Page 76 of Edge of Desperation

Aurora juts out her chin. “Fuck ‘em. Open the door, Thomas.”

That’s my girl.

CHAPTER 28

AURORA

“Fuck!”Thomas roars.

Jaxson and I step through the doorway behind Thomas, and the scene inside is enough to sour anyone’s stomach. Hanging from a St. Andrew’s cross is a very malnourished girl with cuts and bruises all over her body. Her head hangs forward, chin resting on her chest. I can’t tell if she’s breathing since she is completely still.

I rush forward and stick my hand in front of her face, breathing a sigh of relief when I feel a puff of air leave her lips. My relief is short-lived when I tilt my head and gaze at her battered face.

“Omigod!” I holler. “Help me get her down. She’s alive.” A set of keys hang on the wall behind the cross. I point at them. “Keys!”

Thomas springs into action and yanks them off the wall. He unlocks the handcuffs at the girl’s ankles first. Jaxson moves to support her body, but Thomas hands him the keys instead. Jaxson gets the cuffs off of her, and Thomas cradles her body into his. I search the room and find a blanket to wrap around her.

I finally get a good look at the girl, and my heart sinks. “Lace,” I whisper.

“What?” Jaxson asks.

“It’s Lace,” I say louder. “I thought she was dead. All this time… I thought… I thought she was dead. She was here.”

Enough! You didn’t know, and everyone was looking for Dmitri. You found her, and she needs you to be strong.

Lace’s breaths come out shallow, and her skin is a sickly gray color. “She needs a hospital,” Thomas growls.

“Let’s go,” Jaxson says, grabbing my hand.

The others are just finishing the cleanup project as we enter the main room. Carver grins as we approach, but the grin is quickly replaced by a scowl. His forehead scrunches, and his eyes blaze with anger. “Who the hell is that?”

“Lace,” I say. “Hudson, help.”

Hudson jogs over to take Lace into his arms, but Thomas snaps at him. “I’ve got her! She needs a fucking hospital.” Hudson holds up his hands.

“Bennett and Carver, go get the vehicles,” Jaxson instructs. “Double time!”

“Roger that!” they both call over their shoulders.

Ten minutes later, the vehicles pull up outside the warehouse. Thomas doesn’t want to release Lace, but he can’t get inside holding her.

“Thomas, dammit!” I yell. “We don’t have time for this. Give her to Hudson, and get your ass inside. He’ll give her back to you once you’re settled.”

Thomas doesn’t speak but does listen to what I say. Once we’re all loaded up, Jaxson heads toward the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth. I raise my brow when he glances at me.

“Your dad has connections there,” he explains. “Fewer questions, and we can get her moved to Quantico more easily.”

I reach over and lace my fingers with his. “Hurry, Jaxson.”

The vehicle accelerates as we fly down the road. Thankfully, it's still early morning, so there isn’t any traffic on the roads for us to dodge. The ER bay comes into view, and Jaxson parks right next to an ambulance and lays on the horn. Multiple staff members come running.

I roll down the window. “We need a gurney!”

Two of the nurses turn around and run back inside, while the other nurse and a doctor approach the vehicle. I hop out and open the rear car door, and Thomas holds Lace tightly.

The nurse tries to reach for her, and Thomas snaps, “You can’t have her.”

“Thomas, you have to let them take her,” I say. He stares straight ahead as if he can’t hear me.

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