Page 153 of Jay Bird

For several seconds, nobody said anything. Then one of the lights moved across the floor.

Something pink came into view, and Jay Bird stopped breathing.

Ellie. He recognized the stuffed elephant immediately. Then he saw the tiny body curled around it.

“Lily.”

He moved forward, but Derek’s hand caught the front of his vest.

“Wait.”

“That’s Lily.”

“I know.”

“Get the fuck off me.”

“Five seconds, Jay. Give them five fucking seconds.”

Every instinct inside him screamed to get to her, but somewhere beneath the panic, the SEAL in him understood. He stood there while the entry team swept the container, checking corners, the ceiling, the floor, and every place another device could have been hidden.

Five seconds had never felt so goddamn long.

“Clear!”

Derek released him, and Jay Bird moved.

He barely remembered crossing the distance. One second he was outside the container, and the next he was dropping to his knees beside Lily.

She was curled tightly on her side with Ellie trapped against her chest. Her hair was tangled across her face, and she was wearing the same little outfit he had seen on the security footage.

She wasn’t moving. For one horrible second, Jay Bird thought she was gone.

“Lily.” His hand shook as he reached for her neck.

Her skin was warm. And then he felt her pulse. It was strong and steady beneath his fingers. All of the air rushed out of his lungs.

Jay Bird carefully slid one arm beneath her and lifted her against his chest. Her body was limp, but she was breathing. He could feel every soft breath against his neck.

“I got you, peanut.” His voice sounded rough even to him.

He pressed his face against her hair and closed his eyes. “Jay’s here.”

Someone touched his shoulder. Jay Bird stiffened, then realized it was a paramedic.

“Sir, we need to examine her.”

He knew that. He still didn’t want to let go.

“What did they give her?”

“We don’t know yet.”

“She’s breathing. Pulse is strong.”

The paramedic nodded. “That’s good. We need to get her on the monitor and transport her.”

Jay Bird looked down at Lily. She appeared to be sleeping, but there was something unnatural about how deeply unconscious she was. He brushed the hair away from her forehead.