Page 49 of Resuscitation
He leaned forward to shout over the alarms, “We need to go. Grab the rubies and let’s go. Now.”
If Mercer had focused on their goal—the jewels—none of this would’ve happened. They wouldn’t be holed up in this shithole of a clinic, waiting for the inevitable swarm of cops to descend. What was the escape plan exactly? Brick was no Einstein, but he could see a shitshow when it flung crap at his face like some nasty pie fight.
Mercer stood his ground, shrugging Brick’s hands off him. He raised his pistol between them, could’ve blown Brick’s face off if he pulled the trigger.
Brick stepped back. Mercer lowered his weapon.
“Not. Without. My. Brother.” Mercer gritted the words out. Then he spun on his heel and strode down the hall to the room where Connor was busy dying. If he wasn’t dead already.
Brick glanced back into the waiting room. The hostages had clumped together as far away from the smoldering wheelchair as possible, crying and coughing and freaking out. Except the old man, who was on the floor against the wall beside the door where Mercer had thrown him.
Brick wouldn’t hesitate to kill them all in an instant if it meant getting those rubies for himself and getting outta here. But right now, that would achieve zero.
Only Mercer knew where the rubies were.
Mercer.
His fists clenched at his sides as he took one last look at Leon’s charred remains. The rubies were supposed to be their ticket out, but they’d become a curse, just like that Watts guy had said.
He turned and moved down the corridor, pulling a hunting knife from his belt just as the distant sound of sirens whispered on the wind.
* * *
Mercer stormedinto the operating room, eyes blazing with such fury that Sara turned to place herself between him and her patient.
“Hey! Where’d the nurses go? You let them go?” He moved toward her menacingly.
She stood her ground, meeting his gaze with a steady calm she didn’t feel. “You promised to let them leave once Connor stabilized. He’s awake and talking.”
Mercer stuttered to a stop, his gaze raking over the gurney with its clean sheet, blood free. Sara held her breath as he approached Connor, taking the seat she’d vacated.
Connor turned his head toward his brother. “Andrew, listen. You gotta get out of here, before it’s too late. Just go—live your life. This all isn’t worth dying for.”
Mercer gripped the edge of the gurney and smiled at his brother, ignoring his words. “Hey, Connor. How you doing? Listen, we’re both getting outta here, okay? Nothing’s changed. We’re in this together, remember?”
“Not anymore.” Connor’s voice was barely above a whisper. “It’s over, Andrew. Let it go. I’m not gonna make it.”
For a moment, Sara thought she saw a flicker of doubt in Mercer’s eyes, a softening of his resolve.
Then he leaned over Connor, their faces close together. “I’m sorry I let you down, bro. I fucked up, big time.”
Connor stared at Mercer for a long moment. “It’s okay. I love you, Andrew. Forget the rubies, go live your life. For me.”
Mercer embraced his brother. Sara was finally able to take a full breath again. It was over. Connor had gotten through to him, thank god. Mercer would take his men and leave her people alive.
“Mercer!” Brick appeared in the doorway, knife in hand, face in shadow, eyes blazing with hate.
* * *
Blake,clutching his arm in his blood-soaked jacket, hid behind a triage desk, watching Brick stalk away. He had not seen that coming. And still no sign of the other gunman, Harper.
Blake rushed to Thomas first. The old man smiled up at him weakly. “Did we get them?”
“Yeah, Thomas. We whupped them good. Ready to blow this pizza joint?”
Thomas nodded.
Blake helped him up, turned to the other hostages. A few were already freeing each other from their restraints.
