Page 77 of Redemption in the Dark (The Righteous 5)
“What are you doing, you crazy asshole,” he whispered harshly and pushed harder up the steep incline, not even sure how Jimmy made it as his heart pumped hard with the physical excursion.
The sound of gunfire ripped through the night before he could reach the top. Jimmy’s body jerked as the bullets rained down and found their mark. Wolf reached Jimmy just as he began to fall as more gunfire ripped through the air.
Wolf caught his friend and then yelled as a bullet ripped through his own shoulder. Wolf clung to his friend as they tumbled down the sand hill that he’d just run up. He could pretend this was another time in their life for just a moment. A time when they’d rolled down hills as boys for fun and would go home with grass stains on their clothes and leaves in their hair like two wildlings.
The fiery pain in his shoulder as they made one final tumble together screamed that this was a far cry from their time as children.
“Oh fuck,” he groaned as he grabbed for his injured shoulder and sat up. Jimmy was face down in the sand, and he clenched his teeth hard against the pain as he rolled Jimmy over. “Why, you asshole, why?” Tears stung his eyes as Jimmy’s eyes found his.
Duke seemed to appear out of nowhere and nudged at Jimmy’s cheek with his nose. “Hey…boy,” Jimmy wheezed as blood trailed in a steady stream down his cheek. Jimmy lifted his arm enough that Duke could scoot underneath and lay with his head on his chest. Even with very little light, he could tell Jimmy’s chest was barely moving. “Boy, I thought I…told you…to keep Wolf…at camp,” Jimmy said, and Duke whimpered.
“Why did you do this?” Wolf gripped Jimmy’s shirt hard in his fist and wanted to shake his friend as much as he wanted to save him.
Jimmy’s eyes found his once more, and there was sorrow that he hadn’t seen since Awinita’s death.
“Because…it’s my time.” Jimmy gasped in a breath, his face contorting in pain before he began to cough. Blood splattered on Wolf’s face as his friend violently heaved. “You need to go….” Jimmy pushed on his chest, but the movement was weak. “Please go…save Duke, and save yourself.”
“I could’ve saved us both. We didn’t have that far to get to safety and….”
Jimmy smacked him across the face, and even though it didn’t hurt, the shock had him staring at his friend with wide eyes.
“Stop it…I was done…I am done.” He wheezed in a much smaller breath this time. “You know better.”
Wolf looked away from Jimmy’s face and wanted to just lay down in the sand, stare at the stars, and let whatever was going to happen just happen.
“Wolf…this is my time.” Jimmy’s hand gripped his arm. “I’ll finally…get my…girl.”
A ghost of a smile spread across his face as he stared off over Wolf’s shoulder. He didn’t have to look to know that no one was there, but Awinita was waiting for him. The sound of yelling was getting louder as the men that shot Jimmy and had been hunting them for weeks drew closer.
“You must go…save my gitli.” A smile spread across Jimmy’s face as Wolf snorted out a laugh as he said the word dog in Cherokee. “Told you I’d get…a word right one day.”
“You’re such an ass, but I love you, Jimmy. I’m sorry.”
“I love…” Jimmy’s hand fell from his arm, and his chest stopped rising.
The grief pierced Wolf’s chest as surely as the bullet had found his shoulder. He rocked back and forth as the sobs came out in silent wails of pain. First Awinita and now Jimmy. The guilt mingled with the grief, and he contemplated ignoring Jimmy’s request and giving up.
“Go!”
The sound was on the wind, but he knew it was Jimmy, and he managed to pull himself out of the misery long enough to close his friend’s eyes. Taking Jimmy’s dog tags, he stumbled to his feet. The men were definitely closer. He could almost make out words now and looked up toward the top of the rise. No one was up there yet, but it wouldn’t be long.
“Come on, Duke,” Wolf whispered as he held his shoulder and walked back in the direction he’d come. He looked over his shoulder at the sound of whining and noticed for the first time that Duke had been injured. Blood coated his back leg with fresh blood, and he held the leg up, but it was clear that the leg was useless.
“Shit.”
Walking over to Duke, he bent down, and even though it felt like someone was stabbing him with a hot poker, he placed his head under Duke and wrapped his arms around his legs. With a heave, Wolf pushed himself to his feet on shaky legs, and with one foot in front of the other, he marched away from his best friend’s body.
Jimmy granted him one more miracle as another cloud covered the moon once more, plummeting his location into pitch black. Nothing hurt physically anymore, not even each footfall. All his pain was channeled into his heart, knowing he’d never get to bring his brother home.
Wolf’s eyes fluttered open,but tears blocked his vision. His heart hammered hard as it pumped the blood through his body, but it was the pair of hands that cupped his face as soft kisses were pressed to his cheeks, pushing the coldness from his soul.
“Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you,” Maeve whispered back the words he’d said to her.
“You’re beautiful, Walela.”
Maeve stopped and gave him a smile filled with so much love that his heart instantly warmed from the cold dream. Leaning in, she kissed his lips with a tenderness that held so much emotion.
“Are you okay?”
