“No. No. No. No. Lucy,” she whispered as shesearched for a pulse. She finally found it, but it was barely therebeneath her fingertips. “Please don’t leave me. Please.”
Kyle glanced in the rearview mirror again.When he didn’t see anyone following them, he jerked the wheel andscreeched to a halt on the side of the road. He threw the SUV intopark and jumped out of the vehicle. He ran around to Lucy’s sideand threw open the door.
The sorrow on Melanie’s tear-streaked facetore at his insides before he shifted his attention to Lucy. Bloodoozed from the bullet hole in her back just to the right of herspine. It looked like it had gone through her lungs, and when heturned her over, it came out below her breast.
Blood soaked her shirt, but the flow of itwas sluggish, as was the beat of her heart. If he didn’t dosomething, she was going to die. He leaned into the vehicle, liftedher onto the seat, and turned her head toward him.
Melanie scrambled to sit with her as he bitinto his wrist. When blood welled forth, he pushed his arm past herlips while he watched the road behind them.
“What are you doing?” Melanie whispered.
“Hopefully, saving her life.”
When his bite healed, he bit into his wristagain and gave more of it to Lucy. He bit his wrist once morebefore pulling his arm away when the wound healed.
“We have to go,” he said. “That should keepher alive. Let me know if she worsens, and I’ll give her more.”
However, if she worsened, she’d probablydie.
Melanie gazed from him to her friend and backagain before leaning over Lucy, grasping his hand, and whispering.“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me until we’re out of this.”
He pulled his hand away from her, slammed thedoor, and ran around to the driver’s side. He jumped behind thewheel again, shifted into drive, and hit the gas.
“We have to find a new vehicle soon,” hesaid. “If anyone survives back there, they might come looking forus.”
Melanie held Lucy’s hand as she gazed behindthem. She couldn’t see the facility, but like it was some living,breathing, malignant entity, she could feel it breathing down herneck.
“There is no might about it; if my father andDelilah survive, theywillcome for us,” she said.
CHAPTER 35
With a squeal oftires, Brian pulled into a rest area and stopped abruptly.
“What are you doing?” Cassidy demanded.
Brian’s head bowed, and his knuckles turnedwhite as he gripped the steering wheel. Abby rested her hand on hisshoulder as she leaned across the console toward him.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I’ve got him,” Brian said.
Cassidy sat up straighter and gripped theback of Brian’s seat. “You have Kyle?”
“Yes.”
Too afraid to hope, Cassidy glanced at Dante,who remained focused on Brian. “Are you sure?” she whispered.
“Yes,” Brian said.
“How is that possible after all thistime?”
“I don’t know, but I have him.”
He shifted the vehicle into drive again and,pulling out of the rest area, drove to the next exit before turningaround and getting back on the highway. He headed north.
“Call your family,” Brian said. “I don’t knowwhere I’m going, but you can give them directions as we go.”
