by Lolita Lopez
Blood soaked her shirt and spilled onto her hands. He’d seen enough stomach wounds to know that she didn’t have much time. They had to get to her. Now.
“Breach! Move! Move!” Pierce shouted the order. “Cipher, blow that back room.”
On autopilot, Menace ran forward with his team. Small, controlled explosions rocked the facility. Tunnel vision took hold. His only thought was of reaching Naya in time. The reality that she could die alone clawed at him. If she died without knowing how much he loved her, Menace wouldn’t be able to live with himself. It would be too cruel for her to leave this world without knowing the warmth of his love.
Two explosions Pierce’s men had set took out the doors and granted them access to the building. They hit the factory hard and fast. The sight of Naya in a pool of blood in the center of the floor made his heart leap into his throat. Bloody streaks marked the path she had been dragged. Rapid gunfire and plasma bursts rocketed over her writhing, hemorrhaging body.
Raze and Venom were pinned down on one side of the room. Hazard had a shield with him but he was too far back. Every time he took a step, he drew heavy fire. Frantic, Menace looked around for something, anything, to use as a shield so he could pull her out of harm’s way.
“Hang on, Menace. I’m coming for you.”
The shock of hearing Terror’s voice in his ear left him momentarily stunned. In another instant, the Shadow Force operative was at his side with a heavy shield. Terror grabbed his arm. “Let’s move.”
He didn’t even ask how Terror had gotten there. He didn’t care. This was his only chance to save Naya. He was grasping it with both hands.
Bullets and plasma bursts ricocheted off the heavy-duty and specially coated shield. They kept low and moved quickly. Pierce shouted commands over the radio, ordering Venom into a sniper position. Whether he would get there in time to help Menace and Terror extricate Naya was anyone’s guess.
Menace dropped to his knees next to Naya. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. He shook his head. “Don’t talk. Conserve your energy.”
“We don’t have much time, Menace. Work quickly,” Terror grunted as he kept the shield in place, shifting it ever so slightly to provide the most coverage for Naya.
Menace grabbed a trauma dressing from the med kit strapped to his thigh and pressed it hard to her belly. She cried out in pain. Blood dribbled from the corner of her mouth. “Just hold on, sweetheart.”
She gripped his wrist. “I’m sorry. I should have told you but—”
“Don’t,” he cut her off before she could finish the apology. “None of that matters now.” He caressed her face. “I love you, Naya. I love you. Just focus on that, sweetheart.”
Her pained, panicked expression softened. “I love you too.”
“Touching as this is, we need to move.” Terror glanced over his shoulder and frowned at them. “Get her up, Menace.”
Even though he worried lifting her would cause even more damage to her internal organs, there was no other choice. If they stayed here, she was going to die. She screamed in pain as he gathered her in his arms. Her hot, slick blood coated his hands and soaked his uniform. The bitter scent of it made his stomach churn.
With Terror at his back, Menace ran toward their team, who provided constant suppressive fire. Up above, Venom picked off the enemy one by one. Finally unpinned, Hazard rushed out to join Terror with another shield, providing enough coverage to fully protect Naya’s wounded body. Bullets whizzed and snapped by them, but the two men ran them out of the factory.
A second ship, this one a so-called dart, often used to evacuate medical casualties, waited near the ship Menace and the team had used. Was that how Terror had gotten to the surface? Even though the dart could make the surface-to-Valiant trip in less than an hour, it was still too much time for Naya.
Hallie came running out of the bigger ship where she’d been waiting with Cipher. Her pale face said it all. Two medics ran out of the dart and hurried to assess Naya’s injuries. Menace carefully placed her on the stretcher. Unconscious now, she was barely breathing.
“Take the dart, Menace,” Terror urged. “Get her to the Mercy. She won’t make it to the Valiant in this shape. The medical installation is still in lower orbit. It’s fifteen minutes tops.”
