~LAYLA~
"You’re wounded," I gasped, already moving to the backseat. My hands imdiately went to press over the red patch spreading across Axel’s shirt.
"I’m fine," he said, but his voice was strained.
"You’re not fine. You’re bleeding." I pressed my hands against the wound, applying pressure. Warm blood seeped between my fingers. "Rodriguez, where are we going? Ho? Hospital?"
"Can’t go to a hospital," Tye said, his own voice tight with pain. "Bullet wounds an police reports, and questions. We’d have to explain everything."
"Then what do we do? You both need dical attention!"
"I know a doctor," Tye said. "One who doesn’t ask questions. But if we drive all the way ho, he’s too far from our current location. We need sowhere in the downtown area, closer to where he is."
My mind raced, searching for options. Then it clicked.
"Helena."
"What?" Axel asked.
"Helena. My assistant. She told her brother Henry got them a new apartnt recently. She invited over weeks ago, said it wasn’t far from downtown." I pulled out my phone with bloodied fingers. "I can call her."
"You sure?" Tye asked. "That’s a lot to drop on soone at..." he checked his watch, "two in the morning."
"She’s the only option we have nearby. And she’s trustworthy."
"Do it," Axel said, wincing as the SUV hit a pothole.
I dialled Helena’s number, praying she’d answer.
"Ma’am?" Her voice was groggy, and confused. "Is everything okay?"
"Helena, I need your help. It’s an ergency. We need a place to stay for just a few hours. Are you at your apartnt?"
"Yes, but what’s wrong? I heard about the kidnapping on the news. Are you okay?"
"I’ll explain when we get there. Can you text your address?"
"Of course. Give one second."
Her text ca through almost imdiately. I read the address to Rodriguez, who punched it into the GPS.
"Twelve minutes," he announced.
"We don’t have twelve minutes," I said, looking at the blood soaking through Axel’s shirt. "Drive faster."
"Already going as fast as I can without attracting attention."
Tye was on his phone. "Doc, it’s Tyler. I need you now. Two gunshot wounds. One through-and-through, one still lodged. Super urgent." He paused, listening. "Yeah, I’ll send you the address."
"Will he co?" I asked.
"He owes . He’ll co."
The drive felt endless. I kept pressure on Axel’s wound, watching his face go paler with each passing minute.
"Stay with ," I whispered.
"Not going anywhere," he mumbled. "Takes more than a bullet to keep down."
"Don’t joke about this."
"Who’s joking?"
Finally, Rodriguez pulled up to a modern apartnt complex. "This is it."
I was already out of the SUV before it ca to a full stop, helping Axel out. Tye stumbled out on his own, one hand pressed to his side.
Helena opened the door before we could knock, her eyes going wide. She was wearing pyjamas, cotton shorts, and an oversized T-shirt, her hair in a ssy bun.
"Oh my God," she breathed, taking in the blood, the weapons, the entire situation. "What happened?"
"No ti," I said. "Can we co in?"
"Yes, of course." She stepped aside, letting us in.
The apartnt was small, although larger than their previous one, and well-maintained. It had modern furniture and a couple of plants sitting by the windows.
Rodriguez and the other Rangers moved through the place quickly, scanning the rooms with their guns held down.
"Clear," Rodriguez announced.
"Helena, I’m so sorry for intruding like this, but it was an ergency," I said as we helped Axel to the couch.
"Don’t apologize, ma. I’m just glad you’re safe." Helena’s hands fluttered nervously. "When I heard about the kidnapping on the news, I was losing my mind. I tried calling, but your phone went straight to voicemail."
"They took it," I explained, easing Axel down onto the couch. He hissed in pain.
Tye lowered himself onto the ottoman, his face grey.
"What do you need?" Helena asked. "Should I call an ambulance?"
"No ambulance," Tye said. "Doctor’s on his way. Just... towels. Clean ones. And water."
Helena rushed off to get supplies.
I knelt beside Axel, taking his hand. "How bad is it?"
"Scale of one to ten? Maybe a seven."
"That’s not reassuring."
"Could be worse. Could be a ten."
"Could you stop trying to make jokes and just tell the truth?"
