lift it to his mouth, having done this way too many times. “I …”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I don’t want to hear your broken apologies because right now, they mean nothing to me. I stayed because Nic needs me, not because I want to be here. Let’s get that straight. Things between us,” I say, glancing up at Kai so he knows this includes him, “will never be the same. You guys broke us by deciding not to be honest with me and because of that, no amount of shitty apologies will fix it.”
“Come on, babe,” Sebastian says, stepping into my side, his arm brushing along mine as he passes Eli a bottle of Absinthe that he instantly uncaps and raises to his mouth, cringing with the movement.
I flinch away from Sebastian’s touch and hate the way his face breaks. He's always been one to wear his heart on his sleeve, especially when it comes to me. He's not capable of hiding his feelings.
“Don’t. Don’t try and change my mind because it’s not going to work. You guys hurt me. You betrayed my trust and it’s going to take a shitload more than a few smiles and some shitty words to fix it. I just want to make sure that Nic is alright and then I’m out of here.”
Eli squeezes my hand but speaks to Kairo at his shoulder. “Let’s just get this over with.”
All strained conversation comes to an end as Kairo grunts and moves in closer. He gently nudges Eli, prompting him to lean over so he can see better and with a cringe and a quick drink of Absinthe, he does as he’s told.
Eli’s hold on my hand tightens and I quickly shove the discarded shirt between his teeth before giving him my other hand. He takes it eagerly and it reminds me just how much these guys need me. I hate how much I hate them right now, but I can’t seem to pull back on my basic instinct to protect them and offer comfort. They don’t deserve it, especially Nic, but at the same time, standing here and watching Eli in pain is killing me.
The tweezers dig into his skin and Eli groans low as his face turns a sickly shade of white. He squeezes down on my hand and I feel an agonizing crack in my left hand.
“Fuuuuuuuuck,” I shriek but don’t dare pull my hand away. My eyes fill with tears but he needs this more than I do. He got shot. I think I can handle a small fracture. I’ve had worse.
“Dude,” Sebastian says, looking between me and Eli. “You’re hurting her. Let go.”
“It’s fine,” I say through my teeth, looking up at a panicked Kai as Eli lets up on my hands. “Just get the fucking thing out.” Kai cringes, realizing exactly what’s at stake and digs deeper.
Eli doesn’t hesitate, squeezing my hands tighter as he bites down on his shirt in absolute misery. A high-pitched squeak slips from between my lips. “Holy mother of sweet baby Jesus. Tell me you’ve nearly got it?”
“Nearly,” Kai grunts, leaning in closer to get a better look. “It’s lodged in the fucking bone. I don’t want to do any more damage.”
Eli groans, biting down on the shirt harder than humanly possible. “JUST. GET. IT. THE. FUCK. OUT.”
Kai glances up at Sebastian, “Get in here with that vodka, man. There’s fucking blood everywhere.”
Sebastian runs around and takes one look at the back of Eli’s shoulder before peeling off his own shirt and using it to help mop up the blood. I roll my eyes. Stupid fucking boys. Do they have no concept of infection control?
The bullet is finally pulled from his shoulder and Sebastian instantly gets in there with the vodka. He presses his shirt over the wound to control the stream of blood and Eli finally lets up on my hands.
I pull the shirt from between his teeth and he lets out a slow breath. “Are you alright?” He questions, still white as a ghost.
“I’ll live,” I grumble, glancing away.
All three of the boys stare at me and without another word, I turn my back and walk away.
“O,” I hear called in perfect unison by all three of them.
I spin around, fixing each of them with a hard stare. “Why the hell did you three just randomly appear in my life?” They all hesitate and the words come flying out of me. “TELL ME.”
Sebastian’s jaw clenches, the only sign that he’s about