Page 171 of The Secrets She Keeps

“Cleaning up more of the past. Finding…answers.” Probably more than he should really say to the son of the man who’d blown up the lab three years earlier and nearly killed Brynna, but the words just came out. “Cleaning up the sins…of our fathers, I think. So damned fucking sick of this. When is it ever going to end?”

They wheeled him toward the ambulance. Daniel refused to let go of the woman he’d basically captured.

He looked at her. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want to be alone. Is that so wrong?”

A soft hand brushed the hair on his forehead. He looked into eyes as captivating as Heather’s, right there in the blaring overhead lights of the ambulance. “No. It isn’t. Sometimes…being alone is the worst thing of all.”

Never had truer words been spoken.

136

Heather felt morethan a little dizzy. She knew she’d lost a lot of blood. From the look on Samia’s face, things were about to get a little dicey here. “Sam? What’s the damage?”

“I think you’ve nicked the profunda femoris, Heather. It’s caused a great deal of bleeding that isn’t stopping. We’re getting you to the ER. Get it fixed, fast. We’ll get it taken care of.” Samia had that look, though. The one that said she was worried. Heather bit back the urge to question. She cried out as her devil niece used something out of the tricked out first aid kit Samia and Cashlyn were fanatics about keeping close at hand to act as a tourniquet.

The first responders were there. Heather expected Samia to direct them to Gunnar, or even that bastard on the floor—who currently had Eden leaning over him telling him to just shut up and deal. That he’d gotten what he deserved.

Gunnar and Trey were both down, and bleeding badly.

But her niece waved the paramedics toward Heather first.

“Here,” Samia ordered, then listed a bunch of things Heather wasn’t going to think about. Including the amount of estimatedblood loss. Yeah, Heather didn’t do blood very well. “Move fast, boys. Move fast. This one…can’t wait.”

Well, that wasn’t exactly reassuring.

“Thanks, Doc,” the paramedic said. “We’ll take it from here.”

Then Heather was being lifted onto a gurney. “What about Gunnar and McKellen? They’ve been bleeding a lot longer.”

“Quit talking, Heather. You’re going first. But don’t worry—Gunnar is right behind you.”

And that told Heather everything she needed to know. Priority of life, and all that. If she was going first—she was injured worse than Gunnar.

She was really trying not to panic here.

Heather really hated the sight of blood. Especially her own.

137

On some level,Gunnar was aware that he was being loaded into one of the medical choppers. Finley Creek had two, he thought. He knew someone was loaded next to him. Someone who was protesting.

"Heather, just…do what you are told for once." He had to say it. He just had to. "Where is Powell?"

"Coming in on the ambulance with her dad," Heather told him, sounding almost as bad as he probably did.

"How bad…you hurt?" She'd knocked Powell to the side a little. To get to Powell's father, to get Mason out of the way. She'd knocked Powell—into Gunnar's arms. Mostly out of the line of fire. He owed her for that.

He had protected Powell from that bullet. That was what mattered now.

"Just a little blood. Don't try to talk. Just enjoy the ride."

Dark eyes in a beautiful face looked at him. Reminding him of the night he'd ridden with Bonnie. Probably in one of these very choppers. "Everyone else okay?"

She nodded. Said something. But he couldn't hear her over the sounds of the chopper.

Heather’s hand wrapped around his. As they flew through the night, Gunnar knew he wasn't alone.

But when they landed,hewas awake, conscious…

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