Page 85 of Trigger Discipline
Yes, but Blake wasn’t. And that’s all that mattered.
They had to crawl on hands and knees to get through the rubble of the ruined wall. Gabriel made Blake go first, trying not to wince when he put weight on his bad arm. When they stepped through the other side, they were on the riverfront.
Expensive stores and restaurants were dotted along the river. Most of them were intact, their tables and chairs set out like they were still expecting customers. A thin chain strung between cement pilings was the only thing separating the street from plunging into the dark waters of the Potomac River.
Blake grabbed Gabriel, spinning him around so he could step into his space. He gasped, eyebrows raising when the medic reached for his belt.
“Calm down, hero complex,” Blake said as he whipped Gabriel’s belt out. Quickly, he cinched it around Gabriel’s arm until it hurt, cutting off the bleeding. He tested his fingers,checking circulation, before going to help Victoria with Judd as they moved toward the arena.
The cement turned to wood as they hit the marina, slipping down the narrow walkways until they were on the main pier. Several boats were missing, lines trailing into the water where someone had cast off in a hurry.
Tommy led the way, looking for a boat they could sail. There were a variety of boats still tied up. Many of them reminded Gabriel of the fancy yachts he saw in movies and magazines, but a lot of them were small craft. All of them had engines.
Finally, Tommy stopped at a boat calledThe Judge.It was white with burgundy trim and sleek mahogany finishes. The bow was tapered into a graceful point, and it sat low in the water. It looked expensive.
They all piled into the boat, where Gabriel was surprised to learn it was bigger than he originally thought. Blake and Victoria took Judd down below to get him settled, while Tommy instructed Phin and him how to set off. The EMT’s face was furrowed as he tried to remember what he was doing. At this point, Gabriel was willing to row this boat out of the marina if they had to.
The sounds of fighting were distant, but he could occasionally still hear the explosions or an otherworldly scream. It kept him moving when all he wanted to do was stop and rest.
They finally set off, taking the lines with them in case they needed them. Tommy was leaning on the wheel to get the weight off his bruised legs. He’d waved Phin off when he asked if he was okay. Phin didn’t believe him and continued to hover.
Gabriel’s breath hitched when the sails snapped taut and the little boat gracefully pulled through the water. Tommy grinned and gave a thumbs up as they drew farther and farther from the marina.
CHAPTER 23
BUGGING OUT
The Judgewas a shallow-hulled little boat that bobbed along the waters of the Potomac at a decent pace. It was a pleasant little vessel, making good time through the cold, dark river. Gabriel tried to keep his eyes open, one hand on his gun as he surveyed for danger, but between the rocking of the boat and the gentle splashing of waves on the hull, Gabriel’s head kept bobbing forward, eyelids heavy.
Once they got underway, he had a chance to take a breath and with it, the adrenaline from the last week or so drained away, leaving him feeling exhausted and brittle. With everyone else busy, he meandered toward the stern of the ship, sitting on the fantail with his legs swinging over the water.
It felt strange to just be sitting, watching the landscape change from city to wealthy riverside homes with sprawling double-decker docks, to the countryside. Occasionally, the river would narrow or widen, the rapids shaking the little boat, but Tommy had apparently spent a lot more time with this ex-boyfriend than he’d let on, or he was a natural sailor because he was expertly guiding them north.
His arm still ached, but Tommy had wrapped it for him,releasing the tourniquet. It wasn’t great, and Tommy told him he’d need some antibiotics, but that felt far away with the sky turning sherbert and the sails snapping above him.
Boots squeaked on the deck behind him as Blake joined him, taking a moment to unlace his. He rolled up his pant legs before letting his legs dangle beside Gabriel’s, toes wiggling in the spray from the river.
“How’s Judd?”
Blake leaned back on his hands, tipping his head up to the sky. He closed his eyes and breathed in, chest expanding with each deep breath. “As good as he can be,” Blake finally answered. He’d obviously washed his hands, but they were still stained red, his cuticles and the creases in his palms darker than the rest of his skin.
“He needs a real doctor. Preferably, one in a hospital with a surgery suite and blood transfusions. But I’ve got him comfortable, hydrated, and most of the bleeding has stopped.” His lips curled in a small smile. “Victoria is sitting with him.”
“So she can smack him when he regains consciousness?”
“Probably.”
Gabriel turned back to the river. He’d been trying to ignore the haze of smoke on the horizon over DC. He was surprised by how difficult it was to leave the city behind. There were surely still people there, hunkered down in apartments and buildings, hoping for a rescue that wasn’t coming.
Irving said that the government was gone, the country in ruin, but…what did that mean for them? They were operating on assumptions that refugee centers were in place, that they’d be able to get help and reinforcements, but that was looking more and more like wishful thinking. If there were safe zones set up after the Off Formers arrived, wasn’t it just as likely the Monkey Cats had destroyed those from orbit along with the cities?
What if they were completely alone?
Which was a prospect Gabriel wasn’t ready to comprehend. Not when the enormity of it was too great. For once in his life, he wasn’t ready to accept another burden.
At least not yet.
Once the boat docked and they could make their way toward Bethesda, he would resume command. He would tackle the big problems and do whatever it took to get, and keep, his team safe.