Page 44 of Trigger Discipline
Blake clicked off his penlight and stepped back from Scott. “You’ve got a nasty concussion and a laceration that needs stitches, and your rib is probably broken.”
The National Guardsman nodded, running his fingers through his sweaty hair. His features were hard to distinguishunder all the blood and dirt, but he could see a narrow nose. What struck him was his eyes—they were hard.
Phin offered the two some water, and they drank greedily. Blake moved away from Scott and checked with Tommy about Lt. Hollis’s fractured leg.
“Tommy, grab some meds from my bag,” Blake called, sending the EMT over to pick through the bag until he found what he was looking for.
“It’s just ibuprofen, but it might help a little.”
The two didn’t look like they were going to complain, tossing the pills back and swallowing them down. Blake had his arms crossed as he looked between the two, his lips pursed. He was clearly itching to treat them properly.
Gabriel pulled off his helmet and dropped it on the counter beside her. “Why were there only three planes?”
He wasn’t sure what hurt worse, the throbbing in his shoulder or the malice in Lt. Hollis’s eyes. Scott stood from his chair, fists clenching.
“The fuck you mean?Only three?”
“Scott, it’s fine.” Lt. Hollis put a hand on Scott’s arm.
“No, it’s not. These fuckers think they can just?—”
“He’s asking a question, Private.” Scott jerked at the reprimand, blinking at Lt. Hollis. “The commander is trying to understand what led us here and get information he might need to complete his mission.”
Scott still looked like he wanted to rip his throat out, but Gabriel was grateful Lt. Hollis seemed to understand.
“I’m not questioning you, Lieutenant.”
“Call me Victoria,” she hissed as she shifted her leg, eyes closing. Breathing through her nose, she finally looked up at Gabriel again.
“The three of us were the only ones who made it through.”
Phin shared a look with Gabriel. “Through what?”
Victoria’s eyebrows raised. “The shield,” she said, like itwas obvious. The blank looks she received made her sit up a little straighter. “The pulsating energy field surrounding DC? Nothing can get through.”
Gabriel tried not to let his shock show. That’s why they hadn’t had any backup, but…how? Theentirecity? That was…
“How did you?” Blake asked.
“It’s not stable,” Victoria said. “At least, that’s what they think. It pulses. Too fast for helos to get through. They weren’t even sure a plane could.”
Now Gabriel understood Scott’s anger. Theyhadsent more planes. Those planes had crashed, failed their mission before they even entered enemy airspace. Lt. Hollis and the two pilots with her were the only ones who managed to slip in, and they died trying the impossible.
A suicide mission.
“That might explain communication,” Judd mumbled, squinting at the far wall in thought. “If it was giving off some kind of electrical interference, the radios wouldn’t be able toget a signal.”
But more than communication, what Gabriel couldn’t understand was where the shield had come from? It certainly wasn’t there days ago when he and his team had flown in. What the hell was going on? Why would they put up a shieldafterarriving?
It was educated guesswork based on unreliable evidence that all boiled down to one thing: they were trapped inside a warzone with no help coming, and no chance of escape.
CHAPTER 14
BROKEN LEGS & BLASTY ENDS
Blake checked Victoria’s pedal pulse, making sure the splint they’d put on her leg wasn’t too tight. Really, she needed an X-ray. Or at the very least in an appropriate cast. The best he could do here was splint the leg together and hope there was nothing more serious going on under the skin. How Victoria was even walking, he didn’t know. The pain had to be astronomical.
As for Scott, his wounds were bad. But Blake couldn’t treat the pain in his eyes. He was honestly surprised Scott even let him clean his head laceration and listen to his lungs. Luckily, the broken rib hadn’t punctured a lung, but if he kept jostling it, it might.