Hey! There’s someone here!”

“Oh my God, she’s bleeding!”

“Get a gurney! Now!”

Hands reached for me. Commands were shouted.

And just as someone yelled for immediate assistance, I finally let go.

Then darkness took me.