And I give them something steady to hold onto.
“We’re good,” I tell them.
My voice is calm.
Controlled.
Certain.
“We got you out. That’s what matters.”
One of the younger boys clutches the injured kid tighter. “Is he going to be okay?”
Lucas glances at me.
I nod once.
“He’s going to be okay,” I say.
Because he has to be.
Because they need to believe that.
Miles leans forward, checking the boy’s pulse again. “He’s still with us. We just need to get him to the doctors.”
Doctors.
That hits something in the back of my mind.
“Status on Bowers and Cole?” I ask.
Lucas pulls out his comm.
Static crackles.
Then—
A voice.
“Took you long enough.”
Relief hits harder than the bullet did.
Dr. Hannah Bowers.
Alive.
“Bowers,” Lucas says, sharp and focused. “Status.”
“We’re secure—for now,” she replies. Her voice is steady, but there’s strain underneath. “Cole’s with me. We’ve got two more kids here. One critical.”
Of course there are more.
There are always more.
“We’ll be at the hospital with the kids soon.”
Miles swears under his breath. “That’s not that far—but it’s not safe either. They are still chasing us.”
