Chapter Nineteen
Wendy knew they didn’t have time for her to hug him, but she couldn’t stop. She had been so worried since the explosion. It had come from nowhere when the bomb went off. The sound deafened her and threw her off balance.
Immediately, Colonel Hall swung into action telling the men to start clearing out the wounded and seeing to those that were able to move. She’d dealt with this sort of situation before in Afghanistan.
Wendy stood, and all her training kicked in. She knew she couldn’t think about if Cato was alive. All she could do was focus on the people in front of her and keep them alive.
When he’d entered the room, a sigh of relief slipped out. She’d never been so relieved to see another person.
Even now, battered by the latest explosion, he was still alive. His warm body pressed to her own.
She glanced over to the floor nearby. Leah sat with Jamie’s head in her lap. Jamie was still unconscious from the first explosion. They’d had to dig her out, and Wendy worried for her friend, though she was still breathing.
“Sergeant,” Colonel Hall said sharply. “We need to move.”
Wendy pulled back from Cato and helped him to his feet. His hand was firmly in hers as they made their way toward the others.
She could see several casualties lying dead on the floor. Both hybrids and humans had been unable to escape the first explosion. The attack was too sudden.
Alair and a hybrid she’d didn’t know were pulling the rubble away from the door that lead directly outside. They had been sealed in. The hall was closed off now, and the second explosion had closed off the way the hybrids had come.
The other hybrid looked over at Cato. “You okay?”
“Well enough, Lucan,” Cato said.
Lucan? Something about that name rang a bell, but Wendy set it to the side for a moment. She didn’t have time to worry about it.
“Nikon is on the other side,” Lucan shouted. “If we can make enough room, we might be able to squeeze some of them out.”
Cato nodded. Wendy watched as he grimaced in pain from his injuries but still pulled the heavy blocks away.
Groaning and creaking sounded from the building now. She wondered just how long it was before the entire thing collapsed. Too many load-bearing walls and supports had been destroyed.
The only thing they had going for them was that the sprinklers had stopped, making things a bit less slick, but she worried that was from damage. The situation didn’t look good in general.
“Lucan, can you pull the last piece aside?” Cato said.
Lucan climbed up to the top of the pile with ease and wedged a large piece of the wall against another, creating enough space to get through.
She breathed in the cool night air, glad to have the fresh breeze.
“I’ll take the injured woman,” Lucan said.
Cato nodded. He lifted Jamie carefully and handed her to the other hybrid.
Lucan disappeared to the other side.
“Colonel,” Cato turned to the commander.
Colonel Hall frowned at him and shook her head. “Like hell I’m going before my people are out,” she said firmly. “First Leah, and then Sergeant Morris.”
“Are you okay?”
It was Leah’s quiet voice that made the group turn. A woman walked toward them. Her head hung low, hair shadowing her face.
“Stay away from her,” Cato said with a growl. “She’s one of the suicide bombers.”
Wendy stared hard at the woman. She looked just like anyone else. Nothing to make her stand out. She didn’t even have anything strapped to her chest.
How could she be a suicide bomber? After a moment, she realized the woman had some sort of trigger in her hand.
The girl stopped not far from Leah and stared directly at her. Her face was contorted in pain, tears dripping down her face.
“Run,” she whispered. “Run.”
Wendy felt a rush of air as someone breezed past her.
Alair.
He pushed Leah back and turned to where they were. “Get them out,” he shouted.
“Alair!”
Wendy turned to see Nikon at the opening just before Cato’s warm arms gripped her waist. His warmth enveloped her, making things, just for a moment things might be all right.
“Get Leah,” Cato shouted to Nikon. “Hang on, Colonel.”
Wendy gasped as another explosion tore through the room. Her surroundings blurred as Cato knocked some falling debris away from her. The chunk of wood sliced his cheek. He deposited her on the soft grass and then rushed back for the colonel.
Several seconds passed. Maybe minutes. She couldn’t be sure.
Someone was screaming, and she wasn’t so sure it wasn’t her, but she didn’t want to open her eyes to check. Didn’t want to see what was left of the man that had saved her friend.
Cool air hit her face, and she breathed in deep breaths to keep down the bile.
She finally opened her eyes, breathing slowly.
The rest of the building collapsed, fire consuming it and a column of smoke rising into the sky.
Nikon and Leah sat in the grass. Her face was buried against his chest as she sobbed loudly. On the other side of Cato, Colonel Hall sat on her knees. Her head was bleeding from their quick retreat.
Soot covered Cato. Blood dripped from his face, arm, and side. His shirt had been scorched. Despite his stoic demeanor, she could see the pain in his tight expression, both physical and emotional.
Wendy placed her head against the man next to her and let the tears fall until she no longer had the strength to cry.