Page 16 of Long Past Deadly

She shook her head, and coughed more, spitting out water.

Quaid checked the side of the pool for shards and found a clear spot. He

lifted her and deposited her on the side. Considering how testy she was about being touched, he was surprised she made no fuss. Shock. Crap. Levering himself out, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her shivering body.

“Talk to me, Williams.”

She tipped her head, staring at him with confusion clouding her eyes. “I’m okay.” She coughed again.

Holding up two fingers, he flashed them in front of her eyes.

“I can see your fingers fine.” Alanna slapped his hand out of her face. “I can’t hear you. Jesus Christ, what was that?”

“You can’t hear me?” She stared at his mouth. Quaid helped her stand. Her trembling body twisted fear and anger in his gut. His tough girl didn’t tremble.

“It’s muffled. Is a fire alarm going off? I can hear that, maybe.”

The sprinklers had come on in the suite, and the alarm blared.

Alanna glanced back and saw a big man leaning through the hole in the window. Her scream was more of a squawk. The shift of her weight upset her balance and tipped her towards the water.

Quaid grabbed her, easing her against his chest until she stabilized. “It’s Barker.” Even speaking against her ear, he wasn’t sure she’d heard him.

You two okay?” Barker took in the scene, eyes wide.

Quaid fought his fears and found control. “We need a paramedic. Alanna’s hurt.”

“Taken care of. Fire Department is here and on the way up. What exploded?”

“I don’t know. Where were your men?”

“Knocked out in the fire escape.” Barker ducked back inside.

Turning Alanna, he pointed to the other side of the pool away from the broken glass. Once there, he turned her around. Her shirt was soaked with blood.

“Yeah, I’m missing a few layers of skin.” Alanna coughed again and studied the blood on Quaid’s hands. “The breakfast cart.”

“I don’t understand.” He turned her toward him and shook his head.

“Breakfast cart, by the dining room table. It made this funny clicking sound before it exploded.”

Quaid hadn’t ordered breakfast, but sometimes the staff prepped his favorites and brought a cart to the room. What was with all the breaches this man was making in their security perimeter?

“The other guy shot at us.” She fingered her lip, another cut there. “Not the same MO.”

Quaid grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist. Hearing the explosion had been nothing compared to watching her blow through the window like a broken doll and fall into the pool.

Alanna dabbed at her face with the towel. “It was him, though, wasn’t it? How did he find us?”

“Unknown.” He spoke directly to her, but shook his head again, too.

Barker broke out the remaining panels of glass in the sliding doors. “Paramedics.”

He bent to make eye contact. “Paramedics here. Hospital for you.”

She vehemently shook her head.

Quaid nodded as fiercely back. “You might have ear drum damage.”