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She’d saved lives today.
Including Elliot Marshall, the chief. Shelby had gotten him out with nothing but a carjack. Marshall was out now. Daryn was examining him. “Concussion, sir. And at least two broken ribs. We need to get you to the hospital.”
“I have people in that building, plus visitors. I’m staying until every one of them is out.”The chief’s tone was firm. No one argued.No one ever argued with the chief. He turned toward Mike. “How many wounded, dead? Accounted for?”
“Two confirmed deceased,” Daryn answered. She named them quickly and described how they’d been found.
“Magda Journey and Madison McAlister are cataloging people as we find them. Keeping a running total,” Mike toldhim. “Most of Major Crimes and half the forensics staff are still missing. We don’t… know how many we had out in the field. Haldyn Harris and her team are still missing. They were out on a scene. And with people moving around, and transporting to the hospitals, our counts are fluid. It’ll take more time to know for certain.”
The chief squinted at him. It was a wonder the man was still cognizant. “Just keep me posted. I want to know… everyone. No matter what, Mike. Keep me posted.”
Mike nodded. He was going to do everything he could.
7
Major Crimes had been hit hard.Mike’s department. His friends. Half were still missing, including his partner Sean and Charlie Fields. Mike’s sister—she was still among the missing. As the hours went on, they still hadn’t been found. She could see his panic on his face. See it growing.
Daryn hurt for him. She surprised herself—and probably him—when she hugged him quickly. They’d kept busy treating the wounded and directing survivors. Mike couldn’t do as much as he wanted on the injured leg, but he was coordinating everything the teams were doing. “We’ll find them, Mike. I know we will. Darrell is the best at S&R. He and Shelby together… unstoppable.”
He just nodded and tightened his arm around her. Clung. Shook against her, breaking her heart. “My kid sister is still in there. And it’s been hours. And I can’t get to her. She has to be waiting formeto get to her. She has to know I’m coming for her. And I can’t find Sean, either.”
He and Sean Callum were close. Like brothers. Everyone knew that. “I know.”
And the longer A.J. was missing, the greater the chances were she wasn’t coming out whole. Daryn bit back the panic.
A.J. Evers washerfriend, too.
8
It had beensix hours since the storm had struck.Rain had gotten worse with the second and third round of storms that had come through. Mike was fast losing hope of finding his sister alive. But he kept doing what he had to do.
It was the shouting that alerted him something major had been found.
They’d found most of the Major Crimes division now. Erickson had taken a knock to the head and had some broken ribs. He’d be hurting for a while. Fields had been unconscious when he’d been pulled out. They’d taken the worst of it. But Sean was still missing.
Daniel McKellen had needed stitches in his arm—something a nurse practitioner with the National Guard had handled right there in the parking lot, in a tent the guard had assembled. The armory three blocks away had escaped unscathed, and the supplies that the guard was bringing were invaluable.Mike stood on the pile of rubble near the evidence vault. Where his sister was supposed to have been working.He was moving debris as carefully as he could.
Even if A.J. was gone… he was going to find her. Bring her back to her family. The ones who loved her.
No one had a clue where Sean had been at the moment the storm had struck. Sean had been his best friend for over ten years now. They’d always had each other's backs. Always.
He wasn’t leaving Sean in there any longer than he had to, either. Mike kept digging. Mike would not let the fear take hold.
He could lose them both today. Darrell yelled his name, as Shelby crawled out of the rubble again.
Mike made his way to the man’s side as quickly as he could. A helpful guardsman had provided him with a crutch two hours earlier. “What is it?”
“We’ve got a man and a woman trapped beneath a conference table in what remains of the Evidence department. Shelby positively identified the man as Sean Callum. They are alive, uninjured, but getting them out is going to be tricky. Dangerous. I thought you’d want to know. To be there. It’s risky. We don’t know the outcome, but we can’t leave them there much longer. This building can come down at any moment—and we can’t afford to risk rescue workers much longer.”
Mike understood. But he had hope now.
His sister was the only woman on the TSP roster still missing.Unless Sean was trapped with a visitor—it was A.J. in there.
Haldyn Harris and Charlotte Fields had been out in the field with their team when the storm struck.Word had come back that two of their teammates had been killed instantly.No one knew what condition Haldyn and Charlotte were in now. Or where they were. No one knew what would happen from one minute to the next.
“I’m staying right here until we get my sister out.”If he had to, if it got too dangerous to risk the rescue workers—he’d dighis sister out with his bare hands. “I’m not leaving my sister any longer than I have to.”
“I figured you might say that—I’d do the same thing if it were mine.”Of course he would. The two men understood each other just fine.
