Chapter 25: Protect My Lipstick

I don’t even remember deciding to move—my body just did. One second I was frozen, the next my knees were hitting the sticky floor, sliding through liquor and glass as I skidded to Camilla’s side.

“Camilla!” My voice cracked, too high, too desperate. Her eyes darted toward me, wide and wild, her lips trembling like she couldn’t figure out if she wanted to speak or scream.

Julia dropped down beside me, hands already pressing over the dark, spreading stain on Camilla’s chest. Blood seeped hot and slick between her fingers, spilling faster than I could comprehend.

“Stay with me,” I begged, grabbing her hand and squeezing so hard my knuckles ached. “You hear me? Stay with me!”

Her mouth opened—no words, just a sharp gasp like the air itself was a knife in her lungs.

Rosetta was crouched behind us, scanning the chaos. Bullets still ripped through the air, glass exploded somewhere behind the bar, and the heavy bass was still thumping, like the DJ was either too terrified to move or completely insane.

“We have to get her out of here!” Julia yelled, her voice cutting through the noise.

“No shit!” My chest was heaving, panic clawing at my throat. “Hospital—we need to get her to a hospital.”

“Yeah? We’re not exactly in a damn ambulance!” Rosetta snapped, but it wasn’t anger—it was fear. Pure, quaking fear. Her gaze kept jerking toward the crossfire, searching for a path.

“We move now,” I said, the decision punching through my panic like a fist. “If we wait, she’s gone.”

A bullet shattered a bottle two feet away, spraying us with liquor and shards. I didn’t think—I just slid my arms under Camilla’s back and legs, lifting her against me. She was warm, heavier than I expected, but her head lolled against my shoulder like she was already halfway gone.

Her blood was everywhere—on my hands, soaking into my dress, warm against my stomach. The coppery smell filled my nose, making it hard to breathe.

Julia and Rosetta flanked me instantly. “We’ll cover you,” Julia said, her jaw tight, eyes sharp.

We moved in sync—me cradling Camilla, them forming a human shield on either side as we crouched low and darted toward the far wall. Every step was a battle; bodies slammed into us, people screamed in our ears, gunfire cracked so loud my eardrums pulsed.

“Left!” Rosetta barked, yanking me hard to avoid a toppled table. My arms tightened around Camilla, afraid if I loosened my grip even for a second, she’d slip away.

She groaned softly, and I bent my head so my lips were close to her ear. “You’re okay,” I whispered, not sure if I was lying to her or to myself. “You’re going to be okay.”

Her eyelids fluttered, her lips twitching into the ghost of a smirk. “If you… wanted to touch my boobs…” She coughed, blood spotting her lips. “…you didn’t have to… wait for me to get shot.”

A broken laugh burst out of me, half sob, half disbelief. “Shut up,” I choked. “Save your breath.”

Her hand twitched weakly toward my chest, smearing blood on my skin. “Protect… lipstick,” she rasped. “Don’t… let them steal it…”

Tears blurred my vision, hot and stinging. “You’re not going to die, you hear me?!” My voice cracked, shattering. “You don’t get to joke about lipstick and then leave us—”

Another burst of gunfire tore into the wall ahead, and we ducked, pressing against an overturned couch for cover. Julia peeked out, scanning. “We’ve got maybe three seconds between volleys. We make a run for the door on my count.”

Rosetta nodded, knuckles white around the broken champagne bottle she’d grabbed from the floor. “Three… two… one—GO!”

We sprinted. My arms burned from Camilla’s weight, my legs screaming with each step. The club’s main doors were ahead, lit red by the flickering neon. A man shoved past us, knocking me sideways, but Julia caught my arm and yanked me upright before I went down.

We burst out into the night, cold air slamming into my face. The street was chaos—people screaming, stumbling, running in every direction. Somewhere behind us, more shots rang out.

Rosetta spotted our car halfway down the block and bolted for it, fumbling with the keys. Julia and I dove into the back, me still cradling Camilla while Julia grabbed a shirt to press against her wounds.

Rosetta jumped in and gunned the engine, tires squealing. “Hold on!”

I pressed both hands over Julia’s, feeling the sickening warmth still pulsing through my fingers. “She’s bleeding too much,” I said, panic clawing at my throat.

“I’m fine,” Camilla slurred, her voice so soft I almost didn’t hear it. “Just… a flesh wound…” She coughed, a spray of blood dotting her chin.

“No, no, no—don’t do that!” I was crying now, the tears streaming hot down my face. “You’re going to be fine, but you have to stop talking.”

Her lips curved faintly. “You’re bossy when you’re scared…”

Julia’s voice broke. “Rosetta, drive faster!”

“I’m trying!” Rosetta yelled, swerving to avoid a man stumbling into the street.

Every bump in the road made Camilla groan, her body twitching in my arms. Her skin was clammy now, her breaths shallow and rapid.

I brushed hair from her face with shaking fingers. “You’re going to be okay. We’re almost there.”

“Lipstick…” she whispered again. “Promise me…”

I swallowed hard, my voice trembling. “I promise. But you’re going to tell me yourself when you’re out of surgery, you hear me?”

She tried to laugh, but it came out as a weak, wet cough. Julia’s hands pressed harder, her own tears dripping onto Camilla’s dress. “Don’t you dare leave us,” she whispered.

Rosetta took a corner so fast we slammed into the door. The hospital’s glowing red EMERGENCY sign finally came into view. Relief and terror hit me all at once.

We skidded into the drop-off lane, and before the car had fully stopped, Julia and I were out, shouting for help. Two orderlies and a nurse came running with a gurney, and I laid Camilla down, my hands still clamped over the wounds.

“GSW to the chest, heavy blood loss, she’s been conscious—” I was babbling, barely coherent.

They wheeled her toward the doors, but even as they moved, she lifted her head just enough to look at me. “Protect… my… lipstick…” she breathed, before the nurse pushed her flat and the ER doors swung shut between us.

And just like that—she was gone from sight.

The silence that followed was deafening. My knees gave out, and I sank to the tile floor right there in the hospital entrance. Julia collapsed beside me, her hands trembling and stained red. Rosetta was standing, breathing hard, staring at the closed doors like she could force them open with sheer

will.

We were all covered in her blood.

None of us knew if we’d ever see her again.