“Sure,” I said. “But Bates, he—”
“A pile of flesh and bones,” she said. “We need to get you to a hospital. Dr. Mercia—”
“Not a medical doctor,” I said.
“We’ve got another doctor too. Iris had a connection from the club.”
I didn’t understand how Ellie had thought of everything, but I didn’t question it. I was glad, relieved, even, that she was there. Another guard came toward us, and she reached over quickly and grabbed my gun off of the floor, shooting the man three times in the chest.
She turned to me. Her blue eyes flashed, and she held me tight, pulling me closer to her.
“You did it,” I said. My body shook, trying to fight against the pain, but it was hard. The world grew quiet, and I wondered if any of the women had died in the fight. If we had managed to keep our promise. “You got him, Ellie. You avenged your sister.”
“We did it,” she said.
CHAPTER 25
Ellie
The doctor paced towards us, keeping his head lowered, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. We used the cover from the building to keep out of the way and gave him space to work. He unfolded his pack, going through his equipment. He adjusted the collar of his shirt, the bulletproof vest poking through the opening.
“We’ll have to work quickly,” he said, his hands shaking. “I’m not used to these—” he gestured around, “—conditions.”
“Just do your best,” Wil muttered.
While the doctor cleaned and treated Wil’s wounds, I held Wil close, a protective arm around him, but kept my eyes focused on everything surrounding us, a grip on his gun, holding it up, ready to kill anyone trying to mess with us. But the echoes of the fights were dissipating. Axe ran through the middle of the campus, his chest bleeding, but still running fast, scanning to make sure the guards were all dead. Derek was helping move the women over to Iris and another man, who were working quickly to bind them before they woke up. Several of the Adlers’ men shot their tranquilizer darts from behind the buildings and trees. One sniper hidden at the top of a tree took out every new guard and scientist that stepped out of cover. Billy and Jane searched the domed buildings, getting rid of the rest of Muro’s men. The campus was littered with bodies: white uniforms splashed with red, some naked and unconscious, and a few dressed in colorful clothing, their bodies dashed with red too.
Luckily, when we explained what was happening, every entertainer in the Dahlia District had given up their stash of restraints. It was temporary, anyway, just until Mercia could help them. And it had taken begging their security to get in front of Gerard. Luckily, he overheard me from the hallway and wanted to listen as soon as I mentioned his sons. Gerard gave up his restraints too, the ones that his sons hadn’t taken yet, then went to the Midnight Miles headquarters to see if Muro was there, maybe to end this sooner.
Tell my boys that they’re reckless, he had said before I left,But that I’m proud of them. Especially Wil. For doing what’s right for the family.
By the strained look in Gerard’s eye, I knew he was leaving something out, as if he knew he had let his sons down in the process, but I didn’t know Gerard or their family enough to make a guess. And though it had been for the family, I knew Wil had protected the other survivors of the Skyline Shift, not for his dad, mother, or brothers, but for me.
Mercia appeared at the edge of the woods, her jaw dropping to the ground. She struggled forward. Our eyes met, and I gave her a silent nod before she turned back to the rest of the campus. The plan was to have Mercia do a group therapy session on steroids. At least—in theory, that’s what she wanted to do. But from the look in her eye, she clearly hadn’t expected this.
“And I’m supposed to treatallof them,” she said, turning to me, “right now?”
I nodded. “Right now.”
“All right,” she said, shrugging. “Let’s get this party started.”
She went forward, approaching the first woman, who stirred, then got up on her feet quickly, ready to attack Mercia. But Mercia asked a few questions, and the woman stared at her for a second, cautious, but listening. That was a good sign. I turned back to Wil.
“That’s it,” the doctor said. He patted Wil’s shoulder. “Stay out of trouble for a while.” He nodded at his thigh. “And come to me when you’re all done here. I’ll take another look. Make sure it’s healing properly.” He shrugged. “You’ll need stitches. But this should hold up until then.”
“And you’re in Sage City?” Wil asked. The doctor nodded. “Thanks.”
“Anything for one of my goddess’s friends,” the doctor said, glancing at Iris.
The doctor ambled to the next patient, and with some help, Wil got to his feet, straightened his stance, but then he clenched his jaw. It must have been hard to be comfortable. I put an arm around him, making him lean into me.
“It’s okay,” I pretended to whisper. “You can use me as a crutch. No one will know.”
He chuckled, but his body stiffened, and I glanced around. The two brothers came forward, meeting us at the border of the campus. A thought hit me; even with all of the gunshots, the police hadn’t come yet. Based on what I knew, I had assumed law enforcement would be on Muro’s side. But were they taking their time protecting him? Were they questioning their allegiance with his corporation?
How many friends, and how many enemies, did Muro have?
“Everyone’s been locked down?” Wil asked.
