Cheat [MxM] (Carter Brothers Book 1)

Chapter 32

JAE • POV

"DADDY! DADDY!" Ollie's agonised shrieks of panic assaulted my ears and I barely caught myself from dropping the thrashing toddler on his head as he bucked against me, determined to get out of my arms and rush to Ezra who was lying limp across his struggling mother.

I had no choice but to put him down or risk injuring him and the moment his bare little feet hit the floor, he was running as fast as he could towards Ezra. I was right on his heels, hooking him beneath his armpits and carrying him the rest of the way over to Ezra's side.

The more sane part of me, not utterly consumed by panic for my shot partner and rage for the woman who'd heartlessly pulled the trigger, wanted to drag Ollie away from the disturbingly graphic scene.

He shouldn't be exposed to any of this. Fuck, he shouldn't even be here. He should be in a fucking playground somewhere with Jeremiah.

The two year old's wide, tearful, impressionable green eyes shouldn't be seeing the smoking gun on the floor. He shouldn't be seeing his bloodied, lifeless father limp on the floor or hearing the yelling curses from the crazed adults in the room.

But there he was, vulnerable to the damaging influence of it all and I didn't have the time nor clarity to shield his innocence from being tarnished any further.

Besides, it was too late. Ollie was witness to it all and there was nothing I could do.

I set Ollie down and then dragged Ezra by his arm off of Renee who was struggling and lashing out like a trapped cat under a heavy blanket. His dead weight was almost impossible to move, but I managed it, albeit clumsily with a lot of straining and heaving.

I looked around with frenzy for Evan, needing his help, but was almost startled instead to find him engaged in an intense and sickly violent fist fight with Pete. They were crashing into furniture, narrowly avoiding Ophelia who squealed as she side stepped their path of destruction.

Ollie's shrill screams and the ringing in my ear from the gun shot had been masking the dull thud of fists hitting flesh and the accompanying grunts and groans of the two men as they barbarically attacked one another. Though it was clear who had the upper hand when Evan landed on top of Pete, straddling the officer's chest and pummelling his face into the floor with his knuckles, enforced by all the brute strength of a six-foot-five, ex-rugby player, thirsty for revenge.

Assured that Evan was holding his own and we didn't have to worry about Pete pulling out another gun and executing us from behind, I turned my urgent attention back onto Ezra who was unmoving aside front the occasional, entirely too slow jerk of his chest. I wasn't a doctor, but I didn't have to wear a white coat to know that if we didn't get Ezra to a hospital soon, he'd be fucked.

I scrambled to pull my phone from my pocket, my hands trembling with adrenaline and abject fear. Simultaneously, I rolled Ezra over, cursing frantically at the sight of all the blood bubbling out of the bullet wound piercing the left side of his chest... right near his heart.

Fuck, fuck fuck.

"Daddy!" Ollie wailed, pitch spiking as he thumped down beside his father with obvious frustration and helpless terror. I watched, heart broken, as the toddler bounced on his soiled diaper, rubbing his face against Ezra's stomach despite all the blood there.

He was snotting and tearing up all over Ezra, screaming even louder and demanding to be heard when Ezra didn't respond to his desperate calls.

"Daddy's okay! Keep your cool, Doc," I vocalised as confidently as I could muster, voice trembling with dread as I dialled emergency services. Daddy was most definitely not okay and Jae-Jae was lying, but maybe if I said it over and over again enough times, perhaps I could begin to believe the lie myself.