Page 130 of Rescuing You

Not that Michael had expected him to. “Grab me different clothes from my pack. Don’t care if they’re dirty.”

Derrick tapped on a cell phone.

“Who are you texting?”

“Bryan. He’s worried.”

Oh. Right. Bryan was there too.

“There’s a first-aid kit in my pack. And I need a hat.”

Derrick lowered the pack to the floor, flung clothes and other items out of it, then held out the first-aid kit. “If you think I’m leaving you alone⁠—”

“Tell me what you saw. Cars, license plates. Men. Everything.”

While Derrick did that, Michael cleaned the wound, glued it shut, added clotting gauze, and spread tape over it.

“I don’t understand what’s happening,” Derrick said. “Who were those men with you?”

“Women. They’re women. Sisters. Disguised.” Leila, in the hands of…

Had Waleed Shehab been there? He shook his head, then froze as pain shot clear to his toes.

A knock came on the door.

“Whoever that is, tell him to go away.”

But Derrick opened the door, and Bryan stepped inside holding a small backpack. He froze. “What happened? Are you all right?”

Derrick said, “He was shot⁠—”

“—I’m fine. Close that door.” Once he did, he asked, “What’s in the bag?”

“Clothes,” Derrick said. “Clean ones. Who were the women?”

“My girlfriend and her twin.” He reached for the bag.

Derrick didn’t hand it over. “Your girlfriend? I didn’t know⁠—”

“Now’s not the time.” He leaned his hip against the counter, fighting a wave of wooziness, and held his hand toward the bag. “Give me that.”

Derrick fished out a pair of black sweatpants. “Let me help.”

“What women?” Bryan asked.

“They were with Michael,” Derrick said. “And were taken by…terrorists?”

“Yeah.” Michael nearly fell over trying to get his still-wet, sandy jeans off.

His brothers took over, holding him up, getting his dirty clothes off him, the clean ones on.

Michael thanked God for dry, loose pants, warm socks, and a clean T-shirt.

When they were finished, he reached for his wet boots.

But Bryan yanked off his tennis shoes. “I’ll wear yours.”

Michael didn’t have the energy to argue and was too grateful for words when he put on the dry sneakers.