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She'd never stop hearing the cries of the innocent.
"She's lost a lot of blood, Pen," Zoey said. Sydney was still conscious. How in the hell was the girl still conscious? "I just don't know."
"Back up is on the way. I heard them. They’re outside," Murdoch said. "Just stay still, Pen. It'll be ok. We're all going to be ok."
“You don’t look so good yourself, hot stuff.” Sydney waved a hand at him as Zoey tried kept pressure on the wounds. “How many hits?”
“Three or four. But I’m good. I’m the toughest Lake of them all. Let’s worry about you now, ok?”
Zoey looked at the man she loved. There was blood pouring from his neck. All down his chest. From his neck, from his arm. From the hole in his shoulder. He held pressure on her little sister's gunshot wound.
He was losing a lot of blood right there, too. She wasn’t stupid.
Neither was he.
They both knew what was happening here.
Zoey coughed. The smoke was going to get worse. "We need to get everyone outside."
Where the good guys should be at any moment. Where the good guys couldfindthem. And not get distracted in another part of this building. Outside. They needed…outside.
"I'm going to have to carry Syd. Listen up, my beautiful ladies. We're going to work together, ok?" He took the Kevlar vest and draped it over Sydney's chest. Tightened the Velcro as tightly as it would go. "We're going to use this to keep pressure on the wounds, Syd Kid. It's not going to be perfect, but we gotta do what we gotta do."
"Sydney," Zoey leaned over her. "Where is the little boy? Was he still inside?"
Terror for that little boy threatened to choke her.
But Sydney wouldn't have left an innocent child someplace unsafe. Zoey knew that.
"No. I..." Sydney was fading fast. "I gave...him...to girl...with Pen's face. New sister. I found her inside. She took him outside...to help… But...blue eye... He's...safe...so...little...with Slater's...face. He’s just...a little baby."
Sydney passed out beneath Zoey's hand, as Murdoch tightened the hook and loop closure on the vest again. He bent, lifted Sydney into his arms. He struggled a bit. Zoey could see the blood on his naked chest spreading. He was only going to be able to move Sydney for so long.
If anyone else was waiting outside…she didn’t know if they could defend against them. But she’d heard sirens. That meant…help was just…
Zoey coughed, choking on the damned smoke that just kept building around them.
They were going to do this. Right now.
Pen struggled to her feet. Zoey went to her sister. Hooked Pen's right arm over her shoulder and lifted her as best she could. Zoey looked toward the corner. Where she had last seen...
"Oakley? Come on, sweetheart. We are getting out of here forever now. Together. Come on, baby. Come here." Oakley came to her slowly. Coughing. Tears streaming down her tiny cheeks. Zoey leaned down. Scooped her onto her hip, in spite of her own protesting ribs. Eastman had been a big man, with madness fueling his rage. Zoey was going to be feeling that for a few weeks. But she was alive. And he wasn’t. That was what mattered most. “I have you now, sweetheart. Let’s get outside, girls, ok? It’ll be ok. I promise. We will all be ok.”
Pen leaned against her. Oakley’s arms slipped around Zoey’s neck.
Zoey steadied herself.
And followed Murdoch out into the night.
137
Bonnie crawled,using her knees and her one good hand. She’d lost the gun when she’d dropped it after shooting the redheaded man. She wished she still had it.
But now…she just had to stay alive. And get back to her girls. Find Crispin.
Bonnie was telling herself Crispin had gotten away.
Her daughter was smart, strong, very athletic, and resourceful. She’d done gymnastics and track and basketball for years.
