~Adrian~
I awoke immediately after sunset feeling eager to see Paige. Tonight will be the night that I tell her what I truly am. If she does not wish to see me again, I will understand and I will let her go. After I glamor her mind into forgetting the whole conversation of course. I just can't keep taking sips of her blood without her knowing, it feels wrong, but I needed to feel closer to her, now we are bonded, and I will always keep her safe.
I pulled out my phone and texted her: "I will be heading to the club shortly to open up the bar and unlock the doors. What time should I be expecting you?" I tossed my phone on my bed and got in the shower. The water had momentarily taken away all of my worries of how the night could go if Paige did not accept me for the monster that I am. Yet the dreams we share suggest that I have nothing to worry about, that she will accept me as I am. My phone began to ring so I grabbed a towel quickly and went for my phone eager to see if it was Paige, only to find that it was just David. I love my brother, but I would rather it was Paige calling.
"What could you possibly want, brother?" I said with humor.
"Just curious if you can start without me tonight? I think Nicole may be upset with me for leaving her after she fell asleep last night. I need to talk to her," he said.
"I can handle it without you, David, go make things right with your mate," I said with a sigh.
"I'll just see you when I see you," I added as I slid on my clothes.
"Thank you, Adrian. I'll call you when I can come in," he said with relief.
"Take your time. I have plenty of staff scheduled to work tonight. We'll be fine," I said just before hanging up. Still no response from Paige; I imagine she is comforting Nicole since she thinks that David abandoned her.
"Call me when you get a chance," I texted Paige,then got in my car and headed to the club. There wasn't a line at the door yet, but my loyal bouncers were already at work early, which is considered on time here. I checked the liquor inventory, and unlocked the doors, so now I can sit back and let my staff handle the rest. I went back to the bar and poured myself a drink. Still no response from Paige—I worry now that she will cancel with me tonight. I could understand her loyalty to her friend, but just wish she would let me know something. My phone began to ring from my pocket just as I finished my whiskey.
It was David again. "How did it go?" I asked.
"Let me in through the back door! Quickly, it's an emergency!" David said, his voice in panic. I hung up the phone and rushed down the spiral staircase leading downstairs to the back door. I wrestled with the keys in my pocket and finally found the right one. I swung open the door to see Nicole limp in David's arms. She was covered in blood.
"She's been shot, I can't let her die," David said. I felt panic coursing through my veins.
"Where is Paige?!" I asked.
"She wasn't there, I looked! Someone had to have forced themselves into the place, the windows were broken," he said with his voice still in panic.
"She may have gotten away from whoever did this."
I gave David a stern look, but inside, I was trying to grasp what the hell was going on. Maybe this is why I haven't heard from Paige all night. We have private quarters set up in the club for those nights that we can't make it home before sunrise. They seemed the best option we had for Nicole.
"Let's get her to one of the private suites and see if we can get that bullet out," I said as we walked down the hall to the room David uses most often. He jumped over the couch and hurried to lay Nicole on the queen size bed. He ripped the bottom half of Nicole's shirt to expose the bullet wound. I went into the kitchen of the suite and found nothing useful for removing a bullet. So I checked the bathroom. There was a kit on the sink that had tweezers, finger nail clippers, and other grooming items. I pulled out the tweezers, hoping they would be useful. David gave Nicole some of his blood to keep her alive, but she won't heal with this bullet lodged in her. I attempted to remove the bullet. I could hear the tweezers barely grazing the bullet, but I just couldn't get to it.
"We need a doctor to remove the bullet, David, but if we go that route she may not be able to be saved. She has already lost so much blood we may need to turn her for her to survive this," I said tossing the tweezers onto the bed.
"Blake used to be a paramedic before he became a shifter—he can remove the bullet! Get him down here quick, someone else can play bartender," David said.
"I'll fetch him, David but still, she may need to be turned to survive this," I said as I walked to the door.
"If it comes to that, I'll turn her myself," he said as he hugged her unconscious body. I wanted to help Nicole, but I have to know what happened to Paige. I have to know if she is safe. The only leads I have to find Paige would have to be from Nicole. I made it back up the stairs and went straight for the bar. Blake was not the only bartender on duty. I should be able to pull him away without the whole club being affected by his absence.
"Blake, I need your assistance for a bit. Can you come with me?" I asked with haste.
"Don't keep him long, I'm getting my ass kicked over here," Alice, the other bartender barked.
"You say you're getting your ass kicked every night. I'm coming," Blake said with laughter as he exited from behind the bar.
"Quickly—it's an emergency," I said as I led him down the stairs as fast as I could without using vamp speed and leaving him behind.
"What's going on?" he asked as he followed me down the hall.
"David's girlfriend has been shot. We need the bullet to be removed."
"I'll help however I can," he said with a nod as we entered the room.
"David, I'll leave Blake here to help you while I head back to Nicole's house to search for Paige." I said.
"Remember what I said, David, it may be her only chance," I said as I met his eyes. David nodded; he understood what would need to be done, but he just couldn't bear to utter the words himself.