Menace nodded and rushed after the two medics who carted her to the safety of the dart. Inside, the pilot was already prepared to take off and was in the process of radioing the installation to let them know a critical patient was incoming. Both medics attached tether cords hooked to harnesses on their jumpsuits to clips dangling from the ceiling to minimize their jostling and the effect of the upcoming gravity loss as they worked. The second her stretcher was secured, the pilot lifted off and began the rough, fast ascent.
One of the medics pushed Menace into a chair to get him out of the way. As he buckled his safety belts, he stared at Naya’s limp body. Blood poured onto the floor. Vents strategically placed under the stretcher clamps drained it away so the medics had a safe working space.
They hooked her up to various monitoring devices, stuck her with multiple IVs and pumped her full of medications. She was intubated and placed on a ventilator. Trauma dressings were soaked with synthesized clotting preparations to stem the massive blood loss. Plasma and units of blood were dispensed via the overhead med box. It seemed that as fast as they pushed it into her, it ran out onto the floor.
Needing to feel her, Menace reached out and grabbed her cold hand. Holding it tight, he dropped his head. For the first time since childhood, he prayed.
Chapter Nineteen
Hours later, Menace sat in the waiting room outside the surgical unit on the medical installation Mercy. Naya had been much too fragile to move to the Valiant. Luckily the trauma surgeons on board were fresh from the front lines and highly skilled. He was glad her life was in their capable hands.
The papery-thin blue scrubs he’d been given by one of the medics felt alien against his skin. On the chair next to him sat his pile of weapons and a bright-orange biohazard bag holding his soiled uniform. They kept the place uncommonly cold. He blamed his trembling limbs on that.
The sound of heavy boots squeaking on the highly polished floor caught his attention. He glanced to his left and spotted Vicious and Hallie walking toward him. He didn’t have the strength to stand. Vicious grabbed the weapons and biohazard bag from the seat and moved them one spot down before sitting. With a heavy sigh, he stretched out his legs and leaned back in his chair.
Hallie took the empty space on his other side. Always so kind and gentle, she grasped his hand in both of hers. She didn’t ask any questions or try to start a conversation. She seemed to understand that he couldn’t talk right now. What he needed was support.
The minutes ticked by as they sat in companionable silence. An hour or so after arriving, Vicious rose from his seat and disappeared down an adjacent corridor. He returned with a bottle of rehydrating sports drink and two energy bars. Vicious thrust them into his hands. “Eat this, Menace. You need your strength.”
He didn’t argue. Unwrapping the energy bar, he noticed the red stains on his cuticles and in his calluses. Naya’s blood had marked his skin. No amount of scrubbing in the hospital bathroom had been able to wash it away.
Hallie must have noticed him staring at them. “I’ll go ask one of the medics for some peroxide wipes.”
She left him alone with Vicious. Menace bit the bar and drank some of the slightly tart drink. He hated the berry-flavored version but didn’t let it stop him from devouring the snack. Vicious had been right to insist he eat something. Naya was going to need him to be strong for her.
“I’m sorry, Menace.” Vicious broke the silence finally. “This shouldn’t have happened. I should have done more to protect you and your wife.”
Menace stuffed the empty wrappers into the drink bottle and screwed on the cap. “This wasn’t your fault, Vicious.”
“Wasn’t it? I should have found a way to rein in Terror.”
Vicious wiped both hands down his face. “I don’t know when it got so complicated.”
Menace didn’t either. He took aim at the garbage receptacle in the corner and shot the bottle toward it. It hit the rim and bounced into the can with a satisfying thunk.
Hallie rounded the corner with two familiar faces in tow. Venom and Cipher followed her to the seating area. She handed Menace the disposable wipes, started to sit but then counted the open seats. Realizing there weren’t enough, she glanced at Vicious, who opened his arms and patted his lap. Vicious slid his arm around her waist when she perched on there. His lips brushed her temple. The sight of the couple sharing a tender moment gutted Menace.
Venom sat in the spot Hallie had once occupied. He hesitated before asking, “How is she?”
