Chapter 14: Forty-One Hours in Hell
I died three times.
The first time was on the rooftop, the moment the bullet tore through me. I remember the heat, the wet spread across my side, Bella’s scream cutting off as the concrete rushed up to meet my face.
The second time was in the chopper. Marcus’s hands pressing so hard on the wound I felt ribs c***k. Bella sobbing my name over and over like a prayer, her blood-slick fingers tangled in mine. The medic shocking me once—nothing. Twice—nothing. Then a weak blip and the pilot screaming we were two minutes out.
The third time was on the operating table. Four minutes twenty-two seconds. No heartbeat. The surgeon later told Lydia he’d already called it when the monitor suddenly kicked back. He called it a miracle. I call it spite. I wasn’t done
