Page 119 of Property of Yak

He coughs again, and it sounds slightly wet. “Do you really love her?”

“I love her more than life itself,” I tell him as I shove QuickClot from my pocket into his wound. It won’t save him, but hopefully it will stop the bleeding.

Benjamin grabs onto my wrist. “Look at me.” When I do, he continues. “Then go save her. I’m a lost cause. Let me cover you while you get her out of here.”

“Benjamin, if I leave you, she will kill me,” I say, shaking my head.

“I’m already a dead man, Yak. Her life is more precious than mine. Just promise me you’ll get her out of here, and I’ll do whatever damage I can to do here until you do.”

I want to go to her, but I also want to save him. In the end, the paleness of his skin decides for me.

We are too far for paramedics to make it here even if we did make the call. He will die here, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

“Okay,” I say, the words tasting like ash.

He reaches for his gun that he dropped, so I grab it and hand it to him. He stands on shaky legs and uses the crate as a support.

“Go,” he demands. “I’ll cover you and call in a firefight. You’ll need to get your men out of here as soon as possible. You’ll be questioned later, but they won’t have proof you were involved. Especially if you strip the defectors of their cut.”

I nod, getting ready to run toward where the man took Julie.

I pause for a split second. “I’ll treat her right. I’ll never cheat on her. Never lie. I’ll do my best to give her a happy life.”

Jaw clenching, he nods as he fires off a shot. “You have my approval, son. Tell her I love her, and I will always be with her.”

With that, I dart off to the side, toward where the stairs are that lead to the upper level. As I step on the third step from the bottom, I scan the crowd. I see that Yooper is still holding strong, taking out guys. Poutine and Sap are doing the same, working in tandem together. My eyes dart to Benjamin, and I watch as he takes down Ray, the man he trusted to have his six.

A bullet whizzes by me, and I look for the culprit. When I spot the straggly-looking man, I shoot, hitting him right in the skull. I don’t wait for anyone to notice and dash up the stairs. As quietly as possible, I make my way down the hall where I hear scuffling.

“Let me go,” my girl demands, making my heart sing.

She’s alive. Alive and fighting.

I check my gun to make sure one is still in the chamber as I approach. When they come into view, I pause.

“Let her go,” I demand.

The man turns toward me, eyes wide. “You can’t have her.”

He looks like a child, maybe eighteen. When he starts to raise a gun to point it at her, though, I don’t hesitate. I pull the trigger. For the third time, I watch as my girl is sprayed with someone else’s blood because of me.

Her eyes fall shut, and she starts to waver. Rushing forward, I pull her into my arms.

“Are you okay?” I demand.

“Y-you came for me,” she says quietly.

“Of course, I came for you. Did you really think I wouldn’t?”

She looks up at me with nothing but love. “I knew you were. I knew I just had to buy myself time.”

“I’m proud of you, baby.”

Her eyes dart over my shoulder. “We need to go. He’s going to come for you. I’m surprised he hasn’t already.”

She’s right.

I look around and realize that there is a fire escape on the side of the building. The only problem is we have to walk back across the mezzanine to get to it, leaving us completely open to the fight below.