Page 106 of Healing Conviction
He stared down at the texts on Nora’s phone sitting beside him. Back when they were in Gail’s office, Nora had apparently messaged Snake to confirm that something important was definitely going down. Snake had told her their team was already close by. Everyone but Phoenix.
Their team. Am I really a part of it anymore?
It didn’t hurt to think about like it had before their mission. Draco actually couldn’t wait to hear his team tell their story at the upcoming after-action report Hawk was always so religious about having.
“Hopefully we won’t have to wait for long,” Draco muttered as he scrolled down the screen, his legs shaking with a mixture of impatience and exhaustion.
As soon as they’d arrived on the embankment, Draco had texted his teammates from Nora’s phone since his was waterlogged. Thankfully, he’d been able to navigate through the woods to get as close to the road as he could, all things considered. Now they had to wait.
A rumble coming from CTI’s direction made him snap his head up and scoot back farther into the trees. Bright headlights flooded the asphalt, but the closer they got, the more relaxed he became. When Snake’s Trackhawk finally appeared, the familiar grill and size sent relief pouring from Draco like a wave. He scooted out into the open and waved in time for the vehicle to slow down. It parked in front of him, and the driver hopped out without turning the engine off.
“Man, you look like shit.” Devil laughed, an edge of concern at the end of the sentence as he jogged over with two large bags. He held his arms out for Nora, but Draco jerked back. Understanding relaxed Devil’s strawberry-blond brows and his voice gentled, making Draco wonder if he looked as feral as he felt. There was no hope for curbing the protective instinct though. He’d never been able to with her, and certainly not after what they’d just been through.
“Drake, I’m okay. Just… let the man… work.”
“Come on, man, let me look her over. And you, from the looks of it. You guys need these.” He unzipped the bag and pulled out two portable oxygen masks. “Here, put this on. I’ll put hers on.”
“I’ve got hers—”
“No! You put yours on first.” Devil shoved the mask in Draco’s hand but before he could argue further, Devil was already helping Nora fit one over her head and had his fingers on her pulse while he concentrated on his watch. After a moment, he nodded to himself, apparently satisfied with the result.
“Nora… how are you feeling?”
She tipped her oxygen mask up and answered sleepily. “Peachy keen.”
“Fuck, Pix… don’t lie.”
“I’m not, I swear… I’m okay… just exhausted. We napped before everything. But… a lot has happened since then. And Drake’s comfy. So… do you guys need me for this? ‘Cause if not… I’m gonna go to sleep.”
Devil snorted. “Wait until I’m done, if you can.”
“And if she can’t?” Draco demanded. “She’s basically been running for her life all night, nearly fell into the cold river, was attacked and God knows what else, and she’s suffered smoke inhalation. She’s small, what if it’s damaged her lungs permanently or—”
“Relax, Draco. Let me assess you both. Yes, she’s small, but she’s also alert and talking.”
“And she’s right here, so chill out, handsome.”
Draco nodded at her insistence and finally tugged his mask down over his head. Devil pressed a button in the bag. Gentle, cool, crisp oxygen immediately entered the mask, and they both sucked in a deep breath, only for Nora’s to end in a cough.
“Try to breathe normally. You’ll be fine, but your throat and lungs are trying to recover. Good thing it’s just a forest fire, or we’d have to worry about chemicals.” Devil retrieved two electrolyte sports drinks from his other bag and handed them off. “After a few minutes, drink these between breaths. Nora, your pulse is okay, considering what you guys have been through, and the fire seems to be dying down. Not sure it’s big enough to jump roads and I don’t think it knows where to go with two rivers helping to cage it in.”
Draco pointed to the water with his thumb. His voice sounded muffled in the mask. “Not a river. That’s a moat.”
Devil didn’t look where he was pointing, his eyes roving over Nora instead as he shook his head. “Fuck me, this place is a goddamn prison.”
“The women?” Draco asked. Nora stiffened in his arms. “Were there women in the container on the back of that truck?”
“Yeah, you guys were right. We got ‘em. Hawk, Snake, and Jaybird are back there, helping coordinate everything. It took me a minute toconvincean EMT to give me an oxygen bag without coming with me. I’ll tell you all about it later. Let’s get you guys in the back seat.”
Draco nodded and clumsily rose to his feet without letting Nora go.
“Drake, I can walk—”
“Man, let me—”
“No!” Draco practically hissed at Devil when he reached for her again and held Nora tighter. “Don’t touch her. You can help me, but don’t touch her. Just… not yet. I need this right now.”
Nora’s green eyes filled with understanding as she nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, helping him hold her better.