Air: Elementalist Book 1 by Rebecca Wolf (christmas read aloud .TXT) 📗

arm, feeling a little woozy at the site of my own blood. Had I just been shot? Tommy took a clean dishrag from one of the cabinets next to us, and held it to my wound, grimacing as it caused his own bad arm to jostle. His face was white as a sheet. I heard more shots fired and heard a scuffle before Penny ran over and crouched next to me.

“I tried to shoot him, but he was too fast. He jumped over bar tables like he was playing leapfrog. I can’t believe he got away.” She said breathlessly. You all right?” she asked, her face a mask of concern.

“‘I’ll live,” I grunted, “what about the first guy?”

Penny started as if just remembering him. She ran over and after looking the guy over, reached for his pulse. “He’s dead,” Penny said, and then, as if just realizing what that meant she startled her eyes looking crazy. “I shot him, and I killed him. Oh my GOD. he’s really dead!" she looked at me as though I had all the answers. “What should we do? We can’t call the enforcers, what if Ben didn’t get a chance to talk to them about backing off? What if they still have it out for me? What if these two WERE enforcers? Oh my GOD.”

“Okok,” I said, taking a deep breath, we have to think.” I looked at Penny and Tommy. “Anyone know someone who could hide a body?” No one responded. “We need to figure this out quickly. Tommy needs medical attention, and we can’t call a medic or go to a medical facility until we figure out what to do with the body.” I thought for a bit, “I would do it myself but my right arm isn’t really up to it right now.”

“That’s an understatement,” said Penny, looking again with concern at my arm. "Tommy is not the only one who needs medical attention, Zephy.”Penny hesitated, looking at my bloods soaked arm with worry as she continued to think.

“We could call Ben, maybe... I mean, he did apologize.”

“I’m not sure at this point we should trust Ben’s apology,” I said gently.

Penny nodded, swallowing hard.

“Jerry would do it for cash.”

“Jerry would sell us out for cash.”

“We could call Aiden.”

“What? No. absolutely not.”

“Think about it Zephy, he is likely to want to cover this up for your image as a couple, and he is powerful enough to have connections who won’t rat him out for money.”

“I don’t want us to owe him anything more than I already do.”

“We're basically doing him a favor, allowing him to cover this up before it compromises his image.”

I sighed and slumped against the cabinets behind me. I was too tired to argue anymore. “Ok, fine, but you call him.”

“Your his fiancé, you call him.” said Penny, jabbing at the air in front of me.

“You’re the one who killed the guy. This is your bar. YOU call him!” I said setting my jaw. I closed my eyes. I refused to budge on this.

“fiiiiine,” Penny huffed, “but I’m calling him as a woman so I sound more vulnerable.”

“Do what you gotta do,” I said.

Penny morphed back into a girl and pulled out her cell.

“Aiden, this is Penny.”

I didn’t think Penny had to fake the tremor in her voice. “Zephyr had been shot and is refusing medical treatment until we deal with the shooter’s body.”

What??

My eyes flew open in shock. I gave Penny a startled look of disbelief, and tried to grab the phone away. “Don’t you DARE make this about me!" I hissed.

“what’s that? Your coming?” Penny said, while fending off my feeble attempts to grab the phone.“Make sure she doesn’t move? Yup, got it.” She hung up with a smile of relief, “and that, lady, is how its done!” she whooped.

“What the hell was that?” I yelled shrilly, “he doesn’t need to know I’m HURT!”

“Hey, you said to ‘do what I gotta do’. I was just following your suggestion. Now he’s motivated to get here sooner. Five minutes is a lot sooner than if I had just said, ‘there’s a dead body.'"

Five minutes later the bar door banged open. A flash grenade went off and a team of guards charged in, spreading out with laser scopes searching and securing the area. Aiden stalked in after them, and started immediately issuing commands on how to dispose of the evidence. I rolled my eyes at Penny. Talk about overkill. You would think he was running an elite military operation.

One of the guards hopped the counter and crouched next to me.

“Are you Zephyr, ma’am?” I nodded affirmatively. “My name is Adam Silf. I am a medic with the team, and I will be assessing your wounds.”

“I’ve only got the one, and it doesn’t even really hurt anymore, I’m pretty sure Tommy has a broken wrist though, you should probably see him first.”

“John is seeing to him ma’am,” the medic said nodding to one of the other armed personnel crouching over Tommy. Adam probed my wound gently, before pouring solvent on it. The next thing I knew I was flat on the floor looking up at the ceiling. “Get a stretcher!” Someone barked.

“Nono. I’m fine, really.” I reassured them, as I tried to sit myself up. A searing pain went through my arm, and my vision got dark around the edges as I collapsed back down. Oops, must have tried to use the wrong arm, I thought woozily, as they lifted me onto the stretcher.

“Ma’am, if you can’t stop moving we’re going to have to tranq you,” Adam said sternly. “Wow. Sounds like I’m in trouble,” I slurred.

“You’re lucky it looks like a clean through and through, and it missed the major arteries. The bullet must have ricocheted off the stainless steel garbage can before hitting you through the deltoid. I’m giving you a shot of localized painkiller to help with the pain.” Adam pulled out a hypodermic needle and plunged it into my arm. Aiden appeared next to the medic.

“Adam, how