“Your leg’s hit,” I inform him, trying to keep my voice calm as I tear off my belt and wrap it around the top of his leg as a tourniquet. “Any pain anywhere else?”
“My gut.”
With the bleeding in his leg slowing, I unzip his coat and look him over carefully. Two bullets are buried in the material of his Kevlar vest, but there’s no blood around his torso.
A few more shots ring in my ears. Paulie is beside me a moment later.
“That’s the lot of them.”
“Don’t guess,” I say without looking up. “Sweep around the outside of the area. Don’t go alone. Everyone in at least pairs. Becca!”
“I’m here!”
“Get whoever isn’t hit to load that truck. Get it out of here, and make sure you aren’t followed. Take a long route, and stick to the speed limit.”
“Got it!”
“Where’s Jonathan?”
“He got called away,” Beni informs me.
“You hit?” I ask.
“No.”
“Help me move him. We need to get him to that hospital.”
“We don’t have anyone on the payroll there.”
“It doesn’t fucking matter!” My hands are starting to shake from the adrenaline rush, and I’m having trouble controlling my voice. “He’s losing blood, and there’s no time. Paulie! Call Franklyn and have him meet us there.”
Paulie pulls out his phone, and Beni helps me move Rinaldo into the back of his car.
“How are you doing, boss?” I ask as I settle his head on my balled-up jacket.
“I’m fine!” He’s breathing too heavily to be convincing, but I let it go. “What about the guns?”
“Becca’s getting the truck out of here now,” I tell him. “You just hang in there, you got it? We’re heading to the hospital.”
“No hospital.”
“Not arguing about this one, sir.”
“No hospital!” He starts to cough, and I lift his head to keep him from choking.
“Beni, get moving!” I yell up to the driver’s seat.
“Where am I going?” He looks back nervously.
“The hospital.”
“But-”
“Get to the fucking hospital!” I’m covered in blood, and it’s still flowing freely. I tighten the tourniquet as much as I think is safe and tell Beni to move again. Rinaldo’s glaring at me, but he can’t seem to get any words out.
“Sorry, sir. No choice.”
He closes his eyes and nods once before passing out.