Page 74 of Relentless
“EMTs are on their way,” Chad said.
Ethan reached out and brushed his finger lightly over Kara’s hair. He desperately wanted to hold her but was terrified of hurting her more.
“How did you manage that? Never mind, I don’t care,” Ethan said. “If her injuries aren’t life-threatening, I want her flown to Mystery Lake tonight.” He didn’t want anyone but his brother to attend to her if he could help it. Or if Asher couldn’t, he wanted him there to advocate for them. He’d know what she’d need, and he could help Ethan demand it.
“Cody’s calling the pilot of the helicopter. A small stretcher will fit if it’s just the two of you,” he said.
“I need one more,” Ethan replied. “I don’t think Hilton will come back for her tonight. For all I know, he thinks she’s dead. But if he does, I’m no good for protection.”
Chad muffled the microphone as he spoke to someone else. “We’re coming out,” he said just before the door opened. Sabina came flying through, shoving both Tia and Mazi out of the way.
“Don’t jostle her!” Ethan all but shouted as Sabina dropped to her knees in front of Kara and reached out to touch her. Her gaze shot to his, and he knew she resented his interference. But even so, she slowed her movements and very gently laid her hand on Kara’s upper arm.
“They’re five minutes out, following the police who are securing the site,” Chad said, presumably referring to the EMTs. Ethan nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Kara as he disconnected the call.
“Teague and Ryder will be here soon, too. Ryder can go with you. Sabina and I will head back with Teague,” Chad said. Ethan had always respected his cousin, but he didn’t think he’d ever been this grateful for his ability to take charge of a situation.
“Anyone else hurt?” Ethan asked as the distant sound of voices filtered toward them.
Chad nodded to the weapon in his hand. “You may want to put that away before the cops arrive. As to your question, I don’t know. If it really was Hilton, I wouldn’t be surprised if he fired the shots to create chaos rather than hurt anyone. Other than Kara,” he added.
Ethan hadn’t given it much thought—not while Kara balanced precariously between life and…and something he wouldn’t contemplate. But as he did, he acknowledged Chad’s assessment was likely spot-on. “By creating the panicked stampede, he gave himself the perfect opportunity to attack her and make it look like she’d been trampled by the crowd.” The staging was iffy at best, but so were the rest of Hilton’s kills. And yet he’d managed to kill three of Kara’s colleagues and nearly kill three more.
“You think he knows he failed with Astrid?” Ethan asked as the first member of the SWAT team appeared around the corner. He paused, his gun raised, then he motioned to his team behind him and lowered his weapon.
“You in need of an EMT?” he called out.
“Here!” both Ethan and Sabina answered. His question to Chad fell to the wayside as a team approached.
Sabina reluctantly moved aside, but he remained at Kara’s head. And he planned to stay there until they told him to move.
He kept his attention on Kara as Chad and a few members of the SWAT team talked in low voices. Tia, Mazi, and Cass lurked in the hall, keeping an eye on the situation. For a brief moment, Ethan considered Tia’s presence. Considered the fact that she’d left Cody to come to Kara’s aid. He wondered if Cody had anything to do with that and suspected he did. He had no idea what his cousin could have said to make her leave his side, and he didn’t plan on asking.
One of the EMTs called out Kara’s blood pressure. A number so low that it had his stomach churning and panic once again tightening his chest. He cast a glance at Sabina, but her pale face was fixed on her sister. She wasn’t even leaning into Chad, who now stood beside her with an arm around her waist.
The EMTs rattled off a few more findings—slow pupillary response, wrist injury, potential internal bleeding. Ten minutes passed like a year, then finally, they had a neck brace on her and were carefully transferring her onto a backboard.
“The building is clear,” someone from the SWAT team called out. No one acknowledged the statement even though it felt as if someone had pulled the plug and a little tension drained from the room.
“I’m going with her,” Ethan said, shooting the EMTs a look that dared them to challenge him.
“I—”
“We’ll follow behind,” Chad said, cutting Sabina off.
As terrifying as this was for Sabina, he wasn’t going to leave Kara’s side. In an ideal world, they’d both travel with her. But given the equipment already hooked up to her, he doubted there’d be room.
Sabina mumbled something but Ethan didn’t catch it. Nor did he stop to ask. He was too preoccupied with watching the woman he loved fight for her life.
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
“You need to eat,”Ethan’s mom, Sonya, said as she hovered near the door. It had been thirty-six hours since the attack—twenty-four since they’d arrived in Mystery Lake—and Kara had yet to wake up. The doctors, including his own brother, offered as much assurance as they could. None of it mattered, though. Not unless—until—Kara opened her eyes.
“Mom,” Asher admonished.
Ethan didn’t take his eyes off his hand resting on the side of the bed, his fingers intertwined with Kara’s. Sabina sat on the other side of her sister in much the same pose. Chad stood vigil behind her.
“Why don’t we go pick up something and bring it back,” his dad said, no doubt to appease his wife. Or perhaps to give Ethan a break from her. He loved his mother—she was the best of the best. But he didn’t need her…motheringright now.
