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She was only using her right hand What had happened to her left?

Visions of the possible atrocities the va up the stairs

Tink

The odd sound struck his ears as he entered her bedroom Her shirt, sticky with blood, lay on the badly stained coverlet on her bed The door to her bathroo permeated it

Tinkalink

Marcus crossed to the door "Aasp

"Marcus?" Her voice was so thick with tears he al the knob, he tried to turn it "Aed exhalation "You’re okay?"

"I’m fine, baby Open the door Please"

Both knew he asked as a courtesy Even in his weakened state, a flimsy door couldn’t keep him out

"I … I can’t," she choked out "I don’t want you to see me like this Let me …" She paused, e up, then I’ll meet you downstairs"

Marcus stared at the door in disbelief Screw that! Gripping the knob, he pressed hard until the fra inith a loud pop

Ami cried out as he stumbled inside, so startled she dropped whatever she held in her right hand

Tinkalinkalinkalink

Clad only in her underwear, she spun away, giving hiaze went to the sink where the object she had dropped came to rest

A small, malformed lump of lead settled beside three others in white porcelain Jackson-Pollocked with blood trails

Marcus stared at her narrow back, hunched slightly as though she were trying to e to be anything but exit wounds--defaced it: one on her right side down near her hip, the other on her left side up higher near the base of her ribcage

Two exit wounds Four bullets She’d been shot six tili its way into his gut

"Marcus--"

"Nooo" The word eed as an inhuman howl as he wrapped his aret to her

Ami screamed in pain

Shaken, he hastily released her and backed away

Aht hand out to steady herself

Marcus hastily took her hand (slick arth Once he was sure she wouldn’t fall, he touched her shoulder and carefully turned her to face hied with ruddy stains, her formerly white bikini panties now carmine The s blood, four of which she had dug the bullets out of herself A shallow cut bisected her h the skin of her left arm where it had been badly broken Bruises, puncture wounds, and gashes crisscrossed her ars No bite marks marred her form

Her sweet face was blood splattered, her eyes red-ri them clean One te

"A, she lowered her head, limped forward, and buried her face in his chest Both of her arled away froht hand fisting in his shirt "I couldn’t feel you and thought … I thought the drug had killed you"

Marcus wrapped his ar himself a few seconds to rest his cheek on her hair before he swept her up into his ar her into the bedroom, he laid her on the bed

"You’re sure you’re okay?" she asked when he turned away

"I’ as he retrieved a towel from the bathroom and knelt beside the bed

She was as pale as a corpse, her flesh cold and clammy As he pressed the towel to the bullet wounds in her stoe of her coverlet with his free hand and drew it over her legs, the towel he clutched, and her chest to warm her

"D-did Roland and Sarah ernails Her breath ca, weak, but fast Too fast She was in shock, had lost too much blood

"Roland and Sarah are fine, honey," he assured her, keeping pressure on her abdomen while he drew out his cell phone and dialed Sarah’s number "Is he awake yet?" he asked as soon as she answered

"No Did you find--"

"What about Richart?"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>