Page 83 of Wild Temple

The two remaining goons lay in the hallway, torn to shreds. Appendages had been separated from bodies. The walls and floor were charred from the blast. The tinny metallic scent of blood and burned flesh lingered.

I stepped back into the room. "Is everyone okay?"

JD patted himself down, feeling for injuries. Sometimes, with the adrenaline of it all, you can't feel it. After a beat, he gave me the thumbs up.

"I'm good," Isabella said. It was the first thing she had spoken since we'd seen her. Maybe the first thing she'd spoken since her abduction.

I looked myself over and had taken a minor scrape to the shin—a bit of shrapnel had ricocheted off the concrete wall and tore a small groove in the outer part of my leg. It had barely grazed it. It stung and oozed a little blood, but I’d live.

Isabella instinctually reached to put pressure on it with her palm, stemming the flow.

Jack grabbed a knife from one of the fallen goons, cut away a piece of fabric, then handed it to Isabella. She wrapped it around my leg and tied it off. Not tight enough to cut off circulation, but enough to contain the blood flow.

I looked at Isabella and said, “Were you really going to let him shoot me?"

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"He didn't shoot you, did he?" Isabella said in a casual voice.

I gave her a flat look.

"I knew you two would handle it. You always do," she said with a wink.

I helped her to her feet. "Let's get out of here."

"Amen to that.”

"How's your head? Are you all there?"

She gave me a look like it was a silly question. “Are youall there?”

“No, I went crazy a long time ago.”

“Well, somebody’s gotta be the crazy one in this relationship.”

I chuckled. "Next time, stay offthe mopeds."

She frowned at me. "It wasn't my fault. This guy just came out of the blue.”

We escorted Isabella into the hallway and stepped around the bodies. The beams of our tactical flashlights attached to the assault rifles we’d taken from the goons led the way. We made our way back through the base to the submarine tunnel.

"It's a short swim from here," I said. “Are you up to it?"

"I'm not staying here,” she said in a dry tone.

It was still pitch black outside.

We slipped into the water, retrieved the dive gear, and swam into the bay. We made it to the shoreline and waded through the surf. The three of us walked along the beach until we returned to the boat, still anchored in the shallows.

I helped Isabella aboard, then climbed over the gunwale. Jack took the helm and fired up the engines while I weighed anchor. Within an hour, we were back in Jatala.

The morning sun crested the horizon. JD and I returned the boat and the dive gear, then caught a cab back to the hotel with Isabella.

It was time for a much-needed break.

“Is it too early for a cocktail?” JD asked.

I introduced Isabella to Hannah and Brooke. The girls were excited to meet her, and we traded stories about our experiences. Isabella seemed to have regained her wits about her and was not about to go back to the hospital for any reason whatsoever. I didn't blame her.