fists and feet crashed into him. The pain in his head merged with the burn under his ribs. Salty sweat and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, and his vision grew fuzzy. The last thing he heard before he succumbed to the pain was Claire’s panicked voice.
"Stop, or you'll kill him!"
Then a blissful darkness veiled his eyes.
***
"Oh, my God! He’s not moving. I think you killed him!"
"Y-you don’t really think..."
Voices buzzed around Claire. She heard words, but nothing truly pierced the fog of horror and shock that enveloped her.
"Well, I ain’t hanging around for the cops. Let's go, Lowery!" Claire didn't know which of Ray's friends spoke. Not that she cared. Her attention remained locked on Kevin's still form, sprawled on the damp pavement.
A sinking dread and alarm lodged in Claire’s chest. No air moved in her lungs. She stood rooted beside her car, trembling. Ray backed away then and, with his friends, scrambled for the red Corvette.
"What about her? She saw everything!"
"Forget her. Let’s get out of here!"
With a squeal of rubber, Ray shot out of the parking lot, leaving a pungent cloud of exhaust.
Claire struggled for a breath, numbed by what she’d witnessed. She had to do something.
The police. 911. Help.
Somebody help! her mind screamed, but her limbs remained frozen.
Finally, shock gave way to tears. She raised a shaky hand to her mouth, and with a little hiccupping gulp for air, she inched toward Kevin.
This is your fault. He was defending you.
Dropping to her knees beside Kevin’s still and bleeding body, she reached for his wrist to search for a pulse. Her hands shook too much to tell anything. Frustrated with herself, she gently turned his head and slid her fingers along the side of his neck, whispering a prayer. "Please, please!"
The gentle pulsing under her fingers was the sweetest thing she’d ever felt. Tears of relief bloomed in her eyes. She pushed to her feet, headed back toward her car for her cell phone.
A weak groan stopped her. Kneeling beside him again, Claire brushed Kevin's bangs aside. His eyes fluttered open.
"Oh, thank God," she murmured, her fingertips caressing the side of his face. "Kevin, stay still. I'm going to get help."
He brought a wobbly hand up to his nose, swiping at the gentle trickle of blood there. After staring for a moment at the dark stain on his fingers, he closed his eyes and sighed. He mumbled something she couldn’t hear, and she leaned closer.
"What did you say?"
He drew a shallow and unsteady breath. Judging from his grimace, even that much movement hurt him greatly. "That didn’t go...quite the way I'd hoped."
Claire blinked in disbelief. Surely he wasn’t joking at a time like this? But as she studied his bruised and swelling face, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Bad plan," he rasped.
Sharp-edged guilt twisted inside her. She should have been able to prevent this. If she'd handled the situation with Ray better...
She carefully brushed his bloodied hair back from the cut over his eyebrow. "I’ll be right back, Kevin. I’ve got to call an ambulance."
He caught her hand as she tried to get up, an action that must have cost him dearly. He drew a sharp breath and winced, stopping her.
" Now ...you want to leave me," he mumbled, his voice gravelly.
"What?"
"When I yelled...for you to...go home—" He paused long enough to take a careful breath. "You wouldn’t leave. Now, when I’m bleeding..."
Claire shook her head, not believing what she heard. "How can you think I'd leave when you were fighting to defend me?"
"Not fighting. Distracting. Fighting was...never part of the plan." He took another measured breath. "Fighting...was Ray’s idea."
"Part of the plan? What are you saying?" Claire wrinkled her nose, trying to understand his whispers while stroking the side of his face.
Kevin struggled to sit up, clutching his side and gulping for air.
"Easy." She pressed gently against his shoulder and guided him
"Stop, or you'll kill him!"
Then a blissful darkness veiled his eyes.
***
"Oh, my God! He’s not moving. I think you killed him!"
"Y-you don’t really think..."
Voices buzzed around Claire. She heard words, but nothing truly pierced the fog of horror and shock that enveloped her.
"Well, I ain’t hanging around for the cops. Let's go, Lowery!" Claire didn't know which of Ray's friends spoke. Not that she cared. Her attention remained locked on Kevin's still form, sprawled on the damp pavement.
A sinking dread and alarm lodged in Claire’s chest. No air moved in her lungs. She stood rooted beside her car, trembling. Ray backed away then and, with his friends, scrambled for the red Corvette.
"What about her? She saw everything!"
"Forget her. Let’s get out of here!"
With a squeal of rubber, Ray shot out of the parking lot, leaving a pungent cloud of exhaust.
Claire struggled for a breath, numbed by what she’d witnessed. She had to do something.
The police. 911. Help.
Somebody help! her mind screamed, but her limbs remained frozen.
Finally, shock gave way to tears. She raised a shaky hand to her mouth, and with a little hiccupping gulp for air, she inched toward Kevin.
This is your fault. He was defending you.
Dropping to her knees beside Kevin’s still and bleeding body, she reached for his wrist to search for a pulse. Her hands shook too much to tell anything. Frustrated with herself, she gently turned his head and slid her fingers along the side of his neck, whispering a prayer. "Please, please!"
The gentle pulsing under her fingers was the sweetest thing she’d ever felt. Tears of relief bloomed in her eyes. She pushed to her feet, headed back toward her car for her cell phone.
A weak groan stopped her. Kneeling beside him again, Claire brushed Kevin's bangs aside. His eyes fluttered open.
"Oh, thank God," she murmured, her fingertips caressing the side of his face. "Kevin, stay still. I'm going to get help."
He brought a wobbly hand up to his nose, swiping at the gentle trickle of blood there. After staring for a moment at the dark stain on his fingers, he closed his eyes and sighed. He mumbled something she couldn’t hear, and she leaned closer.
"What did you say?"
He drew a shallow and unsteady breath. Judging from his grimace, even that much movement hurt him greatly. "That didn’t go...quite the way I'd hoped."
Claire blinked in disbelief. Surely he wasn’t joking at a time like this? But as she studied his bruised and swelling face, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Bad plan," he rasped.
Sharp-edged guilt twisted inside her. She should have been able to prevent this. If she'd handled the situation with Ray better...
She carefully brushed his bloodied hair back from the cut over his eyebrow. "I’ll be right back, Kevin. I’ve got to call an ambulance."
He caught her hand as she tried to get up, an action that must have cost him dearly. He drew a sharp breath and winced, stopping her.
" Now ...you want to leave me," he mumbled, his voice gravelly.
"What?"
"When I yelled...for you to...go home—" He paused long enough to take a careful breath. "You wouldn’t leave. Now, when I’m bleeding..."
Claire shook her head, not believing what she heard. "How can you think I'd leave when you were fighting to defend me?"
"Not fighting. Distracting. Fighting was...never part of the plan." He took another measured breath. "Fighting...was Ray’s idea."
"Part of the plan? What are you saying?" Claire wrinkled her nose, trying to understand his whispers while stroking the side of his face.
Kevin struggled to sit up, clutching his side and gulping for air.
"Easy." She pressed gently against his shoulder and guided him
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