Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Alone in the flickering lamplight, I bury my face in my hands, tears hot and unrelenting. Is he alive? The question loops in my mind. He has to be. Because if Orion’s gone, if I came this close to freedom only to lose him, I don’t know how I’ll survive that. My chest aches with a grief that might swallow me whole.
The last few days—being held captive, watching Chester waste away, the bullet slamming into Orion’s side—have shredded any illusions of safety I once had. Now, this safe house might be my refuge, but it feels like a fragile bubble waiting to burst. I just want to know he’s okay.
I drag in a ragged breath, pressing my back against the sofa cushions, and stare at the door where Asher disappeared. He’ll make contact with the team, I remind myself. He’ll let me know if Orion’s condition is stable, if the others made it out alive. Until then, all I can do is tremble in this terrible limbo—half rescued, half destroyed by the fear that Orion was taken from me in that single explosive moment.
So I wait, heart pounding, mind racing, trying to hold onto hope. Because if there’s one thing left to cling to in this whirlwind of madness, it’s the desperate belief that Orion Locke isn’t gone. That somehow, he’ll pull through, and I’ll see him again. He can’t die now, I think, clenching my fists against the sofa cushions. Not after all we’ve been through.
But until I hear those words—He’s alive—I can’t breathe easy. All I can do is pray, shaking, exhausted, and fighting the urge to scream at the unfairness of it all.
Chapter 29
Orion
I’m slumped against the cold concrete, the world narrowed to a pinprick of agony in my side. The metallic smell of my own blood chokes me as I fight to stay conscious. Every instinct in me screams to stand, to go after Briar, but my body won’t obey.
I try to raise my head, scanning the shadows where Jason disappeared with her. A hiss of frustration claws its way out of my throat. Briar. My heart pounds with the rage of a cornered animal. She was right there, in my arms. Now she’s gone again, snatched away.
“Let me—go,” I grind out, struggling to push off the floor. My vision wavers.
Gunner’s hand clamps down on my shoulder. “Easy, Orion.” He’s kneeling at my side, looking me straight in the eyes. “You’re hit bad, man.”
I want to shove him off, want to scream that we can’t waste time here, but he presses me back. Pain lances through my abdomen, stealing my breath. Dark red blossoms across my vest—too far right to be anything but a gut shot. Shit.
Dean and Riggs come tearing around the corner, both wide-eyed when they see me sprawled on the ground, blood pooling beneath me. Chester’s cage rattles in Gunner’s grip, the poor parrot squawking softly. I blink, hazy, trying to piece together the last seconds. Gunshots, Briar’s scream, her fingers slipping away from mine…
“Orion,” Dean says, crouching and placing a firm hand over the wound. He peels back a corner of my vest. “Damn,” he mutters under his breath. “We need to get him out of here now. Blood’s dark—looks like the liver’s hit.”
A fresh wave of pain steals my voice. My vision flickers, but I force my lips to move. “Briar,” I whisper, throat raw. “They took her.”
“Shh,” Riggs cuts in, pressing a bandage to my side. I hiss at the sting, but he doesn’t let up. “We’ll find her. You have to let us handle this, boss.”
“Delta team’s en route,” Dean adds, voice grim. “We’ll stop the Russians. Right now, we gotta get you medical attention.”
“No,” I protest, trying again to push myself up. Another lance of fire rips through my torso, and I choke on a curse. Damn it. Damn this body for failing me.
“Gunner, help me lift him,” Dean orders. Gunner carefully sets Chester’s cage down, and I catch a glimpse of the bird, trembling, feathers ruffled. The poor thing. Everything has gone to hell.
Gunner and Dean hoist me upright, and my world spins. For a second, I’m floating, my legs useless. Then I’m draped across Riggs’ broad shoulder, Gunner clearing the path ahead. My mind fights the darkness creeping in at the edges. Focus, Orion. Don’t black out.
“Delta’s five minutes out,” Gunner says into his comm. “They’ll finish this. We gotta get Orion gone, stat.”
I clench my jaw, heart pounding in frustration. No. I should be going after Briar, not bleeding out like a rookie.
We leave into a hail of gunfire somewhere in the distance, but all I can do is feel the slick warmth of blood seeping into my clothes. Useless, my mind hisses, fury tangling with desperation. The men hurry me into a waiting SUV, Chester’s cage jammed in the backseat. The door slams, and we screech away.