Last Chance To Run (33 page)

He scooped her into his arms, ignoring the screaming pain in his ribs and side. “Hold on,” he ground out of his raw throat.

Frightened green eyes stared up at him. “Tried...to...tell you...not to come.”

“I know, baby,” he rasped.
“Couldn’t leave you.”
 

He made it to the stairs and looked down to find two armed guards on the main floor with their weapons pointed out broken windows.

He started to lower Chelsea to the ground to free his hands.

The front window and door exploded into the house.

Both guards flew backwards, knocked off their feet. The sharp smell of burned electronics, smoke and charred wood flooded the air from the
plastique
his team had used to blow the door. Josh’s back hit the wall, but he remained upright with Chelsea gripped tightly in his arms.
 

Sabrina
Slye
burst through the smoke-filled opening like an avenging angel, and took out both of the inside guards with quick double taps from her weapon. Black hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her dark
molle
vest was covered in pouches holding enough ammo to take down a small city.
Short blonde hair so out-of-context with his olive skin color, Dingo rushed in right behind her and looked up to where Josh stood “We got burned, mate.”

Josh had never been so happy to hear that Aussie accent in his life. He raced down the stairs to the main floor, gritting against the pain cutting through his adrenaline rush. “I know. There’s no package downstairs. Tell you everything later. Where’s Singleton? Chelsea needs a medic.”
 

From the way his side ached and the lightheaded feeling threatening to knock his feet out from under him, he did, too.

Dingo produced a second monocular from the vest he wore and slipped the headband over Josh’s head. He pulled the single night vision lens down into place then he slipped a small headset with a boom
mic
over Josh’s ears. No time to deal with the high-tech
commo
gear the rest of the team wore.

As Dingo did all that he explained, his words coming through in Josh’s headset now.
“Changed the plan when we lost contact with your tracker.
Singleton’s waiting to cover our exit through the woods.”

Josh snarled a curse. The team had walked into an ambush and now medical care was out of reach, but he wouldn’t put his teammates at more risk. He told Sabrina, “You four stick with the plan.”

Sabrina took one look at Chelsea’s wound and realized what he was saying, that he wasn’t going with them. “She won’t make it to a doctor.”

Chelsea coughed and blood trickled from her lips. Her voice was reed thin. “She’s right.”
 

“No, she’s
not
.”
 
He gripped Chelsea closer as if he could will her to live by force alone and growled at Sabrina. “Get the team out of here and I’ll meet you later.”

“How in the hell do you plan to do that dragging
her
around?” Sabrina said in a low voice tight with anger.

“I’m taking the Hummer.”

Sabrina clenched her weapon with white knuckles and snapped out, “I told you
never
to do this.”
 

Josh had no comeback. She was right and he’d sworn he wouldn’t get involved, but he couldn’t change what was and he wouldn’t abandon Chelsea to make a run through the woods. “Just go and let me handle this.”

Another explosion somewhere nearby shook the building.

Had to be Tanner
Bodine’s
handiwork, the only team member Josh couldn’t account for at the moment.

Fury rolled off Sabrina’s bunched shoulders. She started issuing orders, no different than back when she’d run their half-pint gang. Glaring at Josh, she snapped, “Are you hurt or can you run?”

With so much of Chelsea’s blood covering his shirt Sabrina’s question was routine and not because she had any idea he’d taken a bullet.

“I can run.”
 
If he didn’t pass out from blood loss, but any other answer or admitting he’d been wounded would start a new wave of conflict.

She turned to Dingo. “We need a path out the front gate. I’ll call the other two with the change of plans.”

Josh shook his head. “No, Sabrina.”
 

“Shut up and get ready to make a dash to the Hummer or I’ll shoot you myself. Stop at the limo then
wait
for my cover fire.”

Dingo had already vanished into the night like the shadow he could be when he wanted.
 

Josh knew better than to waste breath he didn’t have arguing with Sabrina when she had her mind made up. “Thanks.”

She ground out a derogatory sound in her throat that he translated as why did men have to get stupid over women?

Casting another look at Chelsea, Sabrina muttered, “Save your thanks. You’re not out of here alive and she’s still bleeding like a stuck pig.”

Blood poured through the fingers Chelsea had clamped over the wound. “Don’t be stupid...leave me...” Her eyelashes fluttered closed.

Josh shook her gently. “Wake up, baby. Stay with me.”
 

When her eyes blinked again, he stepped over to the side of the door opening that had been widened with that blast. Gunfire chattered back and forth outside. Bullets pinged everywhere.

Sabrina moved to the opposite side of the opening and took up the position she needed to lay down cover fire to the vehicles. Raising her HK 416 to her shoulder, she yelled, “Move,” and raked the area outside with rapid bursts of fire.

Josh yelled, “Moving,” and raced out into the pitch black where every light had been shot out.
 
Now the world came to him in shades of grayish-green through the night vision monocular. He hoped he was moving fast. His legs felt like lead.
Zigzagging
the best he could, he reached the limo and ducked behind it, catching his breath.
 

His vision swirled. He shook off the dizziness.

A spray of bullets peppered the car, and Josh ducked lower, clutching Chelsea to his chest as he waited for Sabrina to reload.

He twisted, watching the window for her muzzle flash. The minute she released another burst, he took off for the Hummer. He passed the Mercedes that had been turned into Swiss cheese.
 

