The Dangerous Ones [✔️] (#1 in the Chilvati Series)

FIFTY-FIVE

"You okay, Adrian?" she yelled when he took position.

"Yeah." His voice could barely be heard, losing its strength as it travelled the distance between them. Nonetheless, she could still detect a panicky edge to it.

Five vehicles carrying DEA officers went flying through the gate and up the driveway, accelerating along the road Virginia knew all too well.

"Shit," she muttered, actively scanning for any sign of Simon.

Minutes later she spotted him.

He was walking out of the back of one of the units on their side, a baseball cap hiding his hair, wires hanging down from his ears, his shoulders shifting to a beat—totally unaware of what was happening around him.

And he was heading straight toward Adrian.

"Simon!" she yelled.

He couldn't hear her.

She started to run.

) l (

Adrian saw her running toward him and muttered a curse. As much as he liked the lieutenant, resentment rose up like bile in his throat. I can handle this, he thought to himself. He didn't need to be babied. Sick of being the newbie and the incessant teasing, this was his chance to prove he was ready for active duty. His adrenaline started pumping as he turned his eyes back to the guy in front of him.

He did a quick assessment, all part of the training. He couldn't see the dude's face—the hat was pulled low and cast a shadow that hid most of his features. But he was big, jacked . . . and approaching fast.

Adrian heard the lieutenant yell again but couldn't make out what she was saying. His focus stayed on the man in front of him.

His hand went to his gun as he shouted, "Freeze!"

The man kept moving.

) l (

With Eminem's voice rapping in his head, Simon was totally psyched about his plans for the rest of the day. He was about to finish off some maintenance work on the fence before peacing out. He had plans to go car shopping with his uncle, who had just that very morning offered to pay half of whatever car he could find in his price range.

Which had just doubled. Yessss!

Man, he was going to score himself one badass ride. And then he was going to ask out that blonde in Dominique's advanced class, the one he'd caught checking him out the previous Saturday. He didn't know her name but he'd seen her before. She stood out, mainly because of the scorpion tattoo that covered her right shoulder blade . . . well, that and the hot body and the expertise she displayed in the ring, being one of the gym's top students. Normally the athletic ones weren't his type—way too competitive. But for all that tough bravado, she also had a softer side, given the cute smile and blush that had hit her face once he'd noticed her appraisal and winked back at her.

If she said yes to his offer, it would be his first real date. He could feel the nervousness swirling in his stomach already, imagining the excitement on her face after he threw the question out there. At least he hoped it would be excitement instead of something else, like amusement, or pity, or— Jesus, did all dudes go through this self-doubt shit or am I the only—

Sensing a presence, Simon looked up. Putting the brakes on, he frowned at the cop in front of him. What the fuck? He pulled the ear buds down to his shoulders and reached for his cell phone.

"No don't!" a woman yelled.

He turned to the voice, surprised to see Virginia running toward him. His other hand came up to wave as he pulled the phone from his pocket.

There was a loud crack and something hit into him hard, starting a searing sting in his lower gut. He looked down to the source, confused. Seeing the blood on his shirt as the burn tore through his body, he looked to her for an explanation.

But by then he was already falling.

"No!" he heard her scream again through the miasma of pain as his body slammed into the ground.

) l (

"Call an ambulance!" Virginia yelled. She hammered her knees into the dirt next to Simon and pushed the hat from his head to stroke his hair. Blood spread out on his shirt over the left side of his abdomen at an alarming rate.

"God, no!" she cried.

She threw off her vest and ripped her T-shirt over her head and used it to put pressure on the wound. His eyes had been closed, but he winced and half-opened them with the contact.

"Sorry," he hissed through his teeth.

Virginia shook her head, her eyes blurring with tears. "No, Simon, it's not your fault."

His face was ashen and his words were slightly slurred, but he spoke calmly when he said, "I'm always doing something wrong."

"No, Simon!" She put her palm on his cheek and turned his head to her face. He blinked a few times, the effort seeming more exhausting with each subsequent opening.

"You did nothing wrong! You hear me? Nothing! You did nothing wrong."

Adrian ran up and dropped to his knees on the other side of Simon. "Oh, God, he's a kid," he said, sounding horrified.

Virginia ignored him, focusing on trying to stem the blood flow. Surrounding officers came up to help, but there was nothing they could do. They stood behind her, powerless. A siren sounded in the distance.

Simon's lips moved, but she couldn't hear what he said. "Simon?" Leaning down, she brought her ear close to his mouth.

"Am I going to die?" Simon mumbled.

Her tears dripped on his face and she swiped the back of her free hand across her cheeks. "Just stay with me, Simon," she said, willing him to keep his eyes open.

Her shirt was soaked through. God, there was so much blood. Too much blood.

Simon's eyes were no longer opening. She leaned down again and rested her cheek against his and talked through her tears, not even aware of what she was saying, hoping words alone would be enough to keep him conscious.

The paramedics arrived at her side.

"Simon," she cried as hands came from behind to pull her up. She reached out, not wanting to let him go, afraid to let him go.

"Let them help," someone said.

She nodded and backed up to give the EMTs room to work. She was dimly aware of her arms being lifted and the vest being drawn up and around her.

Within minutes the EMTs had hoisted Simon onto the stretcher. One climbed on top, straddling Simon to perform CPR, while the other wheeled them toward the ambulance with the help of two of her men.

Mark was there. He was hard to miss, standing perfectly still as the stretcher rolled toward him, utter shock written all over his face. He must have just pulled up, the cloud of dust still dissipating from around the rear end of the Ferrari behind him, its open door a further indication of his haste.

She gasped when their eyes met, his filled with anger. He turned away from her, speaking to the paramedic as they both climbed into the back of the vehicle.

The doors were closed, a hard rap given to the paneled side.

Siren and lights came on.

Then they were gone.

END OF CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later, right?

There was a lot of action going on in this chapter. Did you like the shifting points of view? From Virginia, to Adrian, to Simon, and back to Virginia. I thought it added a little something to the suspense, but it can also be confusing. Let me know what you think. And don't forget that little star!