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“Now. Go!”
He pushed her away from him roughly, but there was no more strength in him. He’d used it all up.
“No. No, I’m not leaving you.”
“Listen,” he said.
She cocked her head to the side.
There was yelling in the distance. It had faded from her awareness until now. Whatever conflict was raging was getting closer.
“Come on. We’re both getting out of here,” she insisted, but he pushed her hands away from him. “Do not ask me to leave you here.”
“Jess? Samuel?”
She turned to gape at none other than Harper standing in the far doorway. He had on jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Over that was tactical gear, complete with a Kevlar vest, helmet, and assault rifle.
Jessica stared at him for several long moments.
Harper had no such delay.
He quickly crossed the room to kneel at Samuel’s side.
“I found them. Jessica appears mobile but in shock. I’m going to need help with Samuel.”
“I’m good,” Samuel insisted and grabbed Harper by the shoulder strap.
Harper grabbed Samuel’s other wrist then hauled him to his feet leaving Jessica to gape at them.
She looked from man to man. “W-what’s happening? How did you find us?”
Samuel snorted a pained laugh. He had one arm around Harper’s shoulders, which was probably all that was keeping him vertical. “What does it look like we’re doing? We’re getting the fuck out of here.”
Harper glanced at her. “Well, Robin said she thought you might do something, and I floated the idea of planting a tracker on you. Why make more work when we all knew you were going to find Samuel faster than the rest of us?”
She gaped at him. “You knew this whole time? You guys weren’t trying to find him?”
Harper grinned at her. “Oh, we were, but you were faster.”
Wednesday. Hospital, London, UK.
Samuel never wanted to see a hospital again. He was eternally grateful to Kelsey for handling the entire cover story. She had it worked out by the time they arrived. All Samuel and Jessica had to do was nod and do their best to look pained when they spoke about a hit-and-run accident while playing tourist. The hospital staff obviously had some reservations given how beaten up he was, but no one questioned the story.
He had two fractured ribs, a concussion, and more bruises than could be counted. But he was alive.
“Keep those eyes open, love,” the nurse said.
“Sorry,” he muttered and pried them open.
The plump woman smiled at him then patted his hand. “That’s a good boy. Hold tight.”
“Will do,” he muttered.
He blew out a breath. There was nothing to be done about the ball of anxiety lodged in his chest. That was all Jessica. Having her out of sight where he couldn’t know at a glance she was okay was tearing him up on the inside.
She got into the worst trouble when someone wasn’t minding her.
That woman would be the death of him.