Knock Down, Drag Out / Book One

Chapter Seventeen

Maddox leaned down to kiss Darcy on the cheek after setting the bags of groceries on the counter. There were still plenty of bags left out in the car that he needed to help Elijah carry in, but he couldn't resist how soft and cuddly she looked.

"Hello to you too," Darcy teased, wrapping her arms around his waist and smiling up at him. He brushed her hair away from her face and pressed his lips against hers, his heart feeling light when she smiled into the kiss.

"Stop kissing Darcy and go help Elijah bring in the rest of the groceries!" Maddox looked over at his mother and gave her a quick grin, letting go of Darcy and heading back towards the front door. A loud band and Elijah shouting out had him running, the women and the rest of the men right behind him.

Elijah lay on the ground, groceries spilled all around him and blood running down his right leg.

"Elijah!" Darcy screamed, trying to shove her way past Maddox but he blocked the doorway. "You have to let me out there! I have to help him," she begged, tears already running down her face.

Maddox looked around the best he could from the doorway, trying to catch a glimpse of the person who shot Elijah but it was no use. The trees were too thick to see into and the fading light didn't help matters.

"Steven is probably the one who did this, and you're the one he wants. We can't let you go out there," Maddox explained gently, trying to come up with a game plan. Elijah was a sitting duck out there and they risked getting shot themselves if they walked out of the front door.

"If it is him, he won't hurt me! Please! Let me help him!" Darcy wanted to shake Maddox, so furious over what was going on that she was sure she could kill Steven with her bare hands and not feel a thing. Elijah was her friend, and she refused to leave him outside while he was injured and a psycho was on the loose.

"I'll do it," Lylah offered, stepping up beside her twin and glaring at her. "You can't just rush out there, Darcy. You're pregnant! You have to think about the baby."

"I'm not loosing any one of you! I swear, he won't hurt me! If you go out there, he's going to hurt you and I'm running out of the door anyway. Now give me a belt and get the fuck out of the way!"

Maddox's whole world came to a screeching halt at Lylah's words, Elijah and Steven forgotten. His vision narrowed until all he could see was Darcy standing there, tearing rolling down her cheeks unchecked and her body taunt with anger.

Pregnant, he thought, she's pregnant with my child and she wants to risk both of their lives to save my friend.

He was fixing to scoop her up and shove her into Standford's arms to ensure she didn't rush to the rescue when his mother shoved her belt and gun into Darcy's hand, and she darted out of the front door despite Lylah trying to grab onto her shirt to stop her.

Darcy dug through Elijah's pants pocket and pulled out his pocket knife, opening it up and using the blade to cut the leg of his jeans up past the bullet wound. Thankfully the hole wasn't too big upon entry, about the size of a quarter, but the exit wound would be double the size.

"On the count of three, just scream. As loud as you can," Darcy advised, shoving the scraps of denim away from Elijah's leg and getting the belt ready. "One, two, three!"

She blocked out the sound of Elijah's pain, her own heart pounding in her ears as she slipped the belt under his leg and above the bullet wound. She cinched it as tight as it would go to stop the blood flow and swallowed thickly to keep from throwing up. Being pregnant made all of her senses so much sharper and the metallic scent of blood was making her stomach churn.