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I swayed on shaky legs. “However, in the spirit of full disclosure, Iwashiding in the bathroom with Basia and Elvis when I had an idea. I’d brought a high-powered flashlight that I figured could be useful to blind the attackers as they came up the stairs if they were wearing night-vision goggles. I came out of the room to give it to Agent Glass and go back, but everything went down right at that moment. That guy suddenly materialized at the top of the stairs and started firing at us. Agent Glass got hit and fell on top of me. He must have thought he hit both of us, so he didn’t take time to check, lucky for me. He just ran over to my room and started kicking in the door. While he was doing that, I managed to get out from beneath Agent Glass, grab her gun and my flashlight. Before he could finish kicking and shooting his way into the room, I called out and blinded him before I got off a couple of shots. I didn’t have any other choice. I didn’t know you would come, and I had to stop him.”

His scowl faded a little. “We had a little firefight at the bottom of the stairs that he was losing. I am not sure if he ran up the stairs to get away from me or fled here because he was looking for the first lady.” For a moment, he just looked at me before shaking his head and walking to our makeshift barrier. He grabbed a bullet-riddled wardrobe bag, unzipped it, and reached inside. I heard a loud ripping sound before he tossed a wad of material at me.

“Press that against Agent Glass’s biggest wound. Make sure she’s still breathing and doesn’t go into cardiac arrest.”

“What? I’m not a doctor.”

“You are now. I anoint you the newest field medic.”

“Holy crap. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to watch your back.” He got into position to cover most of the stairs without being seen and aimed the flashlight down the stairs. “The cavalry is here, but there may still be hostiles on the loose.”

Grateful he’d taken charge of our safety, I carefully rolled Agent Glass onto her back. I gently pulled open her jacket, revealing a bloody blouse. She moaned and rolled her head slightly.

“We got him, Agent Glass,” I murmured softly to her. “Just hold on. You were amazing.”

I did a quick examination of her, swallowing the sick feeling in my throat. “She’s been shot at least three times,” I told Hands. “Once in the upper shoulder, close to her neck, once in the hand, and once in the stomach. There could be more, I can’t tell. There’s so much blood.” I pressed the material against the stomach wound, as that was bleeding the most. “She needs medical attention and fast.” I tried to stay calm, but my hands shook as I pushed down on the wound, trying to keep the pressure steady.

“I know. Be quiet.” He abruptly crouched down. “There’s someone down there.”

“Somalia,” a male voice called up cautiously.

“Keys,” Hands replied.

“Two to come up.”

Hands blew out a breath and lowered his gun. Seconds later, Tito and Slash came into view, pushing through a section of the shot-up barricade. My breath caught in my throat, emotion so intense sweeping through me as I saw him, I nearly burst into tears. He was missing his coat, tie, and, weirdly, his dress shirt. An automatic weapon with a strap had been slung over his bare chest and he held another handgun. He looked dangerous, dark, and really,reallypissed.

But the moment his gaze fell on me, that all changed. The relief I saw in them said everything.

He strode directly to me, kneeling and pressing several kisses on the top of my head as if he couldn’t stop. His hand rested lightly on my shoulder. “Mio Dio.Are you hurt?”

“No. This blood isn’t mine. Agent Glass got hit by that guy over there.”

Slash looked over to where the attacker lay faceup on the ground. He glanced at Hands. “Dead, I presume.”

“Affirmative,” Hands responded.

He looked down at the fallen agent. “What about Agent Glass? How is she doing?”

I patted her cheek, and she moaned slightly. “She’s alive, but barely. We need to get her medical help as soon as possible.”

“What happened?” Slash said, looking around. “Why are you out here instead of hiding like I instructed?”

“I was helping Agent Glass.”

“Lexi actually got some shots off at the hostile,” Hands explained, not looking away or leaving his post at the top of the stairs. “I came up the stairs just as she blinded him with a flashlight and took a couple of shots at him. The flashlight spotlighted him, giving me a clear shot, too. But I wouldn’t have gotten those shots off without Lexi. That’s our girl. Cool head under pressure.”

Slash looked at me in surprise. “You shot him?”

“I’m not sure I hit him, but I tried.”

“What did you expect?” Hands said. “She’s an honorary Navy SEAL.” I knew he was mad at me, but I heard a trace of pride in his voice just the same.

“I am,” I confirmed. “I even have the pin to prove it.”

Slash sighed, so I tried to soften things. “It’s not as bad as it sounds, Slash. Okay, well, maybe it is, but I’ll give you the full details later. Where’s your jacket and shirt?”