Stars sparked through his vision. Sound withdrew and a black fog rushed at him. He thrashed at it mentally and pushed harder to reach the Hummer. He couldn’t lose consciousness now.
 

Sabrina rushed up beside him, still laying cover fire as she moved. She yelled, “Get in the damned Hummer,” and the volume through his headset rattled his brains.

He growled and drove his legs harder.

She opened the rear door just as he reached the truck. Josh hit the seat with Chelsea still draped over his arms.
 
The door slammed shut.

Sabrina jumped in the driver’s seat, all the time talking to her team through her
commo
. “We’re in the Hummer. Load up!”

Starting the engine, she threw the truck into gear and made a rock-slinging sweep around the yard. Shots battered the windows and exterior of the truck, not getting through.

Bulletproof truck.
Thanks,
Mendelson
, you rat bastard
.

Josh pressed his hand over Chelsea’s, putting more pressure on her wound. She moved a finger to touch his hand. “My
grandmother...please
...”

“She’s safe right now. I swear it. You’ll see her again.”

Her pale lips curved. “Thank you...for...us.”

He kissed her forehead. “
Shh
. Save your energy.”

Tanner
Bodine
yanked the front passenger door open, running with the truck then throwing his super-sized cowboy body inside.

Sabrina wheeled around hard, heading out of the property. She took one look at Tanner.
“How bad?”

“Bullshit bullet in the thigh.
You?”

“I’ll live.”

Josh heard them as if they were far away. He lifted his head. Everything spun again. Had Sabrina been hurt? “Where’re you hit, Sabrina?”

“Not hit. Knife wound. Arm. I’m good.”

Where was Singleton?

Sabrina slowed the truck just long enough for the rear passenger door across from Josh to open and Singleton to jump in. He scrambled to right himself and tug the door shut at the same time. Right before bullets splattered his side of the Hummer.

Josh said, “Need an IV and
gotta
stop the bleeding in this one.”
 

Singleton shrugged out of his Medic’s pack and lowered his monocular to look at Chelsea in the dark then raised his gaze to Josh. If not for Josh’s night vision monocular, he wouldn’t have been able to see the grim concern on Singleton’s coffee-brown face. The soft-spoken doctor wielded a knife with unmatched skill whether he wanted to save a life or take one. “I can’t, Josh.”

“Why not?”

Tanner asked, “Where’s Dingo?”

Explosions erupted on each side of the road ahead. Sabrina shouted, “Clearing the way.”

A loud thump landed on top of the Hummer then a fist pounded twice.

Sabrina floored the Hummer. “Dingo’s onboard.”
 
She punched the button to open the sunroof, and Dingo’s arm appeared, snaking inside for a handhold.

Josh swallowed, so damned glad that the whole team had made it so far, but especially the two people he considered a sister and brother. Now if he could just patch up Chelsea. He ordered Singleton, “Do something, now!”

The Hummer slid right and left as Sabrina muscled the truck out onto the road. She yelled at Singleton, “Get an IV into her and Tanner. We’ll be at the
helo
in nine minutes.”

That got through Josh’s muddled brain. “No.
Helo’s
not safe. CIA burned us.”

Stunned silence blanketed the truck. Sabrina found her voice first. “You’re sure?”

“
Mendelson
said CIA traded us...for Len
Rikker
. He knew your name. Knew it was your team.
Knew
my
name.
We were the currency.”

Curses blistered the air.
 

Pain stabbed Josh’s side and he shouted, unsure if it was the wound or the broken rib. He swung around to find Singleton poking at him. “Leave it,
dammit
.”

Someone stood in front of the truck, firing straight at the windshield. Sabrina plowed into the idiot. He hit with a hard thump. His body flew up in the air and out of the way. The man obviously hadn’t realized the windshield was bulletproof.

Sabrina demanded, “What’s wrong, Josh?”

“Nothing.”

Singleton answered, “Two things. Josh took a bullet in his abdomen and we don’t have IVs.”

“Why not?”
 

“My pack took a hit. Pack saved my ass, but IV kits were shredded.”

“Do what you can for Josh,” Sabrina ordered. Her fierce gaze lit up the rearview mirror, accusing Josh of lying to her by omission. “You’ll need more than an IV soon. Just hold on for me.”

That last part came out weary.

Josh looked over at their medic and saw multiple faces.
 

Singleton pulled a wad of gauze out of his pack and shoved it up against Josh who gritted his teeth and ground out, “Told you I’m fine. Chelsea needs help.”

“You’re not fine,” Sabrina said quietly. “I
won’t
lose you.”
 
 

Josh had never pleaded for anything, but he was the only one who believed Chelsea could survive.
“
Shingleton
.”
His chin drooped. He shook his head and worked his lips, trying to stop the slurring. “You got some...give her...
jush
buy time?”

No one spoke for a moment then Sabrina said, “Tanner.”

Tanner shifted around in his seat and looked back at Chelsea.
“Ah, hell.”

“Tell him, Singleton.”

Josh struggled to pull his thoughts together and fight off the fog sucking him into a vortex. “Tell me what?”
 

Singleton had latched his fingers around Josh’s wrist at some point, checking his pulse. He should be checking Chelsea’s. “
Dammit
...do
somesing
.”

Singleton spoke in his calm doctor voice, the one he used to talk patients through a disaster. He pulled off Josh’s monocular and tossed it away then lifted a small LED light and shined it down on Chelsea’s abdomen.
“Josh, she...uh.”