“The Parkins case?” Chase asked, confusion apparent in his voice.
“That was my kill. That was my money to have. You had to go and warn the man!”
Taylor didn’t like the way the guy’s voice was growing in hysterics. It did not bode well for him. He wasn’t sure how to deal with a nut job, but he knew that Chase shouldn’t be pissing the guy off.
“Chase, you’re making him mad!”
“Just stay calm, Taylor,” Chase replied, his eyes flickering to Taylor’s for a moment. “He already has an agenda. The only thing I can do is try to get you away from him.”
“It was faulty intel. You would have shot an innocent man.”
The guy laughed, the sound making the hairs on Taylor’s body stand on end. The man was off his fucking rocker!
“No one is innocent, Chase. Everyone is expendable. That was always your problem. You thought you could save the world. You were a fool back then, and you are still a fool.”
Taylor cried out when the gun went off. He collapsed to the floor, feeling a pain so raw radiating in his right side that he turned to his left side and began to pull himself across the floor. He had to get to Justin. He had to save his lover.
A howl so loud that Taylor thought his ears would bleed erupted as Chase shifted. But then Taylor heard another gunshot. He pushed to his feet, swaying slightly as he crossed the room, pulling Justin into his arms, and keeping the smaller man away from harm.
“Taylor,” Justin cried as he clung to him. “He shot you!”
“I’ll be fine,” Taylor bit out between clenched teeth, feeling the room spin all around him. Maybe he needed to lie down for a minute.
* * * *
Chase backed up when Remington hit the floor, his eyes glazed over and staring at nothing. He didn’t have a gun, so Chase knew there was someone else in the apartment. His heart stopped beating when he looked over at his mates and saw Taylor lying on the floor, Justin clinging to him and crying.
“Go to them. Get help your mates.”
“Marc?” Chase’s mouth dropped as his friend, Marc Duggon walked down the stairs and headed straight for the dead body on the floor by the door.
“Hurry, Chase. I’ll take care of this piece of shit,” Marc said as he bent over the body.
Chase forgot all about Marc as he raced across the room, pulling Taylor from the floor. His heart dropped when he saw the massive amount of blood already on the floor underneath his mate.
“Help him!” Justin screamed.
“Call Devlin, Justin. Tell him to get here as fast as he can with his mate. Use my phone.” Chase handed his phone over to Justin as he pulled his shirt off and tried to stanch the bleeding. If Taylor lost too much blood, there could be irreversible damage. He applied heavy pressure to the wound as Justin practically screamed into the phone for Devlin to get his ass here now.
“Don’t you leave me, Taylor. Justin and I need you. We’re nothing without you with us.” Chase felt the hot, wet tears slide down his face as he prayed Zacarius and Devlin got here in time.
Sirens could be heard off in the distance, and Chase knew that Joe Nash more than likely was the one heading up the cavalry, but he didn’t have time to answer any questions. He had to save his mate.
“I’ll go talk to the cops,” Marc said as he walked back inside through the patio door. Chase didn’t even care what the man had done with Remington’s body. All he cared about was making sure Taylor stayed alive.
“They–They said that they are only twenty minutes away,” Justin said as another sob tore from his chest. He dropped down to his knees, setting Chase’s phone down as he cupped Taylor’s face. “Don’t leave me, Tay. I love you.”
“Not going anywhere,” Taylor bit out and then grimaced.
“No talking,” Chase said, turning his head to the side so he could wipe the tears onto his shoulder. “Lie perfectly still.”
“Why are we waiting on Zacarius and Devlin? We should be rushing him to the hospital!” Justin cried out.
Because Chase knew Taylor wouldn’t survive if he went to the hospital. He had seen this type of wound before, and it was almost always fatal. Devlin had told him what Zacarius had done for Danny when he was poisoned. Chase was desperately hoping that the prince could do the same thing for Taylor. He was only one hope of Taylor surviving this, and Chase was praying Zacarius could pull it off.
After twenty agonizing minutes of keeping the pressure on Taylor’s wound, and Taylor growing so pale that Chase feared that it would be too late, Zacarius and Devlin walked through the door.
“Oh, my,” Zacarius said as he hurried over. “How long has he been losing blood?”
“Since I called you,” Justin nearly shouted.
Even after twenty minutes, the man hadn’t calmed one bit. Chase didn’t blame his mate. If he wasn’t trying his best to keep Taylor alive, he would have fallen apart as well. Only by concentrating on Taylor had Chase been able to hold it together.
“Do you need my help?” Joe asked as he walked through the apartment door, his face grim, his brows furrowed.
“Yeah, can you keep everyone out?” Chase asked.
Joe nodded. “Consider it done.”
Chase glanced over at his brother-in-law. “Zacarius, can you save him?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Chase snapped. “What do you mean maybe?”
“I mean that I can perform the ritual, and it might save your mate’s life, but it could also cost him his life. I do not know if he is strong enough to survive the ritual.”
“He’s strong enough.” Chase glanced down at Taylor, smiling weakly when he saw Taylor’s eyes looking back up at him through the small slit in his eyelids. “He’s one of the strongest men I know.”
Chase looked up when he felt Zacarius’s hand on his arm.
“You need to be warned, if I
