took P.J. into his own arms, lowering her
to the floor.
“Get me something to wrap around her,” he ordered.
“What about the cuts?” Cole asked hoarsely.
P.J. struggled not to succumb to the blackness surrounding her. “Where’s Nelson? Did
you get the bastard?”
She’d never forget the look on Donovan’s face as long as she lived. It was full of
regret, rage and guilt.
“He escaped. He had a car parked behind the house, and our first priority is you.
We’ll find him, P.J. I swear to you we’ll make that son of a bitch pay.”
She closed her eyes, tears leaking down her cheeks in hot trails.
“We’ll get you to the hospital,” Donovan said. “You won’t hurt much longer.”
He was wrong. So very wrong. She couldn’t imagine ever not hurting. Some hurts were
so deep, beneath the skin. Soul deep.
“Not here. Take me home. He owns this city. I don’t trust anyone here. Just take me
home and find those girls.”
Cole leaned down as Donovan carefully arranged a blanket over her body. He smoothed
her hair back and kissed her brow. “I’ll do whatever you want, P.J. Whatever you need,
baby. I swear it.”
Steele knelt and framed her face in his strong hands. His blue eyes bore into her
with burning intensity.
“We’ll get the girls, P.J. But right now we’re going to take care of you.”
She nodded weakly and closed her eyes, welcoming the yawning abyss where she floated
free of pain and shame.
CHAPTER 12
THEY bundled P.J. into the back of the van, and Baker hopped into the driver’s seat while
Cole and Donovan took positions by P.J.
Cole managed to pry the knife from her fingers without her protest this time, but
he pocketed it because she’d been adamant about keeping it. Then he closed his hand
around hers, unwilling to let her think even for a moment that he wasn’t right here,
by her side. That her entire team wasn’t surrounding her.
“What do you think, Van?” Cole asked, trying to control the anxiety in his voice.
“That bastard cut her up pretty bad. She’s lost a lot of blood, not to mention that
he . . .”
He closed his eyes and looked away, unable to say the word
rape
. The bastards had raped her. They’d put their hands on her. They’d
brutalized
her. And he hadn’t been able to do a damn thing about it.
“I want to get her to the airfield,” Donovan said grimly. “The sooner we get her loaded
and take off, the better. I’ll work on her while we’re in the air.”
“What about Sunday? What about those girls?”
“As soon as P.J. is stable, I’m putting a call in to Sam. He’ll have to call in Rio
and his team. They’ll have to be briefed so they know what they’re up against.”
“I want those bastards,” Cole said through gritted teeth.
Donovan leveled a stare at him as they raced down the highway. “Make a choice, Cole.
I won’t stop you. But you have to choose. You going to stay with P.J. or are you going
in with the others?”
Put that way, it wasn’t even a choice. He belonged at P.J.’s side. He’d never want
her to feel like her team had abandoned her. He didn’t want her to think
he’d
abandoned her.
Rio and Sam would exact justice. P.J. needed him.
“I’m not leaving her,” Cole said.
From the seat just in front of them, Dolphin and Steele leaned over the top, closely
monitoring the conversation.
“None of us are leaving her,” Steele said tightly.
“Hell no,” Dolphin muttered.
“We live as a team and we die as a team,” Steele said. “I want to go kick the living
shit out of those assholes too, but P.J. needs us more than we need revenge. We’ll
leave it to others in KGI to get justice for one of our own.”
Donovan barked up to Baker, “ETA?”
“Two minutes. Pilot is on standby.”
On time, the van pulled onto the dirt road to the airstrip on the periphery of the
city. It was a regional airport, mostly used for cargo, and wasn’t a hub for
to the floor.
“Get me something to wrap around her,” he ordered.
“What about the cuts?” Cole asked hoarsely.
P.J. struggled not to succumb to the blackness surrounding her. “Where’s Nelson? Did
you get the bastard?”
She’d never forget the look on Donovan’s face as long as she lived. It was full of
regret, rage and guilt.
“He escaped. He had a car parked behind the house, and our first priority is you.
We’ll find him, P.J. I swear to you we’ll make that son of a bitch pay.”
She closed her eyes, tears leaking down her cheeks in hot trails.
“We’ll get you to the hospital,” Donovan said. “You won’t hurt much longer.”
He was wrong. So very wrong. She couldn’t imagine ever not hurting. Some hurts were
so deep, beneath the skin. Soul deep.
“Not here. Take me home. He owns this city. I don’t trust anyone here. Just take me
home and find those girls.”
Cole leaned down as Donovan carefully arranged a blanket over her body. He smoothed
her hair back and kissed her brow. “I’ll do whatever you want, P.J. Whatever you need,
baby. I swear it.”
Steele knelt and framed her face in his strong hands. His blue eyes bore into her
with burning intensity.
“We’ll get the girls, P.J. But right now we’re going to take care of you.”
She nodded weakly and closed her eyes, welcoming the yawning abyss where she floated
free of pain and shame.
CHAPTER 12
THEY bundled P.J. into the back of the van, and Baker hopped into the driver’s seat while
Cole and Donovan took positions by P.J.
Cole managed to pry the knife from her fingers without her protest this time, but
he pocketed it because she’d been adamant about keeping it. Then he closed his hand
around hers, unwilling to let her think even for a moment that he wasn’t right here,
by her side. That her entire team wasn’t surrounding her.
“What do you think, Van?” Cole asked, trying to control the anxiety in his voice.
“That bastard cut her up pretty bad. She’s lost a lot of blood, not to mention that
he . . .”
He closed his eyes and looked away, unable to say the word
rape
. The bastards had raped her. They’d put their hands on her. They’d
brutalized
her. And he hadn’t been able to do a damn thing about it.
“I want to get her to the airfield,” Donovan said grimly. “The sooner we get her loaded
and take off, the better. I’ll work on her while we’re in the air.”
“What about Sunday? What about those girls?”
“As soon as P.J. is stable, I’m putting a call in to Sam. He’ll have to call in Rio
and his team. They’ll have to be briefed so they know what they’re up against.”
“I want those bastards,” Cole said through gritted teeth.
Donovan leveled a stare at him as they raced down the highway. “Make a choice, Cole.
I won’t stop you. But you have to choose. You going to stay with P.J. or are you going
in with the others?”
Put that way, it wasn’t even a choice. He belonged at P.J.’s side. He’d never want
her to feel like her team had abandoned her. He didn’t want her to think
he’d
abandoned her.
Rio and Sam would exact justice. P.J. needed him.
“I’m not leaving her,” Cole said.
From the seat just in front of them, Dolphin and Steele leaned over the top, closely
monitoring the conversation.
“None of us are leaving her,” Steele said tightly.
“Hell no,” Dolphin muttered.
“We live as a team and we die as a team,” Steele said. “I want to go kick the living
shit out of those assholes too, but P.J. needs us more than we need revenge. We’ll
leave it to others in KGI to get justice for one of our own.”
Donovan barked up to Baker, “ETA?”
“Two minutes. Pilot is on standby.”
On time, the van pulled onto the dirt road to the airstrip on the periphery of the
city. It was a regional airport, mostly used for cargo, and wasn’t a hub for
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