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The anxiety in his gaze only intensifies. “Find a fucking vehicle! They took her!”
I point to a black jeep that is taking off down the runway. The tower to the right starts smoking more, but I can hear yelling inside. Alexi looks torn.
“Go to your dad, I’ll call for a car.”
Havoc races into the building ahead and reappears in a gas mask with Laney in his arms. They must have knocked them out. He spots us and runs over.
“Arrow was taken to the hospital. Doc is sending another ambulance for Boris and Nessa. Where is E?”
“Do you know where a car is without the tires slashed? Does your bike work?”
He shakes his head, and I lose every strand of control I’ve ever had. I take off running back up the tower to watch where the vehicle goes as I call the men who should be closest to us.
“Hey, boss. What’s up?”
“Get to the airport, armored cars, five minutes.”
I hang up, knowing they will listen to me. I catch the black vehicle heading south on the main highway and pull up traffic cams on my tablet as I run back down the stairs.
They cannot have her.
“I need help,” Alexi yells when I come out of the tower door, getting a glimpse of where the jeep is heading. When I hear a sharp cry of pain, I set the computer down on the destroyed car by the tower and run to Alexi.
Chapter 64
As the building crumbles around us, all I can think about is shielding her, protecting her. My arms are tight around her but we are thrown back by the force of the collapse. The building seems to roll out from under us and her body separates from mine. My eyes struggle to adjust to the dark area. And when they finally focus, I see her impaled on a tall piece of rebar.
I run to her, my heart in my throat as I assess the damage. Her skin is pale, but she still has a pulse. Blood trickles down her face from a small cut on her head. Other than that, she seems okay. Well, as okay as you can be impaled through your abdomen with iron.
“Ness, Ness. Come on Lisichka, look at me.”
Her eyes flutter open at my words as she takes in the damage. She gasps, sobs racking her body and I can see the moment she accepts death.
“Get out of here, Boris. Get to Alexi.” She’s shaking uncontrollably. I suddenly remember the equipment stored here in case of an emergency.
Bolt cutters were in the bag in case the doors jammed and locked. I run to where I saw that part of the building fall and rummage through the items. Smoke is clouding the air so I wrap my shirt around my face to help filter the debris.
She cannot die, no one else can die.
I find the bolt cutters and run back to her.
“It’s not fair,” she says, seeming to be in a daze. “I lived my whole life for my father. I did everything he wanted. And he abandoned me at the first sign of weakness.”
She shudders, her voice growing softer with each breath. And if there’s one thing I’ve come to know about this woman, it’s that she is not soft. “I was planning to start living my life for me after this. Make my own way, my own choices. I was never going to go back to Ireland.”
Her body relaxes, and she seems to pass out. I take this as the time to cut the bar above her, careful not to let it fall on her. I leave a few inches though, just to make sure it doesn’t accidentally dislodge. I do not know a lot about emergency medicine, but I do know not to remove an object that is impaled, especially this close to her spleen and kidney.
I move her slightly to cut the bar below her, causing her to groan. Sweat coats her entire body, from the heat of the flames inching closer and likely from the shock as well. I’m able to cut the bar under her, but I can’t lie her flat on her back. Instead, I prop her on her side using some fallen debris to keep her upright.
I look for a way out, a thinning in the debris. The smoke is all rushing to one area and I run to it while yelling, hoping like hell some of the kids made it out of this and can get here. I hear a response but I’m unable to tell who it is. I keep yelling until I hear sirens. Alexi’s face comes to life in the darkness before me.
I grab his arm and pull him in. “Help me get her. I need to save her.”
My voice is a desperate croak, but I don’t quite care right now. Nessa is lying there still as ice. Alexi goes to her and checks her pulse. I force myself to watch, to know.
“She’s got a strong pulse still. This bar is likely holding everything in place. Can you help me move her?”
I look down at my shaking hands and remember her calling me an old man. I am not fucking old.
