Page 60 of Stolen Salvation

“First floor is clear, proceeding to evacuation.”

Zack’s voice over the comms sounded calm as if this was a training exercise and she wondered how they kept so cool doing these kinds of extractions.

Touching the first door handle, she entered, her weapon steady as her light came over a woman lying in the bed, her belly huge and her eyes wide with panic.

“It’s okay. I’m not here to hurt you. Can you walk?”

Frozen with terror the woman didn’t respond until Charlie lowered her weapon and took her helmet off so the woman could see her face. “Can you walk?”

A nod was all she got but she’d take it. “Let’s go.” Placing an arm under the woman’s armpit, she helped her toward the door where Jack took her and helped her down the stairs.

“Carry on clearing these rooms.”

Charlie went from room to room, spotting glimpses of Noah doing the same.

He spotted her and frowned. “Get your helmet back on.”

Charlie nodded and reached for it, only to realise she’d left it on the floor in the first room.

“Guys, hurry it up. We have incoming.” Watchdog in her ear gave a warning.

“How long?” Duchess responded sounding annoyed.

“Six vehicles about five miles out.”

“Fuck, wrap this up.”

Moving quickly, Charlie ignored the lost helmet and concentrated on finding her sister. The code word would be said when she was located and so far nobody had seen her. Stress was making nausea roll through her belly and she pushed it down, ignoring it as she headed back out into the hallway.

The shock made her knees almost buckle as she saw Andrea standing in the hallway, a dazed look on her face, a thin pale nightgown covering her body. “Andrea.”

She saw Noah rush toward her sister, calling her name and the familiar voice prompting Andrea to turn toward him. They were close to the top of the stairs across the hall from her. A flicker of movement to her left saw a man in scrubs exit a room and she watched in horror as he lifted his weapon to shoot the two people she loved the most. Firing her gun at the man, Charlie swore when nothing happened, the damn thing jammed. Her eyes flew to the man she loved.

“Noah!”

The man she loved was covering her sister with his body as she put her hands in the air and did the only thing she could and dove toward them. She felt the impact of the bullet tearing through her hand as Noah screamed her name, and then everything went black.

Chapter 21

“Nooo!”

He saw it happen in slow motion like his worst nightmare as he dropped his arms from Andrea and ran to Charlie as she hit the floor. Reaper had ended the doctor who’d shot at them, but right now all he could think about was Charlie.

Skidding to his knees he looked at her limp body, and with shaky hands reached for her hand which was a bloody mess.

“Out of the way.”

Bishop heard Waggs as the Eidolon member fell to his knees beside him and started checking Charlie over. Removing the hand covering her face, Bishop groaned seeing the bullet had struck her in the head.

“I’ve got a pulse, but we need to move her fast.” Waggs looked up then. “Jack, call Savannah and have her meet me out the back.”

Bishop didn’t know what to do, so he held her uninjured hand and prayed and begged her not to die. “Don’t you dare die on me, Charlie. I need you to live so we can make that future we dreamed about.”

His hand remained in hers as Waggs and Reaper and the others worked to keep her alive.

“Charlie?”

The small voice at his side had him glancing at Andrea who looked terrified and confused, her hair a wild, matted mess, and she had bruises on her wrists and face. Charlie had been trying to save them and he knew it was his duty to keep Andrea safe until Charlie came back to them.