Menace shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Venom squeezed his arm. “The surgeons on this installation are amazing. She’ll be fine, Menace.”
He wished fine had a more concrete definition. The shots she’d taken had caused a great deal of damage. Not wanting to think about the awful possibilities, he changed the subject. “Did you get the guns?”
Venom’s face showed surprise. “Menace, we don’t have to talk about the mission. Let’s just focus on Naya’s recovery.”
“She almost died trying to complete Terror’s mission. I want to know if she succeeded.”
“She did,” Venom assured him. “We got the weapons cache and a huge amount of intel on the Splinter cell on Calyx. They’ve already grabbed three of them by instituting a planet-wide dragnet. One Splinter ship tried to flee the surface when they got wind of our raid on the factory. We snatched them up and took them in for questioning. Dankirk called in his friends from the free press to photograph the food stockpile and disseminate the information to the people of Calyx.”
“She did a great deal of good today,” Cipher said. “Her bravery saved a lot of innocent lives.”
Menace supposed that was some small consolation. “Her mother?”
Venom shook his head. “Pierce tagged her in the arm and chest but she managed to escape. We’ll find her. With those injuries, she can’t have gone far.”
“And her brother?”
“Dead,” Venom said. “He got hit with friendly fire. Hazard swears he saw the mother pop him but who knows.”
Menace wouldn’t put it past the old broad. “She probably considered him a loose end.”
“With that drug problem? He would have been easy to interrogate. A promise of Impulse and he’d sing like a bird,” Venom replied.
“His body?” Menace hated to ask the gruesome question but it had to be done.
“We brought him back with us. He’s in storage in the mortuary. I wasn’t sure if Naya would want to bury him properly.”
“She will.” Menace couldn’t imagine Naya doing anything less. No matter how badly her brother had treated her, he was still her family.
“I thought you would want this back.” Cipher held out Naya’s red notebook. “I’ve already given a decoded copy to the Shadow Force unit.”
Menace grasped the small book and ran his finger over the red leather. Protecting her privacy seemed a moot point now. “What was in it?”
“Not what Terror expected,” Cipher answered honestly. “It was her record of favors owed and debts repaid. She kept inventories of her acquaintances. Just initials,” he explained, “but tied to their occupations. I think it was her way of knowing who could help the people who came to her with various needs. The back section was filled with contact information for various shops and warehouses in Connor’s Run and The City.”
Regret gripped him. “I should have let you decipher it the night it came into my possession.”
“Hey,” Cipher said gently, “you couldn’t have possibly known what was going to happen. You did the right thing respecting your wife’s right to privacy.”
“A lot of good it did her,” Menace grumbled. His gaze swept the lobby and settled on a surgeon coming toward them. His heart stuttered and he leapt to his feet. Hands clammy, he fisted them at his sides—and waited.
The doctor nodded at the crowd. He stopped in front of Menace and smiled. “She came through the repairs beautifully.”
All around him, there were sighs of relief. Vicious clapped him hard on the back.
The surgeon gestured in the direction he’d come. “If you’d like to come with me, Menace, I can let you see her. We’ll move her out of recovery into a private room in a few hours.”
Menace glanced at his friends. Vicious sent him an encouraging smile. “Go. We’ll be here if you need us.”
In lockstep with the doctor, Menace walked to the double doors leading to the surgical unit. Once they were inside and away from his friends, the surgeon began to give him more facts.
“It was touch-and-go in the beginning. We were able to gain control of the bleeding and repair all of her injuries. She responded well to treatment in the operating room. We’re holding back on administering accelerated healing drugs. I worry that the shock to her fragile and very small system might be too much at this point. We hope to begin a slow, steady infusion in the next two or three days.”
“Whatever you think is best,” Menace croaked, his voice thick with worry. He glanced around the recovery ward. The rooms were large and filled with beeping, hissing machines. Medics sat at computer consoles outside each room and monitored their patients’ vital signs.
