20. River

20

River

When we reached the rendezvous point, two large covered trucks were waiting. We put the kids in one truck with some of the women. Then we collected our things and jumped in the jeep, guarding the two trucks.

As we drove, enemy jeeps tried to run us off the road. We fired back, and the Army Rangers returned fire from the back of the truck. A bullet whizzed past my head, and I spotted a man on the roadside aiming at us. I shot him, but not before he hit me in the leg.

“Take this,” I said, handing my gun to Raven as I quickly wrapped my belt around my leg. Blood was pouring out.

“We need to slow the bleeding,” Cyclone shouted. He pushed me down and tightened the belt.

“Damn, does it have to be this tight?”

“Yes. Look at your pants. You’re losing too much blood,” he said, taking off his shirt and pressing it against the wound. “We’re still half a day from the hospital. You won’t make it if we don’t stop the bleeding.”

I felt myself fading. “Raven, call Kat. I need to tell her I love her,” I said, my voice weak .

“Why don’t you wait until you see her?” Raven said.

“What if I don’t see her? Just call her,” I demanded.

Raven dialed the number. “Fuck. Gage, is Kat there?” Raven asked.

“No, she’s probably still packing up her house. What’s going on?”

I grabbed the phone. “Did Kat call and tell you she was taking the day off?”

“No. Why?”

“I’ve been shot in the leg, and it’s bleeding badly. Did you try calling Kat?”

“Yes, but it goes straight to voice mail.”

“Get in your fucking car and see where she is. I told you about my dream. Take Tag with you. Call me as soon as you arrive at her house.”

Kat always called if she was going to be even five minutes late. Something was wrong, I looked at Cyclone. “You can’t let me die. I have to save Kat. I should have listened to my gut—I knew I heard her screaming for me.”

“You don’t know that. Let’s wait for Gage to call us back,” Raven said.

I already knew what was coming. When the phone rang, I couldn’t even breathe, much less talk.

“Answer it, Raven,” I said weakly.

Raven answered, his expression darkening. “Tell me,” he said.

“Her place is trashed,” Gage said, his voice tense. “Tag’s checking all the rooms. There’s a note. It says, ‘You got mine, so I got yours.’”

“What does that even mean? Does it say who it’s from?” I shouted.

“No, I guess they wanted you to figure that out. If you are who they are talking about,” Gage replied, his voice coming through the speaker.

“Gage, find her. If I don’t make it, you have to save her.”

“Why the hell is he talking like he’s dying?” Gage asked.

“Because we don’t know what will happen to him, we are far away…”

River interrupted. “Why is he still talking? He needs to be talking to the neighbors. Have him check the videos where I live to see if anyone followed Kat when she left the condos that morning,” River demanded.

“I’ll call you later. Here are some more jeeps. Do they have guns?”

“No, they don’t have guns. They’re crying. That’s Rush’s friend and his wife,” I said as the truck came to a stop. Rush jumped out and carried Joey to his parents. By then, they were all in tears.

Rush motioned to his friend, who approached and glanced at my leg. “Follow him,” Rush said. “He’s a doctor. He’ll fix you up. This is where we part ways. I’m heading back to base. Thanks for all your help. The Rangers will handle getting everyone to safety.”

We followed the doctor to his clinic, but I was already fading fast. I passed out before we arrived, completely unaware of what was happening with Kat.

I woke up three days later.

Raven was in the room when I opened my eyes. It took a few moments for my brain to catch up. “How long have I been out?”

“Three days,” Raven replied, meeting my gaze.

“Have they found her?” I asked, my voice hoarse.

“The neighbors went over when they heard the dogs crying. Kat must’ve locked them in a closet to keep them safe. They found blood, but we don’t know whose it is. Remember, Kat’s a Marine lieutenant. She knows how to handle herself in situations like this.”

“She’s a medic, not a soldier in combat situations. That doesn’t mean she knows what to do here. Help me up. We’ve got to find her. Where are the others?”

“They went to help find Kat. Gage said he saw a car parked outside the condo’s gate the morning she disappeared. They followed her when she left. The car was stolen, and there were no fingerprints,” Raven explained.

“Damn it. Help me stand. I’m so dizzy,” I muttered, trying to push myself up. Just then, the doctor walked into the room.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

“I have to go. Thank you for keeping me alive, but I can’t stay here,” I said, feeling the room spin. I closed my eyes, trying to stay upright.

“You lost a lot of blood. You’re lucky Raven’s blood matched yours. But you need to be very careful. If you put weight on that leg, you’ll tear the stitches and risk infection.”

“The woman I love has been kidnapped by someone who wants me dead,” I said, gritting my teeth. “They’re threatening to kill her. I can’t just stay here.”

“At least stay off your leg as much as possible. I’ll be praying you find her.”

“Thanks for saving my life. I’ll be careful,” I promised, even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to follow his advice.