Page 145 of Tease Me

“I am a Graham.” His voice fades and his head falls to his chest.

“Coop? Coop, come on. Stay with me. Damn you, wake up.” The world around me is silent, but I can hear his breath. I can’t lose any of them.

Fuck, I should have controlled the gun sooner. I should have figured out Patrick was the stalker sooner. I should have protected them all.

“Come on, Coop. Stay with me. Fight this. Madison needs you.” I rest my forehead against his and try to give him all my strength. “I need you. We all need you.”

Chapter 167

Taking Inventory

Seth

I’m winded as my cell phone finally finds a signal. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I call Bill Carr and take deep breaths while waiting for him to answer. I’m not as far as the helicopter, but still some distance from the house. I can’t leave them alone for long.

“This is Carr.”

“We couldn’t wait for the police. There were shots fired and Anna Beck ran straight to us. She said Madison was unconscious.”

“Fuck. The police are on their way. They should be there any second.”

“We went in. Patrick Beck is the stalker. He’s tied up, but he managed to shoot Coop in the struggle. You can tell the police to come straight to the house and we’ll need that ambulance too.”

“Yeah, let me radio them. Make sure you put pressure on that gunshot wound and we’ll take care of the rest.” He hangs up.

“Fuck!” I shout into the still afternoon air. Coop can’t die. I saw the blood and ran to get help. Now I need to head back to see how I can keep him alive until the EMTs get there.

Before I return to the cottage, I text Noah with shaking hands, letting him know what’s going on. We don’t know what Patrick gave Madison. We knew going in that something could go wrong. But Coop was unexpected.

He has to make it. There’s no alternative. No reality where him not being here makes sense.

“Hey. I was coming to join you guys.” Noah raises his hand as he jogs toward me. “You okay? What’s happening? Is Madison okay?”

“Come on, I’ll explain on the way.” I gesture toward the house and we hurry back. “Coop’s hurt. Patrick’s neutralized. Madison’s unconscious.”

“Fuck.” Noah picks up his pace and so do I.

When we enter the house, Patrick stirs on the ground. I’ve never hated anyone the way I hate him. We trusted him and then he pulls this shit. If I had nothing to lose, he wouldn’t be breathing.

But he’s not worth my freedom.

“Will you check his ropes?” I nod to Noah because I still don’t trust myself. Patrick hurt Madison. He hurt Coop. I hope he rots in jail. But if he even tries to talk to me, I might lose it.

I’m hanging on by a thread here.

But they need me. I walk to the hallway and squat next to Blake. His face is pale, but he’s doing everything he can to apply pressure and stop Coop’s bleeding. His hands are bloody and there’s blood running down his arm. The source is a fairly large gash from a bullet.

“Fuck.” I dart into a bathroom and grab a towel. I kneel beside Blake and grab his arm.

“No. I can’t let up on the pressure.” He jerks away.

“Your wound needs attention too.” I press against it and he hisses in pain. “I’m not losing you either.”

Blake’s eyes meet mine. “We’re not losing anyone today.”

Sirens sound in the background, heading our way, maybe a minute out. Relief pours through me. These guys are my family. I can’t lose any of them. I won’t.