The surgeon stopped outside a room. He gripped Menace’s shoulder. “You should know that one of her ovaries was damaged beyond repair. We were forced to remove it and the attached fallopian tube. Her uterine artery suffered a nick, but we’re extremely confident in its repair. She will be able to have children, possibly requiring the help of some medical intervention, but not for some time.”
Numbness spread through his chest. His stomach lurched painfully. How was he going to tell Naya? Even though she hadn’t wanted to start a family immediately, she’d made it clear she wanted children. The thought of her losing out on that dream because of this clusterfuck sickened him.
“I’ve recommended that she be fitted for a contraceptive device before she’s discharged. If she chooses to stay,” the surgeon amended. “I understand that her status is still in question?”
Menace’s jaw hardened. “Yes.”
The surgeon didn’t ask him to elaborate on the situation. Instead he left Menace alone. Reluctant to see Naya’s battered body, he entered the hospital room with some hesitancy. She looked so small and pale in the big bed. Tubes and wires snaked out of her limbs and mouth. A ventilator breathed for her while they kept her in a medical coma to heal.
He made his way to the chair next to her bed. Desperate to feel the life coursing through her, he reached for her hand and softly stroked her skin. His fingertips drifted to the underside of her wrist. He felt her reassuring pulse. For the first time since rescuing her, he believed she would live.
Touching his forehead to the bed, Menace let his tense muscles relax. He tried not to let any of the troubling what-ifs invade his mind. Right now he could only focus on sending her the most positive healing thoughts. He prayed that she could feel his love wrapping around and cradling her broken body.
The medics and doctors who came in and out of the room did their best not to disturb him. They adjusted her medications and refilled her IV fluids. When she’d proven stable enough to move to a private room, the switch was made quickly and efficiently. His confidence in the medical team on the Mercy grew exponentially.
Half an hour after settling her into a private room, Menace heard a knock on the door. Hallie poked her head inside. “May I come in, Menace?”
He nodded. “Please.”
She stood at the end of Naya’s bed and stared at her friend. He read the sadness on her face. “Gosh, this brings back memories.”
Menace chuckled soft
ly. “Except you were the one in the bed that time.”
“Yeah.” She came closer and rubbed his upper back. “Look, she’s going to be sedated for a day or two. She’s stable and doing well. Why don’t you go back to the Valiant? You can take a shower, get a hot meal and pack a bag. Take a nap if you want. I’m happy to stay here with her until you return.”
If anyone else had made the offer, he would have turned it down. Knowing that Naya shared such a strong bond with Hallie made it easier to accept. “Thank you, Hallie.”
Menace kissed Naya’s forehead and smoothed some of her hair out of the way. He lowered his mouth to her ear. “I love you.”
Out in the hallway, Menace found Venom, Raze and Vicious waiting for him. Vicious gestured to the closed door. “Raze has agreed to stay here in case Hallie needs something or you need to be reached.”
“And you and Venom?”
“We’re coming with you to settle a score.” Vicious’ tense features said it all. “We’ve had the sparring room cleared. Terror is waiting for you. Pierce and Torment will stand with him. Terror agrees the old way is the only way.”
Though brutal and violent, the Harcos way of settling feuds worked. Bloodlust exploded within Menace. By the time he was finished with him, Terror would need a bed onboard the Mercy.
* * * * *
With a long, slow inhale, Naya surfaced from the heavy weight of sleep. She gazed at the strange silver ceiling for a few seconds before finally remembering where she was. She’d been in and out all day, never able to stay awake for longer than a minute or two before being dragged back down into the warm embrace of sleep.
Her brain worked overtime to piece together all the clues. She’d been shot—by her mother. That memory was crystal clear. She remembered the full-on assault and the firefight. Menace came to her rescue—with Terror of all people! The wonderful sensation of Menace’s fingertips gliding over her face and his deep, husky voice confessing his love for her spilled over Naya like sunshine.
