Jake didn’t know who spoke but in the next second every man except him and Ry had a gun in their hand. Glancing at his best friend, he said, “Who’s got a spare weapon?”
Dash held out a small handgun to Jake, while Roark offered one to Ry.
“When the doors open, I go out first followed by Dash, Jack, Keaton, then you two,” Roark instructed. “Keep your heads. We’ve got women and children to find and protect. Shooter is a secondary target after we’ve secured everyone.”
The elevator stopped and the doors weren’t even all the way open when Roark went through them. As instructed, they filed out behind him.
They cleared the hallway and headed for the suite at the end. The door stood ajar, but not enough to see inside. Lining up along the wall on either side of the doorway, they waited.
Roark held up a closed fist before easing the suite door open further.
As he slipped into the room they heard, “Clear! We’re clear!” yelled from inside.
Jake followed Jack, Keaton, Dash, and Ry in. Each of them held their weapons down.
It took him a moment to recognize who was talking to Roark. Penny Townsend, Jack’s adopted daughter, waved them further into the suite while saying, “Single shooter. One shot fired. Handgun under the sofa, assailant exited through the door, and from the sounds in the hallway I think she took the stairs.”
“She?” Roark asked as he holstered his gun.
Penny glanced at Jake before saying. “Maddox’s Bio-monster.”
Jack snorted beside him then explained, “That’s what Penny and Lys call their mother. Bio-monster.”
“So she’s saying Maddox’s mother is the shooter?” Jake asked.
“Rylan!”
The scream from the other side of the sofa had them all raising their weapons again as they raced across the suite. Roark and Dash vaulted the couch, the rest of them surged around either end. What they found was Maz and Alyssa working on someone, blood rapidly soaking the carpet around their knees.
“We need more pressure. We can’t stop the bleeding,” Alyssa called out.
Jake had been in and around enough medical emergencies to know with just a look that this was bad. No one lost that much blood from a simple wound.
“It’s an arterial rupture. Mid-thigh,” Maz explained.
He was undoing his belt with one hand while passing his gun off to whoever stood beside him. He’d pulled the leather through his pant loops and dropped to the floor before he saw who they were working on.
“Fuck.Lory.”
Both women had their hands pressed to Mallory’s thigh but blood still pumped through the gaping hole in her leg.
“Where? Where do I put this to cut off the flow?” he asked, leaning forward, belt extended. “How far above the wound?”
“As high as you can. I can’t tell what angle the bullet went in. I think it went downward but I not sure,” Maz said. “There’s no exit wound either.”
He quickly slipped the strap under Lory’s leg and brought the two ends together. The leather was too thick to tie so he slid the strap through the buckle as though he were putting it on. Then pulled it tight.
“Not too tight. We don’t want to damage the leg by cutting off all circulation,” Alyssa instructed.
Looking up, he made eye contact with each woman. “The hotel is on lockdown. If we weren’t already in the elevator on our way up, we wouldn’t be here. They won’t let anyone move until the shooter is contained. There’s no telling how long before we can get medical attention. She can live without a leg. She can’t live without blood.”
Maz blinked. Her gaze going liquid. “Pull it as tight as you can.”
“How long can you hold it for? If you feel your grip slipping, say something; one of us will take over,” Ry said, kneeling beside him. “Maz, Lyssa, what do you need?”
“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Maz looked around. “My bag. In my suitcase. I’ve got a first aid kit. I don’t know what’s in it, but it’s better than what I’ve got now.”
“On it.” Ry disappeared and Jack took his place.