His expression sobered. "It hurts like hell. But I’ve had worse."
"When?"
"Long story. Ask later."
Helena returned with an armful of white towels and a pitcher of water. "Here."
I pressed a fresh towel against Axel’s wound. The bleeding had slowed but hadn’t stopped. "How long until the doctor gets here?" I asked Tye.
"He said ten minutes."
Ten minutes felt like an eternity.
Helena stood uncertainly in the middle of her living room, looking at the ard n, the blood, and the chaos that had invaded her peaceful ho. "Can I... do anything else?"
"Just keep the towels coming," I said. "And maybe so pillows?"
She nodded and disappeared again.
The doctor arrived in exactly nine minutes. He was bald, maybe fifty, with the calm deanour of soone who’d seen everything twice. He carried a black dical bag and didn’t ask a single question about how we’d gotten shot.
"Tyler," he greeted Tye with a nod. "Thought you were done getting yourself shot."
"Life has other plans. Help him first." Tye jerked his chin at Axel.
The doctor knelt beside the couch. "Let see."
I moved aside reluctantly, still holding Axel’s hand.
The doctor worked quickly, cutting away Axel’s shirt, examining the wound. "Bullet’s still in there. Needs to co out."
"Do it," Axel said.
"This is going to hurt."
"Everything hurts already. Just get it out."
I held Axel’s hand tightly as the doctor worked on him. Those eight minutes stretched on forever. I could see his jaw tighten so much that I worried his teeth might break, but he stayed completely silent.
Finally, the doctor held up a small, bloodied bullet with his forceps. "Got it. Clean through-and-through on the muscle. No major damage. You’re lucky."
"Doesn’t feel lucky," Axel muttered.
The doctor cleaned the wound, applied an antiseptic that made Axel hiss, and stitched him up.
"Tye, you’re next," the doctor said.
Tye moved to the couch while Axel shifted to sit upright.
"Can you hold this?" the doctor asked, handing Helena a small flashlight.
"?"
"Just point it where I tell you. Nice and steady."
Helena’s hands shook slightly, but she did as asked, holding the light while the doctor examined Tye’s wound.
"Through-and-through. Missed anything vital. You’ll live."
"Story of my life," Tye said.
I stayed glued to Axel’s side, my hand in his, while the doctor patched up Tye. The whole process took maybe twenty minutes, but it felt like days.
Finally, the doctor packed up his bag. "I’ll co check on both of you in the morning. Keep the wounds clean, take the antibiotics I’m leaving, and for God’s sake, try not to get shot again."
"No promises," Tye said.
After the doctor left, the apartnt fell into an exhausted silence.
I sat beside Axel on the couch, our hands still intertwined. "Thank you for coming for ."
"Like I said. Always." He squeezed my hand. "You really thought I wouldn’t?"
"I knew you’d try. I just didn’t know if you’d be able to find . How did you even find ?"
He lifted my left hand, showing my wedding ring. "I uh... kinda added a tracking device to your wedding ring."
I stared at the ring, then at him. "You put a tracker in my wedding ring?"
He simply nodded.
"That’s..." I paused, a smile tugging at my lips. "That’s incredibly creepy."
"But effective."
"But creepy. And sweet. And paranoid. And..." I had no idea what else to say as a wave of emotions crashed over all at once. So, I leaned in and kissed him softly. "I love that you thought of it."
"Love you too."
Helena approached tentatively. "I’m glad you’re okay, Big Boss and you, ma’am. Really glad."
"Thank you, Helena. For everything. For letting us invade your ho in the middle of the night."
"It’s fine. Do you need anything? Food? Water?"
"Just water would be great."
Helena headed to the kitchen. I called after her, "And Helena? I’m so sorry again for the sudden intrusion. Are your brothers here? I hope we didn’t wake them."
"No, they’re spending the week at Henry’s place. He wanted to spend ti with them."
"Thank God. I’d hate for them to see all this."
Helena returned with bottles of water, handing them out to everyone.
"Helena?" I said as she turned to go.
"Yes?"
"Could you go check on Tye? Make sure he has everything he needs?"
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