The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 1009

Leilani didn't give him a chance to argue. Taking absolute control, she grabbed the hem of her shirt and violently ripped off a long strip of fabric to use as a tourniquet.

"Relax your arm. Stop flexing. I need to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. It's going to burn like hell, so bite down on something."

Her hands moved with clinical precision, swiftly wrapping the fabric above the puncture wound and pulling it viciously tight.

Callahan didn't utter a single word of protest, letting her work.

He acted like he was invincible, but the rigid line of his jaw betrayed just how much pain he was swallowing. He looked down at her. Her face was smeared with ash and dirt, making her look incredibly battered, yet her eyes were laser-focused on saving him. A faint, genuine smile ghosted across his lips.

He leaned in, his voice dropping into a raspy whisper. "Don't be mad. I promise you, I'm okay... Given the blast radius, walking away with a splinter is a miracle. Everyone is breathing... that's a win in my book."

He was trying to reassure her, but he was probably trying to convince himself, too.

Leilani didn't look up, her hands moving expertly as she fired back.

"Right. You're brilliant, you're fearless, you're a tactical god. But do me a favor—next time you decide to play Captain America and take a bullet for the team, make sure you don't actually get impaled. Do you have any idea how much you just terrified me?"

Her voice trembled slightly, betraying the sheer terror and heartbreak hiding beneath her anger.

Ever since they touched down in Northern Myanor, Callahan had thrown himself into the line of fire at every turn, taking hit after hit. Meanwhile, she was the one who had orchestrated this entire operation, yet she was walking away virtually unscathed.

The guilt was eating her alive.

Despite her harsh words, her fingers were incredibly gentle as she tied off the bandage, terrified of aggravating the trauma.

The lighter he tried to make it sound, the more it broke her heart.

Leilani felt a lump form in her throat and focused on finishing the knot.

"Boss, you took a hit?"

Abel scrambled over, his face pale with concern. His ears were still ringing from the blast, causing him to shout.

"Holy shit, that's deep! Are you going to bleed out?!"

Looking at the gruesome wound, Abel winced as if he could feel the phantom pain himself.