Shatter by Joan Swan Page B

relax, Mitch. Do you know how long it took for the sedative to act?”
    “Uh,” he reached over and pushed hair off her forehead, resting the backs of his fingers there to feel her temperature. He didn’t know why, he just did. “Fast. She fought for maybe thirty seconds before slowing down. Maybe another thirty before she was completely out.”
    “There are very few sedatives that work that fast. The good news is that I’m pretty sure what he used is relatively safe. If she hasn’t had a reaction by now, she probably won’t. It just needs to wear off, which should happen quickly. How quickly depends on how much she was given, but she’ll be coming around in anywhere between ten and thirty minutes. If she’s not, there’s a problem and you’ll have to reevaluate an emergency room.”
    “Are you sure? That’s she’s okay, I mean?”
    “Based on what you’re telling me, she sounds stable. Tell me about the dog.”
    “Oh shit.” Another burst of panic burned through him. He got out of the car and opened the back door. “I don’t know how to check his pulse, he’s got so much damn fur . . .”
    “His femoral artery, inside thigh.”
    Mitch felt along the dog’s leg and found the pulse. “Damn, it’s too fast. Way fast.”
    “A dog’s pulse should be twice ours, so that’s good. And his breathing?”
    Mitch put his hand in front of the dog’s nose. “Also fast.”
    “That’s the way it should be. Enjoy the silence. When they wake up, they’ll probably both feel like they’ve got hangovers. You might want to pick up some Excedrin for Halina. I know you can’t get to a vet, so you can get some baby aspirin for the dog. But check with Halina before you give it to him, only give it to him if he’s in obvious pain and only one baby aspirin. Got it?”
    Mitch leaned on the roof and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Yeah.”
    “Mitch, are you all right? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you so shaken. Not even when Dad had his heart attack.”
    No. He wasn’t even close to all right. He’d almost lost Halina. Really lost her. And after what he’d discovered, he shouldn’t give a damn, which made the whole range of emotions even more psychotic.
    “Just freaking dandy,” he told Alyssa.
    “You don’t sound dandy. Get your troublemaking butt down here with the rest of us. Your nephew wants to meet you.”
    Mitch disconnected with Alyssa and spent a long moment gazing at Halina. Damn, he was so twisted with fury and betrayal and desire and hope, he didn’t know which way his head was spinning.
    “I don’t know what to do with you, beda .”
    Trouble—she was definitely trouble. Always had been in one way or another. Trouble for his body. Trouble for his mind. Trouble for his heart.
    Big motherfucking trouble in any language, English or Russian.
    He turned his attention to his phone and found yet another hotel nearby. He didn’t like the idea of stopping again, but he liked the idea of driving, unable to monitor Halina and Dex, even less. There was no doubt he’d hit Abernathy in the leg. Army Ranger or not, the bastard had to get that wound examined. And he wouldn’t go to an emergency room—unless he had a way to get around the hospital reporting a gunshot wound. Like ties with law enforcement or leverage even higher.
    Of course, with military intelligence in his background and Schaeffer’s contacts at his fingertips, he had both and would be able to maneuver three hundred and sixty degrees.
    Unless he was working alone during this blackout window when he didn’t have to account to Schaeffer. That would explain why Abernathy had come after them again instead of sending someone else. And why Abernathy hadn’t had backup when he’d tried to take Halina.
    Mitch’s mind ping-ponged back and forth. He wanted to call someone and talk about it. Hash it out until the adrenaline ebbed and he could close his eyes. But everyone was sleeping—or should be. Instead of pissing more people off, he