Whoever this is, the guy knows exactly what he’s doing, and the fact that I’m only injured and not lying on that dirt with a bullet in my head is a miracle.
“Jace! Jace, man, are you okay?”
I hear the yelling and Miah’s curses as I hit tar and keep flooring it back the way I came, hoping it was just one idiot with a rifle and not a platoon of trigger-happy hillbillies on my tail.
My shoulder hurts like a mother and I’m bleeding all over my leather seats by the time I deem it safe to sit up straight and assess the damage.
“Jace!”
“Easy there, bro, I’m just fine. Took one to the shoulder, through and through, so stop your bawling,” I say, hissing when an inspection of my arm shows a shitload of blood that I hope does not signal a clipped artery.
“Where are you?”
“A mile out and counting, dude. Open the gates and make sure everyone is locked down. Oh God. Trace.”
“Wyatt went for her already, so calm down. Just get your ass home and get that phone to me. I need to check it over.”
I make it home minutes later and smile at my luck as I pass out. Guess it was an artery after all.
***
Trace
The only thing worse than being mad at a guy is being mad at him and feeling like crying because the meathead went and got himself shot and had to have an artery repaired, thanks to whatever animal decided to take him out tonight.
Part of me understands that Jace is just fine and he’s lucky. Whoever did this was either a really bad shot, or they left him alive on purpose.
My gut is screaming that he should be dead. From what I saw of the car after Jace roared to a stop seconds after Wyatt and I got to the Lane home, I know that this sniper was only sending a warning.
The ammo was armor piercing and tore clear through the car and out the other side, and if the guy were smart, which I know he is, he would have shot through the rear left panel and nailed Jace where he was hiding. I know since the blood tells me that’s where he took cover after rolling clear.
Whoever did this was not out for blood, though from the looks of these Lane boys as they pace the hospital corridor, they’re going to regret ever going after any of the Lane boys.
Miah’s been grinding his teeth for hours and Wyatt keeps cracking his knuckles as if looking for someone or something to hit. The only one not acting like a caged animal is Jared, and yet as he sits there calmly and just stares at the wall, I feel more danger emanating him than from the other two.
“Trace, you should let Wyatt take you home to Ma. You haven’t eaten and you’re covered in blood, sweetheart,” Miah says after flopping down beside me with a groan.
Jace collapsed out of the car and straight into my arms. Seeing him that way…I can’t think of that now or I’m terrified that I’ll do something stupid like cry and ruin my mascara.
“I’m staying and that’s final, Jeremiah. Now do something useful and take your brother to go get us some coffee, huh? I need a little pick me up after your brother tried to squash me.”
Miah blinks and then starts chuckling with a shake of his head before rising and laying a fat kiss on my cheek.
“I’ll get your coffee and one of those donut things from the machine. You’re eating,” he barks when I go to argue and I zip my lips with a nod.
It takes two whole minutes for Jared to rattle off a vending machine order and then Miah and Wyatt leave us alone to sit in the waiting area for news.
I’m so lost in thought, just trying not to relive that moment when Jace collapsed on me and I saw all that blood, that it startles me when Jared kneels down in front of me with a warm washcloth and starts cleaning my hands.
“You were real brave tonight, little sister. Anyone ever tell you you react to blood like a soldier?” he asks softly, giving me a look from beneath his lashes.
His eyes—they’re so like Jace’s that I have to swallow and look away to collect myself before turning back to him.
“One or two people, I guess. That time I fell out of the tree when I was eight and broke my leg, split the skin open and everything…well, Mom says I hardly fainted,” I quip, grinning at his smirk.
“Why are you really here, Trace? And don’t give me that bullshit about your wedding. I looked into Timothy, and I gotta tell you, that boy is as rotten as they come. I even lied to Jace about him so the man didn’t go down to DC to murder him or your father for even thinking—”
“Alright, I get the freaking message already, Jared. Alright, just stop. I came down here to talk to you all about this rumor I overheard a few weeks ago.”
Jared wipes my hands with a last swipe and tosses the ruined cloth in the trash before easing down beside me.