Page 34 of Hunted

“Not happening,” he growls. Lifting his head to look at Reece he asks, “Is there an exit hole?”

“I’m not sure.”

“We need to check. She could be bleeding out of her back, and we need to know if the bullet’s still in her.”

I swallow with worry. Any movement there is extremely painful, if they have to dig around for a bullet, without any drugs to numb me…crap shells.That’s going to hurt.

My head starts to get dizzy, so I close my eyes as the four of them debate what to do. I feel my body being moved and something presses to my back, making me cry out in pain. Does that mean there’s an exit hole there? Do they not have to go digging inside me?

The words that penetrate my foggy mind are not ones I want to hear. Stitches, infection, blood loss, needle. I try to zone them out and think about how Weston calmed me down when I had a panic attack the other day.

He told me to name things I could feel. Nope, the pain was too intense for me to feel anything else right now. Smell? I smell the ocean and… blood. Okay, sound… What do I hear? I hear the guys arguing, so I block that out and try to focus on something else.

I hear the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, and the more I focus on it, the calmer I become. I could listen to the ocean forever. As far as deaths go, it could definitely be worse.

I try to calm my breathing as I listen to wave after wave until the sound starts to change. I frown, trying to figure out what’s different about it. It’s almost like it has a heartbeat, a quiet pounding in the distance.

I try to grasp onto that sound alone so I can figure it out and slowly it gets louder and louder.

I’ve heard that sound before.

“Shh! Darla, what did you say?” Kingsley asks. I must have said that aloud.

“I said, I’ve heard that sound before.”

They’re all silent for a moment before Bower asks, “What sound?”

Slowly, I open my eyes and look to the sky, my eyes scanning the horizon, wondering if it’s true. And there, far in the distance, I see it, a black shape, moving towards us.

“That sound,” I say, lifting my arm and pointing at the helicopter.

“Holy shit!” Bower yells, jumping to his feet.

“Is it more mercenaries?” Kingsley asks.

“Fuck, what do we do? Are they friend or foe?” Bower asks, whirling around to face us.

Reece and Weston exchange worried glances before they nod at each other and spring into action.

Weston runs off towards the dead mercenary lying on the ground. So that must have been the second gunshot I heard, one of my guys must have taken his gun and killed him.

Weston picks up the pistol as Bower hooks his arms under me, making me hiss.

“Sorry, sorry!” he says as Reece keeps pressure on my front and back. “I’m going to lift you and move you behind the pile of wood, so we have some cover.”

I grip Bower’s arm tightly, needing to feel something other than the pain. “Bower?” He looks down at me with fear and worry written all over his face. “I’m scared,” I whisper, my fingers digging in even further.

A minute ago, I was ready to die. But if more mercenaries show up, what are the chances my guys all get away uninjured… again? I can deal with my own death, but not with theirs.

“Me too.” He bends down and gives me a quick kiss before resting his forehead on mine. “I love you, Tink.”

“I love you, too,” I whisper, my voice cracking on the last word.

“Incoming!” Weston yells.

“Hold tight, Tink.” Bower slowly stands, the movement making me cry out in pain. “I know, I know,” he whispers, as the three of us quickly move around to the other side of the woodpile.

I look back up at the sky and get a final glimpse of the chopper flying towards us. My eyes widen in fear, and I silently pray that none of us get hurt.