Page 75 of Her Honorable Hero

How long had it been now? How long?

Griff!

She yanked back her head so she could look down at Livvie, she needed to see her daughter. “Let me go,” she cried.

“You will help me?” He breathed in her face.

“Yes.”

He let go of her hair.

She looked down, she was holding Livvie too tight. She saw that she was sweating and panting. She pushed back her blanket just enough so that she wasn’t covering her face, but not far enough to expose the vest.

“Livvie?”

Her head lolled.

“She needs water,” Miranda wept.

“Computer,” the man leaning over her demanded.

“I can help,” Heinrich whimpered.

Maybe he could. She saw that the other thug was enjoying kicking him. “Stop, I need him. He has to tell me where to upload the files. But first water for my baby.”

“We go inside,” the big man said. He grabbed her hair again, but it was too much. She hurt. The kick she’d taken from Heinrich forced her to double over, and he lost his grip.

Miranda thought she saw a flash of yellow, and the man turned. She took the opportunity to head for the ground and she heard a loud report of a gunshot, then another, and then a never-ending echo of shots. A stream of liquid burst against the side of her face, and she shrieked, losing her balance, still trying to cover Livvie without suffocating her.

“Miranda!”

It was Griff!

The trembling didn’t stop. She rolled over onto her back. She gagged when she saw the dead eyes of her father, bullets holes ripped through his entire body.

“Livvie, please help Livvie,” she begged through her swollen mouth and tears as Dex’s face wavered above her.

“Get water,” Griff yelled to someone.

She pushed herself over on her side, the pain was excruciating.

“Easy Miranda,” let me help Dex said.

She leaned against her husband’s teammate as she watched Griff grappling with Livvie, tugging at the vest. Then he was gently pulling her arms out of her tiny pink T-shirt. Dalton dove to his knees beside them, picking up the shirt and pouring water on it. Griff grabbed it, and started patting her everywhere.

“Munchkin? Honey? How you doing?” Griff’s voice was desperate.

She started to squirm, and he lifted her a little.

“Livvie, are you all right?” Griff asked again.

“Dada.”

“Yeah, honey. I’m right here.”

Then she let out an angry cry. Her little girl was working her way to a true tantrum. It was the most beautiful sound that Miranda had ever heard.