But it was too late. She heard him moving, the sound of his boots on gravel as he sprinted toward her position. Gunfire erupted from the men, trying to stop him.
Then a grunt of pain. A thud.
"Blade!" she screamed, terror clawing at her throat.
No answer.
No, no, no.
She peered around the tree, desperate for a visual. What she saw made her heart stop.
Blade was down, sprawled on the ground halfway between the cabin and the tree line. Blood stained his shirt. He’d been hit either in the shoulder or upper chest, she couldn't tell from this distance. He was moving, trying to crawl toward cover, but vulnerable in the open.
The leader emerged from behind the SUV, pistol raised, limping toward Blade's prone form. Victory was written all over his battered face.
"End of the line, enforcer," he called. "Zeb sends his regards."
Time seemed to slow. Lily saw the leader's finger tightening on the trigger. Saw Blade struggling to raise his own weapon, too slow, too late.
Without conscious thought, she stepped out from behind the tree, Beretta raised. This time, her hands were steady. This time, when she pulled the trigger, there was no hesitation, no trembling.
The leader's head snapped back, a red mist spraying into the air behind him. He crumpled to the ground, lifeless before he hit the dirt.
The remaining two men froze in shock at their leader's sudden death. It was all the opening Blade needed. From his position on the ground, he fired twice in rapid succession. Both men fell.
Then silence descended, broken only by the ringing in Lily's ears and the harsh sound of her own breathing.
"Blade," she whispered, then louder, "Blade!"
She ran to him, heedless of potential danger, dropping to her knees beside his prone form. Blood soaked his shirt, spreading in an alarming stain across his chest.
"You're hit," she said unnecessarily, hands hovering over the wound, afraid to touch, afraid to make it worse.
"So... observed," he managed, a pained grimace that might have been attempting to be a smile crossing his face. "What part... of 'stay in the safe room'... didn't you understand? You are in so much trouble little girl."
"The part where you get ambushed and killed because I wasn't here to save your ass," she retorted, tearing open his shirt to assess the damage.
The bullet had caught him high on the left side of his chest, near the shoulder. A through-and-through, from what she could tell. Serious, but probably not immediately fatal if she could stop the bleeding.
"We need to get inside," Blade grunted, trying to sit up. "More might be... coming."
"Don't move," she ordered, pressing her hands firmly over the wound. "You'll bleed out faster."
"Bossy," he muttered, but complied, sinking back onto the ground.
Lily looked around frantically. They were exposed here, vulnerable. But moving Blade in his condition could be dangerous too.
"Can you walk if I help you?" she asked.
He nodded grimly. "Done more... with worse."
Together, they managed to get him upright, his good arm draped over her shoulders, her arm around his waist. Blood soaked them both as they staggered toward the cabin.
Inside, she helped him to the couch, then grabbed the first aid kit from the kitchen. Her hands moved automatically, cleaning the wound as best she could, applying pressure bandages to stem the bleeding.
"You're... good at this," Blade observed, his voice strained but clearer now. The pain seemed to be focusing him, bringing him back from the initial shock.
"Dad made sure of it," she replied, working quickly. "Gun safety, self-defense, field medicine. Said I needed to be prepared for anything."
