Chapter 288
They were even stronger than he’d imagined.
Are we really going to die here today?
A chill ran through Elijah’s heart.
Across the stairwell, Chris had already raised his pistol. The muzzle locked onto Elijah. His finger began tightening around the trigger.
Just then—
Bang.
A different gunshot rang out. It was deeper, heavier than the first. A heartbeat later came the sharp metallic clatter of something hitting the floor.
The sound had come from behind him.
Elijah’s ears rang as he slowly turned around.
There stood Leonard, expressionless, holding a pistol with both hands, the barrel still aimed squarely at Chris.
The shot had come from him.
Elijah’s eyes widened.
Wait... He has a gun too?
"You—"
Chris never finished his sentence. The bullet had already punched through his skull.
His eyes remained wide with disbelief as he collapsed to the ground, lifeless. The moment their leader fell, the remaining attackers scattered like frightened birds.
If even Chris was dead, staying behind meant nothing but certain death.
Worse still... The people inside the building had firearms as well. Running was their only chance.
Within moments, the stairwell was empty.
For the time being... They were safe.
Silence settled over the blood-soaked corridor once more. The heavy metallic scent of blood hung thick in the air, so overpowering it made everyone feel sick.
Elijah and several others immediately went outside to check the surrounding area, making sure no one else was lying in ambush.
Meanwhile, Thomas and the others rushed toward Suzy.
Thomas reached her first.
Dropping to one knee, he held his trembling hands over her injured shoulder, afraid to touch her for fear of causing more pain...
Yet equally terrified that if he didn’t, she might collapse.
His fingers shook uncontrollably. His knuckles had gone white. His lips were pressed into a thin line.
And in those calm, steady eyes... Suzy saw something she’d never seen before.
True fear. Raw, overwhelming fear.
"Suzy! Let me see!"
Leonard and Derek hurried over as well, panic written plainly across both their faces.
Suzy clenched her teeth.
She wanted to tell them she was fine, but before the words could leave her lips, another wave of agony crashed through her shoulder.
The pain nearly blacked out her vision.
Drawing a shaky breath, she swallowed the cry that threatened to escape and gave only the slightest nod, careful not to move the wound.
Her coat was dark enough that the blood was almost invisible beneath the dim emergency lighting.
Only when Thomas reached out and touched her shoulder did he realize how much blood she had already lost.
His expression changed instantly.
"We need to get her upstairs and treat that wound," Elijah said grimly. "We’ll hold things down here."
Thomas nodded. The stairwell wasn’t the place to deal with a gunshot wound.
Without another word, he scooped Suzy into his arms and hurried upstairs.
Liam followed close behind. His thoughts were in complete chaos.
She protected me... She actually took the bullet for me...
The nearest apartment belonged to Liam, so they headed there immediately.
There wasn’t a second to waste.
Liam rushed for the medical kit while Derek carefully helped remove Suzy’s coat. The dark fabric had hidden the blood well. But the moment he lowered the zipper and eased the coat from her shoulder... His fingertips met something warm and wet.
He looked down. His hands were covered in blood.
Everyone froze.
"Suzy..." Derek’s voice came out hoarse. His eyes reddened almost instantly. He continued removing the coat, his movements infinitely gentler than before.
"I... I’m okay," Suzy whispered weakly.
She wasn’t. She was only pretending.
It hurts. Damn, it hurts so much.
She’d never imagined being shot would be this painful.
Thomas had already laid her carefully across the sofa. Taking the medical kit from Liam, he quickly opened it and pulled out scissors, antiseptic, gauze, and clotting powder.
His hands were still shaking so badly that he nearly dropped the scissors.
Leonard quietly took them from him.
"I’ll do it."
His voice was low and steady. Kneeling before Suzy, he carefully cut away the blood-soaked fabric covering her shoulder.
The cloth had adhered to the wound.
As it peeled away from her skin, Suzy couldn’t suppress a muffled groan. Veins stood out along her forehead. Cold sweat rolled down her temples.
Yet she bit down hard and refused to cry out.
"Hang in there, Suzy," Leonard murmured, his own voice rough.
His hands, however, remained swift and practiced.
Disinfect. Clean the wound. Apply medication. Wrap the bandages.
Her face had become almost as white as paper. Her lips had lost every trace of color.
Even so, she endured it all with her eyes closed, her trembling lashes the only sign of how much pain she was in.
She looked heartbreakingly fragile, like a glass doll that might shatter at the slightest touch.
Derek stood nearby, still clutching her discarded coat. His reddened eyes trembled. His lips shook as though trying to form words.
Nothing came out.
"That was reckless," Leonard finally scolded, though his voice trembled more than his anger did.
Suzy managed a weak smile. Turning her head, she looked toward Liam.
He had remained beside her the entire time, not leaving her side for even a second.
Their eyes met.
"I panicked," she admitted softly. "The bullet was aimed at Liam’s head. I’m the one who got hit... That’s still better."
At least... She wouldn’t die. She still had spirit spring water inside her storage space. It would help her body recover far faster than normal.
But if that bullet had struck Liam in the head... There would have been no saving him.
Silence filled the room.
Liam’s eyes narrowed, a deep wrinkle cutting between his brows. It felt as though someone had seized his heart and crushed it inside their fist.
Of course he knew.
He had seen the gun. The barrel had been pointed directly at him. At his head.
Without her... He would already be a corpse.
His throat tightened painfully. Words refused to come. He didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know how to respond.
"Don’t ever do something like that again," Leonard warned quietly.
Suzy nodded obediently. "Okay."
After finishing the bandages, Leonard glanced toward Liam.
His expression was empty, then something seemed to occur to him. With a quiet sigh, he exchanged meaningful looks with Thomas and Derek.
"We’re going downstairs to check the situation."
"Liam. You stay here with Suzy."
Before Liam could even respond, Leonard had already ushered Thomas and Derek toward the door.
Neither of them wanted to leave.
Thomas looked deeply reluctant. Derek was equally unwilling. But Leonard insisted, pulling both men out of the apartment.
He knew Suzy wanted to speak with Liam alone, so he gave them the privacy she needed.
The door clicked shut. The dim apartment fell silent.
Only Suzy and Liam remained.
After a long moment, Liam slowly walked over and crouched beside the sofa.
He lowered his head, but he couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes.
His lips parted several times before any sound emerged.
Finally, in a voice so faint it was barely audible, he asked, "...Why?"
Suzy opened her eyes and looked at his lowered face. A smile tugged gently at her lips.
"Why what?"
"Why did you shield me?"
He finally looked up. His eyes searched hers.
She smiled as though the answer were obvious.
"Because... I didn’t want you to die. If getting hurt could save your life... Then I’d say it was worth it."
Liam pressed his lips together. A wave of emotion rippled across his face.
Suzy lifted her uninjured hand and gently brushed away the streak of dried blood across his cheek.
"It’s okay," she whispered. "You don’t have to blame yourself so much..."
Before she could finish... Liam quietly reached up and placed his hand over hers.