Love Lies Bleeding by Remmy Duchene (carter reed txt) 📕

was you? Then afterward I'd leave the house, pretending I was going on some case or another and find my way to Kodger's Row."

Leo shook his head.

"Yes. I'd find some unlucky, young stud who thought he was just in for a simple fuck and I'd make him pay for you ignoring me. I didn't kill anyone then—they were just your ass replacement…"

"Okay. So what do you want me to do about this? You tell me this now—now when all shit has hit the fan? What the fuck do you seriously want me to say to all this?"

"Nothing at this point." Daniel sniffled and aimed the gun at Leo again. "We go back to the drawing board—the original plan. You die."

"I don't like that plan."

"I don't care."

"For the longest time we thought the killer was from Jazmon's past—that's why we got the old yearbook to see if anyone in there would turn up red flags. You knew what taking that book would do to Anderson and it had nothing to do with Jazmon's past. You knew it would be a waste of time and you just sat back and watched."

"You think I was out to alleviate any pain Anderson was feeling? Hell, whatever he was feeling wasn't enough."

Leo ground his teeth to keep what he was truly thinking in his head. "Tell me something, Daniel," he began. "What's with the flower and Edgar Allan Poe?"

"The flower was one my father planted in the backyard when I was a kid. He said it was his dedication to me. It showed my father I was doing all this for him. As for the Latin—it was just fun. I mean they teach you this crap in school and you never get a chance to use it. Edgar Allan Poe was for me. The pendulum falls. Light a descent into the pit. The bells tell a perverse tale to the red death portrait. It's how I felt when my father was gone. Did you know the second I heard the news, the church bell rang?"

Leo wanted to punch him in the face then.

Anderson moaned and Daniel turned the gun on the professor. Leo rushed forward but Daniel stopped him.

"No!" Daniel shouted.

Leo held up his hands.

"No. You're not going to save him. You're going to watch him die."

Leo saw the look in Daniel's eyes and knew he wasn't playing. A smile traced Daniel's lips when he turned toward Anderson again. This time, Leo reacted and took a step forward. He wasn't sure how he moved so fast but when he shook his head and cleared it, Daniel was on the ground with a bullet in his shoulder. Leo panted in an attempt at slowing his heart to stop the pounding in his head, even as he reached out to Anderson and untied one hand. When he untied the next hand, Anderson hugged him tightly.

"Are you okay?" Leo questioned, slipping to his knees under Anderson's weight. "Talk to me, baby."

There was a loud boom which made his ears ring. His heart seemed to stop, spreading the pain through his whole body. The most pain came from one spot in his back.

"Leo?" Anderson whispered.

Leo couldn't remain on his knees. His body was suddenly slipping to the ground with Anderson grabbing for him. Just before darkness took over, there was another loud boom then Anderson's soft voice.

"I love you, Leo. I love you."

Chapter Eighteen

Anderson didn't want to release Leo's hand. He was dirty, covered in mud, and starving but all he could think about was Leo and the pale look on his face. He moaned a few times and squeezed his hand but didn't open his eyes. "I'll be right here, Leo."

"Sir, you can't go in with him," someone said and two hands grabbed Anderson's shoulder. Pulling away, Anderson kissed Leo's head. "Please…"

"We need to get him in surgery like, now. You have to let him go. We'll let you know the moment he's out."

"You don't understand."

The paramedic turned Anderson around and pulled him to the side. "I understand perfectly. You love him."

Anderson looked into the paramedic's eyes and for a moment he wondered why the man would even say that. When the paramedic nodded, Anderson understood.

"I'm Justin. I understand more than you think. Dr Benson is the best. If he can't fix this, no one can," Justin said.

When Anderson turned again, they were rolling Leo through the doors. Justin swallowed. "I have to head out again. But I'll come back and check on you two."

"You don't have to do that," Anderson assured him.

"No. I want to."

Anderson took a breath. "Thank you."

When Justin left him, Anderson wasn't sure what to do with himself. For a while, he simply paced back and forth, as though trying to talk himself out of bursting into the operating room. It was illogical but he just couldn't help himself. The clock on the wall mocked him. It moved so slowly he thought he was losing his mind. He rubbed his hands over his face. The time continued to slowly tick by. He kept going to the counter to speak with the nurses but no one had anything to say to him.

"Anderson!" Byung's voice caused him to swing around in time to catch his best friend to his chest. Isha stood with her hands over her mouth and tears in her eyes. But Anderson couldn't focus on her for long. Instead he hugged Byung tightly.

"Nǐ shēntǐ hǎo ma." Byung questioned.

Am I all right? I don't know.

Anderson held onto Byung the same way he held his friend when Anderson's mother died. He clutched the back of Byung's shirt tightly because if he let go, he was pretty sure he was going to fall over. For that moment, he felt numb. Except for Byung's hand caressing his back, he couldn't feel much of anything. When he could somewhat trust himself to speak, he licked his lips. "Yes. I'm fine. Leo… Leo's in surgery. They haven't really been telling me anything. I lost track of time."

"Surgery?" Isha