“Come on,” I tell them. “We have to get across to the woods before they come looking for us. We’re running out of time.”
Roman nods, and a small spark of hope begins to burn deep in my stomach, seeing just how much better he looks for having that small break and a sip of water. Hell, there’s even that familiar glint of fierce determination shining through his obsidian eyes. He holds my stare for a moment before turning back to Levi, clapping him on his back. “You good?”
Levi nods, clenching his jaw and staring out at the woods as though picturing every step he’s about to take, envisioning himself getting across the property and into the thick bush like a football player envisioning his team scoring the winning touchdown right on the buzzer. “It’s now or never,” he says, his shoulders bouncing with anticipation. “Let’s fucking do this.”
And just like that, Roman gently pushes me aside, takes the handles of the cart, and takes off across the property. Levi and I follow closely behind him, and even with their injuries, their long strides carry them across the property a million miles faster than I could ever dream.
Levi grips onto my hand, pulling me along with him, keeping the four of us in a tight group, not letting one of us fall behind for even a second.
Sweat coats my skin, and I can only imagine what fresh hell the boys are feeling right now, but we forge ahead, pushing ourselves to limits we never knew we were capable of.
It takes forever to cross the wide expanse of manicured lawn, and I’m more than aware of the tire mark the cart has left in the grass. I’m sure the run isn’t as long as what it feels, but the thick woods can’t come quick enough.
Once we finally break through them, we continue running just enough so that we’re completely concealed in the bushes, and only then does Roman collapse into the hard ground. I go down with him, grabbing a water bottle from beneath Marcus’ ass and cracking the lid.
Roman takes it greedily as Levi drops to the ground beside us, his knees crashing into the mossy earth as he grips his stomach, his hands instantly stained with blood.
“Shit,” I pant as my arm weaves around the curve of Roman’s head, holding him close to my chest as he closes his eyes, his desperation to save me and his brothers almost costing him his own damn life. Reaching across to Levi, I pull his hand away from his stomach and raise his shirt, getting a good look at his wound. “It looks infected.”
Levi nods, giving me a grim stare. He’s known that it was infected for a while and just never said anything. “Why?” I question, knowing he knows exactly what I’m asking.
He shrugs his shoulders and takes the water bottle right out of Roman’s hands. “We got bigger things to worry about,” he tells me. “Marcus is our priority. Once we know he’s going to get through this, then we can worry about this shit.”
I nod, knowing he’s right. The boys might be in pain and barely holding themselves together, but they can handle it, what they can’t handle is losing their brother, and that’s not about to happen on my watch.
Catching my breath, I scramble back to my feet and focus on Marc. He looks terrible. The jolting of the run and the uneven ground of the woods couldn’t have been good for him. I press a water bottle to his lips, and he barely opens his mouth enough for me to pour water into it.
“I heard my magical pussy has been the one thing keeping you going?” I tease, not feeling it but wanting to keep his spirits high.
He shakes his head as I place the water bottle back down and switch it out for the first aid kit. “Never been a magical pussy,” he mutters so quietly I have to strain to hear the words. “Magic is for children.”
“Oh yeah?” I grin, finding some antiseptic wipes before pulling up his shirt and gaping at the infection eating away at his stab wound. “And what would you call it?”
“Call it as I see it,” he says, swallowing hard and trying not to wince as I begin to clean his wound. “It’s a tight fucking cunt.”
My brow arches and I pause for a moment, glancing up to meet his eyes and find him watching my every move as though he still can’t believe that I’m standing right here in front of him. “A tight cunt, huh?”
“Nothing short of perfect, made for the filthiest of men,” he tells me, making my thighs clench which only serves to remind me what happened back in that castle. I flinch at the thought, and if Marcus weren’t so fucked up, he might have even noticed, so instead, I focus on his wound and let him continue, knowing that talking about my pussy is a sure-fire way to spark that fire that burns within him.
“No other cunt could squeeze my cock the way yours does,” he continues. “It’s the real fucking deal, Shayne. Ain’t no fucker without a goddamn hair on his chest would even know how to handle that sweet pussy, know how to fuck it just right, how to make it come apart with nothing but a single finger. But nothing, nothing, compares to the sweet taste of your cum on my tongue. That’s what’s keeping me going, babe. Mark my fucking words, the moment I’m able to spread those pretty thighs and bury my face into that tight cunt, I will.”
I lean in closer to him, bracing myself against the side of the cart. “I’m going to hold you to that,” I warn him, the seriousness flooding through my gaze as I stare deep into his glassy eyes, ignoring the fact that half of his rambling doesn’t make sense while the rest of it seems slurred. “And if you don’t come through for me, if you fucking die on me and don’t give me exactly what you’ve promised, I’m going to be pissed. Is that understood, Marcus DeAngelis?”
Marcus holds his hand up, using every last ounce of his energy to salute me before his arm falls heavily back into the side of the cart. “Your wish is my fucking command,” he tells me. “Now get me the fuck out of here.”
With that, Roman and Levi get back to their feet, and with the boys barely holding it together, and at least an hour trek through the thick woods, I take over pushing Marcus while doing everything that I can to distract them from the burning agony tearing through their weakened bodies.
16
The guys barely fit in the Corolla, but for now, it’s the best we’ve got.
Roman sits beside me as I drive, holding a bandage to his bare waist as Levi sits directly behind me with Marcus’ head resting in his lap. Levi is the closest thing to a doctor we have and he’s doing everything that he can, but with limited resources at our disposal, it’s not a lot. At least, not until we get some decent pain killers and the strongest kind of antibiotics, and even after that, it’ll be one hell of a scary waiting game. It could take days until we start seeing a difference, but until then, all we can do is keep him hydrated and comfortable.
“He’s going to pull through,” Roman says, reading me as easily as though I had the words stamped across my forehead. He reaches across the front seat, his big hand gently pressing down over my thigh and squeezing, while being careful not to cross any boundaries that I might have erected since the last time he was freely able to touch me. There’s no doubt in my mind now, he knows what his father did.
I weave through the thick trees, my foot all the way down on the gas, trying to put as much distance between us and the castle while also desperate to get Marcus the help he really needs. Shit, the help all three of the boys need. The sooner we can get back into civilization, the better.
Letting out a sigh, I try to hold it together. It won’t do us any good to get in a major car wreck right about now. God, that’s the last thing we need. “I know,” I tell him, starting to believe it more and more with every passing minute. Marcus still looks like he could drop off the face of the earth at any moment, but the water and that bit of fresh air and sun on his skin has already done wonders for him, though the race to the car only served to exhaust him more. I’ve never seen him so lethargic, but all that matters is that he still grips tightly onto his will to live, and that’s so much more than I could ask for.