Devlin jumped, but didn’t move.
“Run!”
That roused him. He took two steps before the barrel faltered. It was my one and only chance.
I lunged and caught the barrel, twisted sideways, and slammed the hard plastic butt into the center of his face. Blood spurted from his crushed nose. But he hadn’t released the gun. He squeezed off a shot, which landed somewhere above us. I stomped my heel into the flesh of his foot, pivoted, and yanked the rifle from his grasp. I spun again and landed another hard rifle butt blow to his forehead, then, just for good measure, spun and caught him in the gut. He crumpled to the ground.
My legs turned rubbery, and my vision swam. I wasn’t going to make it out the door, but with Devlin neutralized, I could wait for my team to come get me. I pressed the gun’s release button, pulled out the cartridge and tossed it, andchecked the chamber to make sure it was empty. I dropped the unloaded weapon, then checked the bomb. The second I saw the green light, my vision faded, my legs folded, and I hit the ground.
Cold water drippeddown the side of my face, startling me awake.
“Wheeler, don’t do that,” Bond said.
“Look, it worked.” My partner sounded very proud of himself.
“Sure, now you assholes show up, after I’ve done all the work.” My voice croaked. I opened my eyes, but everything was blurry. “Not you, Doc,” I said, assuming the face above me was hers.
“Good to know,” she answered. “Wheeler, try getting some of that water into his mouth.”
I got a good long drink, then tried to push myself into a seated position. Bond held me down by my shoulder.
“Stay put,” she said. “You’re leaving here on a gurney.”
I didn’t argue because I wasn’t sure I could even sit, let alone stand. “Where’s the rest of the team?”
“Other than Jensen and Lang, they’re all here,” Wheeler told me.
“What about Devlin? And shit, Taylor Stewart was here—”
“Stop, or I’m putting a medical gag on you,” Bond said.
“What the hell is that?”
“Something I just made up to make you stop talking,” she answered.
“His mouth works, but what’s wrong with his eyes?”
I recognized my sister’s voice. I held out my hand, and she squeezed it.
“His vision should recover as his concussion heals,” Bond assured her.
“I called it,” I said. “I knew I had a concussion.” No one else expressed excitement at my excellent situational awareness. “Is Savannah safe?” I asked. “Is she with Jensen and Lang? I hope she didn’t watch—”
“Not kidding about the medical gag,” Bond said. “You have a concussion. Lie still, be quiet, and wait for transport, or I’ll have to sedate you. Your teammates know how to do their jobs, and Savannah is fine.”
“Except that her stomach didn’t do well in the bird,” Mai said.
“You brought her here?” I asked.
“We had a good reason,” Mai said.
“Where is she? Can I see her? Hear her? Feel her?”
Bond sighed loudly. “Oh for fu—Bloom, can you see if Savannah feels well enough to see Hayes before I give him a medical gag and a sedative?”
A minute later, I heard her enter the cabin. I knew her footfall, and the silky touch of her skin as she took my hand, and the scent of her shampoo as she leaned over me.
I turned toward the blurry spot that was her beautiful face. “Mmm, baby, you smell good.”
