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I can’t talk about this any my head fro hi the car into Drive "You will need it later"

I push it down between er of beco a trusted member of society," I jest

I see his eyeshis head

"Perhaps," he says, pulling onto the freeway "Just let it be known that if that’s the case, I’ll have to tie you up again" He looks over at , I see that his eyes are

I turn toward thebeside me because unlike Victor, I have absolutely no control over the s him see it

~~~~

We stop at a hotel just outside of Tucson and instead of running away this tis up to our rooether that days ago I never would’ve i my own, but he insisted that while with hi on the run with soine it’s better that way, but I do feel that there’s so hts when I see the blood on the tail of Victor’s dress shirt as he pulls the shirt fro?" I walk over to hiet a better look at that side of his body

"Yes, but I’ll be fine"

"But ere you shot?"

He unbuttons his shirt all the way down, exposing his well-defined chest muscles and abs underneath, but all I notice is et into the room, why he seemed uncharacteristically uneasy since before we parted ith Niklas and Cordelia

"Go down to the front desk and request a bottle of peroxide, gauze and alcohol They should have a first-aid kit"

I keep looking to and fro to see the actual wound He takes his shirt off the rest of the way and drops it on the floor

Finally, I take notice of his physique

"Sarai?"

I look up at hiht back"

I hurry out the door, not running but walking briskly so as not to draw too itive

It takes several longthat I asked for after having to leave the lobby and look in the housekeeping room Because she only had a tiny first-aid kit with some Band-Aids and antibiotic ointment, close-by behind the desk

"Sorry, I couldn’t find any peroxide, but here’s a full bottle of alcohol" The girl hands the bottle and an unopened box of rolled gauze over the counter to ht?"

I thank her and take the stuff fro’s fine My uh, boyfriend, cut his hand open on his pocket knife" I shaketo open one of those hues I told him I’d come down here and ask for soain for a little added effect

The girl laughs lightly "Sounds like ain and head back to the elevator feeling like I can’t get away froh

Victor has his slacks pulled down over one side of his hip by the ti his waist aardly so that he can get a better look at the wound, which I see clearly now There’s a small hole in the thicker flesh just behind the top of his hipbone It doesn’t appear to be bleeding h there’s plenty of blood on this shirt, proof it’s already bled its fair share

I walk over and set the supplies down on the long TV stand in front of theat the woundalcohol, "but it’s not deep" Twisting the cap off, he pours sori pain eases

"You left it in there all this ti no potential reason acceptable "Why didn’t you do this sooner? Or go to a hospital?"

It dawns on me now that he didn’t even tend to that wound after he dropped me off, that he waited until after…

"Victor?" I ask upon realizing

He walks over to his duffle bag on the table by theand reaches inside

"Yes?" He barely looks over at

In the last second I decide not to speak my assumptions aloud Because I’m probably far off theso absurd

"Never mind," I say "Do you need help?"

He contemplates the offer "No, I can do it I’ve done it before"

Maybe that lie I told the front desk clerk had so about it and then I auze in my hands

"You can’t even see it fully," I point out "I can help Just tell ain, his face appears faintly contemplative and then to my surprise, he takes off his slacks and stands in front of ht black boxer briefs that cling to every masculine curve and indentation frohs It’s only natural that I check him out a little, especially since he’s so physically fit, but I don’t let that distract me That bullet deserves all of ive it