AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I willneverget off your back,” she says with a passion that makes me proud. “Not when your life is at stake. If you think for one second I would give up on you when you saved my life, took me in, and taught me to feel pleasure again, you are sorely mistaken.” Her voice trembles. “I love you, you stupid jerk. I need you, and so do the others. You’re our leader! We can’t do this without you! I don’t even know if we’re winning or losing out there! But Idoknow that we’re stronger together. If you stay behind, it’ll make us weak. And youarestill the Judge. You don’t need eyes to use your Gift. Take yourself out of the equation, and we’ll be sitting ducks out there. Please! Please, Jud!”
Love for this brave woman and this stubborn man crashes over me like a tidal wave. Cora throws her arms around Jud’s neck and begins sobbing and blubbering. And when his arms come around her, I know we have him.
Stealth gets back, and he’s got a brown bottle with a faded label on it. He unscrews the lid and holds a rag out to me. I motion with one hand to wait a second.
We watch while Cora sniffs into Jud’s neck and sits back on her heels. Her calf-sheath is showing beneath her upturned pantleg. She unstraps the sheath and slides Jud’s Damascus home. Holding it out to him, she says, “You’re going to use this to protect me on the way out of here, understand?”
He takes the sheath. “Is my queen giving me orders?”
“Darn right,” she says.
With shaking fingers, Jud straps the sheath to his forearm. I can hardly believe it. He’s listening to her. It’s a good thing we brought her, because I couldn’t have done what she just did. None of us could have. It had to be her. Our Heart.
The half-full water cooler jug is heavy for Cora, but she lifts it so the spout is in front of Jud’s mouth. “Here. Drink.”
He uses his hands to help her hold the big container, and, for the first time since we found him, he willingly takes in water. And boy, does he take it in. He’s practically dousing himself with it, taking huge gulps like a fish sucking air after being caught.
When he’s had his fill, Cora sets the jug on the floor and takes Jud’s hands. “Now, get up off that floor. Come on. We’re getting out of here.”
Jud takes Cora’s hands. “Don’t know if I can, kitten.”
“All you need to do is try,” she says. “Doc and Stealth are here to help.”
We take our cue and enter the cell.
“Come on, brother,” I say. And when Jud lets me and Stealth help him up, I know his Gift is as intact as ever. There’s no way he’d allow an unknown man to help him unless his Gift had already looked into Stealth’s heart and found him worthy.
“You’re gonna be all right, buddy,” Stealth says.
“We’ll see,” Jud says, but he’s on his feet and taking some of his own weight. His journey to recover isn’t going to be a quick one, but Cora was right. He had to be the one to take the first step.
Chapter 20
Rev
I burst onto the roof,weapon hot, and I’m immediately engaged in a firefight. Rounds explode the concrete behind me and punch at the steel door I just shoved through.
In nanoseconds, my instincts pinpoint the direction of the shots. They’re coming from a man I assume is Lazarus. In the intense wind up here, hair like fire wages war around a long, heavy-jawed face. He’s dressed head-to toe in black leather and buckles, like frigging Lady Gaga, and his feet are planted as he aims his weapon.
It’s an old-west shoot-out, and my body remembers what to do. Guess having a sketchy past comes in handy when you’re fighting sketchy characters.
Lazarus is out in the open, making no effort to hide from my fire.
I’m behind an AC unit, peeking out between his shots to squeeze off one or two of my own. To my astonishment, he takes the rounds! He takes them right to his chest. And he doesn’t go down.
While I peer around the AC unit, he tosses his head, and his mouth splits open with a mad cackle. “You can’t kill me!” He shouts, advancing on my hiding place. “I am the antithesis to death!”
He’s coming, and he seems impervious to my bullets.
“In ancient times,” he says. “Jesus resurrected Lazarus. In the New World, I am the resurrection! I am the New Lazarus!”
I squeeze off another shot, this time, aiming for his knee. If I can’t kill him, I’ll drop him.
He stumbles as I hit my target, but it’s a small thing for him to regain his feet and take aim.
I barely dodge the shot he returns.
So, Raptor has a guy named Lazarus on his team. It sounds like his Gift is resurrecting the dead. And being impervious to death, himself.
