He’d wrapped himself around me without a second’s hesitation, driven me to the floor, and taken the bullet. I’d found out afterward that Radek had given him a heads-up before he took the shot. They were concerned that if Radek missed or didn’t take him down, Caulfield might shoot me as a reaction. That was why Garrett was counting with his fingers, to time everything. Radek had been successful, but with Caulfield’s finger on the trigger, his muscles simply reacted. That was the bullet that hit Garrett.
He’d risked his life. Now I was sitting in a plastic chair being completely useless, while strangers held his life in their hands. There’d been so much blood. It had kept coming no matter howhard I pressed, welling up between my fingers like I wasn’t doing anything. What if the bullet had hit something they couldn’t fix?
Stop it. He’s strong. He made it to the hospital. He’s going to make it through this.
But the blood had been so warm, and his eyes had gone so glassy, and?—
Stop.
Merlin sat across from me, two paper cups of cheap coffee on the small table beside him, both untouched. Aleš had driven us behind the ambulance, and now the two men were waiting with me. Merlin had dealt with the surgical staff, while Aleš had translated as required. Arthur, Radek, and some of the other men had stayed behind to answer to the authorities, and we hadn’t received any updates since.
“Merlin?”
He looked up at me, and I didn’t have anything to say. Maybe I just needed to talk. Of course, I could have stayed on the phone with Izzy if that was what I needed.
Arthur appeared at the end of the corridor, and I was on my feet before I’d thought about it. He nodded to Merlin as he approached, but he came directly to me, as though Garrett were more mine than theirs. “How is he?”
“Still in surgery. We haven’t heard anything.”
He took the chair next to mine, and I sat back down.
“What happened with the police?” Merlin asked.
“Caulfield’s in surgery at another hospital. Critical, but it sounds like he’ll make it. He’ll be charged with attempted murder at the very least. Richter’s in a holding cell. Kessler is cooperating.”
“And you?” I asked.
“The firearms situation required some discussion.” Arthur frowned. “Radek was the one who shot Caulfield. Given his Czech security status and that he was protecting the life of aprincipal, Pendragon has him covered. As for me, my father made a few calls. Apparently the fact that the police visited Kessler’s estate earlier this evening and failed to locate a kidnapped American woman was... the leverage he needed to get me released with a fine and a strong suggestion that we leave the country within seventy-two hours.”
“Can we do that?”
“It all depends on Galahad.” Arthur glanced at the double doors. “Did you get the egg on your way out?”
“It’s in my purse.” I nudged the bag with my foot. I’d dropped it when Garrett tackled me and had almost forgotten about it in the chaos. It didn’t even have a crack. The little enamel egg had survived everything, but Garrett… I blinked at the lights overhead, trying to hold back another wave of tears. “He’d better get out of the hospital fast if I’m going to get the egg back to Henri on time.”
Arthur patted my arm. “He’s too stubborn not to.”
The minutes crawled by. I stared at the double doors and tried to breathe normally. Tried not to replay the moment he’d rolled off me and I’d seen the blood or the way his fingers had loosened around my hand right before his eyes closed. Tried, and failed, and tried again.
Until the doors opened, and a woman in blue scrubs came through them. I was out of my chair before she’d taken three steps. She said something that must have been in Czech.
“Um, English?” I asked, hoping we wouldn’t need Aleš to translate.
She smiled and spoke in a thick accent. “Family of Mr. Cruz?”
“I’m— Yes. Me.”
“I’m Dr. Novotný.” She looked at me with the steadiness of someone who delivered bad news for a living.Don’t be bad news. Don’t be bad news.“The surgery was successful. We removed some bullet fragments and repaired the tissuedamage. There was vascular involvement which complicated the procedure. He came dangerously close to cardiac arrest twice. His blood pressure collapsed, and his heart rate became unstable. We intervened in time, though.”
My knees buckled. Arthur’s hand caught my elbow.
Twice. His heart had nearly stoppedtwice.
“He’s stable now,” she said. “His vitals have normalized, and he’s waking up. We expect a full recovery with proper rehabilitation.”
“Can I see him?”
“Yes, one visitor, but no more than ten minutes. He needs rest.”
