David dropped Killian off at the meeting point, promising to return after we got both Sienna and our fucking traitor to the house. As soon as he pulled up to the curb, I was out, Sienna in my arms. I rushed to the living room, setting her down on the couch while David dealt with Ivan. And then there was nothing to do but wait.
That thirty minutes stretched into what seemed like hours. Killian crashed through the door just as I was about to go looking for him. Taking the duffel bag from his hands, I knelt beside Sienna and got to work. Wen had given me everything I needed.
When I was around ten, my father had made sure I knew what to do for a bullet wound. He’d even shot me in the leg and forced me to take the bullet out myself when I was around fifteen, so this was nothing. The only problem was that anytime she felt pain, I did too. I cut the sleeve of her sweater, sticky with blood as I peeled it away from her skin.
Tying a tourniquet around the bottom of her shoulder, I tried to stop the blood flow as much as possible. Taking the sterilized forceps from the bag, I double-checked her arm once again. Taking a deep breath, I dug in. The bullet came out easily enough, though Killian had to hold Sienna down as I slowly pulled it out. I knew it was painful. Just as I dropped the bullet to the floor, I pressed the gauze against the wound, digging around the bag for the sterilized needles and the monofilament thread. Killian looked away as soon as the needle pricked her skin, my sutures neat and tight.
When I was finished, I cleaned the wound before wrapping it lightly. The wraps couldn’t stay on for too long, but I was hoping it would help staunch the bleeding. She’d already lost a lot of blood. She couldn’t lose too much more. Glancing around, I grabbed the lamp beside the sofa, dragging it closer before looping the IV bag over the shade. It wasn’t the best option, but the only one we had at the moment.
“You’re not really going to stick that in her arm, are you?” David asked, frowning. “Are you even qualified?”
I glared up at him, holding the IV needle in my hand. “Are you? Where’s your field training, special agent?”
“It didn’t exactly cover IVs,” he replied darkly.
“Then shut up and let me finish.” I ignored him the rest of the time, making sure the IV was settled in properly. When I was done, I sat back, watching her face.
Her skin had gained some of its color back already, though she still looked too pale. I checked the bag, found some aspirin in there, and pocketed them for later. When she did wake up, she’d need them. But right now, all there was to do was wait.
Killian and David had gone to the kitchen, and I could smell the scent of alcohol even from here. I found them seated around the table, sharing the bottle of liquor Killian and I had dug into just last night. David slid a glass over to me. Sitting down, I finished it off in one gulp, the burning alcohol calming some of my nerves.
“She’ll be alright,” Killian said quietly. “She’s tough.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I know. But still.” I shot David a dark look. “We never should have split up.”
“Where did you put Ivan?” Killian turned to David, trying to avoid a fight.
David pretended he didn’t hear him. “It was a good plan. We got the fucker.”
“Yeah, and Sienna could have died,” I shot back. “It was a stupid plan, and you know it.”
“You agreed to it.”
My chair screeched back as I lunged across the table. Killian got to me before I could strangle the life out of David, yanking me back.
“Enough,” Killian barked. “Sienna isn’t dead. She’ll be fine now. And Ivan is…where?” He shot me a warning look.
“He’s tied down in the basement,” David said finally, looking exhausted. “Still knocked out.”
“When he wakes up, we’ll question him.” Killian slowly sat back down after making sure I wouldn’t try to kill David again. “And we’ll wait for Sienna to heal before doing anything else.”
“When he wakes up, I’ll question him,” I corrected. “I doubt either of you will be able to get him to talk.”
“Fine. You do it then.” David poured another glass, downing its contents quickly. “Just as long as we finally get a lead on the Snake, I really don’t give a shit.”
I watched as he stalked from the table, listening as his feet pounded up the stairs. Killian and I sat in silence for a few moments, knocking back a few more shots of the liquor. He looked like he wanted to say something. I could see the indecision on his face.
“Just spit it out, Kill,” I said tiredly. Now that the adrenaline rush was over, I could feel the exhaustion in every muscle. All I wanted to do was go upstairs and pass out, but I couldn’t. I needed to be here when she woke up.
“I’ve never seen you like this.” Killian glanced up, catching my eye. “You really do love her, don’t you?”
My hand tightened around the glass. “Why are you asking me that now?”
“Because this is the first time I’ve actually seen how you feel about her.” His fingers tapped against the table. “When you first married her, I thought it was just a farce. A way to get you closer to the Rosania’s to destroy them. But now I realized that, somewhere along the way, you really fell for her.”
“And what if I did?” I challenged, bristling.
“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing,” Killian replied, rolling his eyes. “I’m just saying I’m surprised. I didn’t think you had it in you after all those years of using women and kicking them to the side.”