I looked at Derick, he was covered in blood. It never occurred to me he could be hurt.
“Son, you’re covered in blood. Are you hurt?” another paramedic asked Derick.
Derick shook his head and gazed down. “It’s not my blood. It’s my sister’s.”
“The girl is your sister?”
Derick nodded. “She will be,” he said hoarsely.
Brand removed my hand and dragged me back. “Stephan, you have to let them work.”
Gazing up at him, my cheeks felt wet. “Where the fuck where you? How the hell did this happen?” I shook myself out of his hold and stood. I studied the scene around me, bullet holes were everywhere: in trees, cars, the school building, and the ground. It looked like a war zone. “What the fuck happened?”
Brand stood and ran his fingers through his short hair. “There are two vulnerable times, at drop-off in the morning and pick-up time. We monitor both, but there are so many cars and it’s hard to tell if they’re not picking up someone. We were lucky not many got hurt.”
“What do you mean lucky? Jade is fucking almost bleeding out.”
“Only six people got hurt. None are fatal.”
I wanted to yank my friggin' hair out. “We live in Australia. Guns are illegal. Why the fuck did we just have a shootout. This is something I expect Dustan to tell me about in America.” I was furious, but I’d rather be angry than a blubbering mess. Brand didn’t say anything, not that I expected him to. He knew how it went.
The paramedics wheeled Jade away on a stretcher. I ran after them. There was no way they were leaving without me.
“Are you family?”
“Yep.”
They eyed me for a moment before one nodded, I got into the ambulance.
I hovered over Jade. Her eyes were open and she smiled seeing me but it quickly turned into a grimace.
“Hey,” she rasped out.
“Little bit, what am I going to do with you?” I stroked her cheek.
“I’ve never been shot before I met you.”
My heart sank at her words and I cleared my dry throat, was I killing her? Was I the reason she’d been shot at so much. “Angel, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t,” she whispered. “I don’t like that look. You didn’t do this.”
I nodded, but didn’t believe her. I needed to leave her alone. I could make myself live without Jade as long as she was alive. What I couldn’t live with was her continually getting hurt because of me. If she died, I don’t think I would ever forgive myself. I needed to leave.
I couldn’t get the image of her covered in blood out of mind and I thought I was going to be physically sick. I needed to stay away from her and then she’d be safe.
*****
Jade
Something didn’t feel right. I awoke and I was alone. Pain throbbed through me, not the worse I’d had, but I still hurt. I pressed the nurse call button and a woman in her late forties came in. “Hi, is anyone outside the room.”
“No, sweetheart. Are you expecting someone?”
I furrowed my brows and shook my head. “No.” Where was Stephan? I was sure I saw him in the ambulance.
*****
I didn’t see Stephan even after three days. Evelin visited and even his father, Lucas. They wouldn’t tell me about Stephan besides he was fine and thought it best they stop seeing each other. Derick didn’t come by either. Cassie and my friends visited me, but no Stephan. The bastard didn’t even tell me himself he couldn’t be with me anymore.
On the third day in the hospital they let me out. My arm had been recast and my other was in a sling to help it heal. I had stitches in my right leg where a bullet had gone straight through. I felt like shit, but what worried and scared me the most was I hadn’t seen Stephan or Derick. I learned from Cassie, they were both all right.
Sitting on the bed I waited for my guardian to show up and take me home. Cassie and her parents knocked on the door. My heart sank and I knew even before Cassie spoke, I wasn’t with Stephan anymore.
“Guess what. I get to have you as my sister.”
I forced a smile and slowly stood. I should never have let myself fall under his spell. Biting my cheek to hold in my sobs I berated myself, stupid, stupid me. I should know by now not to trust or rely on anyone. Hardening my heart, I stiffened my spine, grabbed my bag, and walked out of the hospital room. Never again. Never again would I let my guard down.
*****
The police wanted to talk to me and this time I didn’t have a lawyer there to tell them to hurry it along or stop them from badgering me. The week I spent recovering was spent mostly in the police station. I’d told them everything I could think of and more. They wanted to know everything about my grandpa and what I saw and the most important, who I saw. The person they were most interested in was the man I’d only caught a glimpse of. I now knew that the police thought I’d been shot at twice now thanks to my grandpa and his dealings. They wanted me kept quiet about who I’d seen.