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“Oh god.” Whenever I’ve healed someone, I’ve always taken on their pain, the feeling of the wound, but never the injury itself. It would appear I might be doing that now.
Weak and drained of energy, I lean my head back and wonder if this is where I’ll die as I feel my lungs filling with blood and my life draining away.
CHAPTER 16
Holy
The first explosion against the gates rocks the ground as we blast through the twisted metal. “Fuck 'em, gents!” Wilde West hollers as he stands in the back of the truck with a missile launcher on his shoulder.
The whizzing sound after he fires is followed by an explosion that shatters all the windows on the front side of the building as it crashes into the front doors.
Sharing a look with my brother, Malice has an evil grin plastered on his face as he takes aim with his assault rifle and begins firing. It’s not often we get weapons of this caliber, and if it were any other time, I’d be enjoying the hell out of myself, but Della is in there, and as I watch Asher McCall’s Alpha Squad annihilate the security around the building, I worry Della won’t leave unscathed.
As soon as Johnny hits the brakes, I jump to the ground and race for the door, shooting anyone in my way. Grabbing a grenade from the belt on my side, I toss it inside before rushing through. Taking out as many soldiers as possible before they realize I’ve invaded is easier than anticipated.
Bodies drop all around me as Carter and Cowboy join me, hitting those I miss. I hear Malice and Wilde counting down their strikes outside, and for a minute, I’m amused until I feel her.
“This way!” I shout, taking the stairs to the left. Grabbing another grenade, I launch it into an open doorway when I spot three men watching the security monitors. Rushing up the stairs, I follow where I feel her strongest. When we finally reach the floor I believe she’s on, an even more impressive explosion rocks the structure, throwing us all around. “This building isn’t going to last much longer if you keep fucking blowing it up!” I shout through the open mic we’re all wearing.
“Sorry, mate, couldn’t help the last one,” Wilde laughs.
Pushing on the closed door, I roll through and hit two men before one levels me with a shotgun blast to the chest. Immediately, I know it’s fatal.
I fucking failed her.
Carter is at my side as Cowboy takes the rest out with sweeping fire. The smell of burning metal and concrete stinks, and I stare down at my chest, blood pooling in my mouth.
“You have to get her, Carter.” I can see he’s both sad and angry. He’s pissed at me, and so am I. “Protect her,” I cough, spitting up blood as I feel my strength waning.
“Don’t fucking do this. Cowboy will get you out of here; we’ll get you patched up in no time.” I grin at his stubbornness. There’s no fixing me.
My vision begins to dim when I feel it.
Feel her…
Della. My saving grace.
Her light is a warmth I’d know anywhere, and as the sensation of her healing touch infiltrates my body, I want to fucking scream at her not to do it. To fucking let me go. I’m not worthy of her gift, and she sure as hell doesn’t ever need to feel this sort of misery.
“Della.” I growl her name as I feel my chest being put back together and my lungs expanding further with each inhale I take.
“Holy fuck.” Carter watches, amazed, and I get the feeling he’s never seen this happen before. “She’s fucking healing you. Jesus Christ, Cowboy, keep an eye out.” The other man blinks before scouting around us and tossing another grenade through the door we came in.
“Fuck.” The excruciating pain she must be absorbing, because all I’m getting is a sense of relief, angers me in ways I can’t express. “Della, stop, fucking stop already.” I hate this. I don’t want her hurting because of my misfortune.
Climbing to my feet, Carter helps me steady myself before I’m renewed with the energy she’s pumped into me. The fucking problem is I can feel her life draining away. Whatever the fuck they did in the three days they had their hands on her has nearly killed her, and this just might fucking finish her off.
“Let's go.” I nod down the hall, where I feel her the strongest. “I want Dr. Graves alive,” I growl through the comms. That woman will pay for what she’s done to Della and everyone else who has crossed her path. This shit is ending, and I’m making sure it never happens again.
“Della!” Carter yells as we burst open every locked door. “Cowboy, grab the girl.” Looking past the panel he just kicked in, I see a young girl, maybe early teens, huddled in a corner, scared out of her mind.
Cowboy enters, speaking softly, trying to soothe her fears before she jumps in his arms and nearly strangles the poor man. “Get her out of here,” I tell him. He’s torn between getting the girl to safety and helping us find Della. Admirable. “Go, Cowboy, she needs out.” He finally nods and takes off swiftly.
Nico and Johnny come up the stairs, Brave St. James following close behind as we continue down the corridor. “She’s here,” I inform them. “Careful with your shots.” I’ll kill someone if she’s hit with friendly fire.
As we near the end of the hall, I notice a door on the far right that is padlocked and chained, and I’m confident that’s where my girl is. “Here,” I call out. Carter stands next to me, his fury palpable, but what concerns me is I’m losing the sensation of Della. “She’s dying,” I mutter as I lift my gun and fire until the locks and door are dismantled.
Kicking through the fractured barrier, I enter to find a hole in the floor on one side with fire licking through, and Della slumped in a corner on the other.
