eral wa

allow, rapid rise and fall of his chest. The bullet had missed the major organ

utes. The helicopter was

him. The smell of co

his hand clutching the wo

t wasn't rude; it was tac

ed mess. The pressure bandage he had a

d to caut

ts. A silver cigarette ca

ing to hurt

She flicked the lighter open.

eved from the dead mercenary. She wiped the bl

widened. "No...

piece of leather-his own

esitation was infectio

hot blade agains

mell of burning flesh filled the

dy arched off the ground, his back bowing

r other hand was steady, surgical. She wasn't Arleen Brewer, the high school dropout. She

y, sealing the wo

commanded, slappin

terror and awe. He had seen combat medics work, but he had never seen a te

et..." he

bone. I can't take it out here

er hands on

to whip the treetops, sending a shower of pine needles down o

dead bodies and a high-profile target. The questions would b

bloody hand gripping her wrist. His grip was

otlight swept over them, illumina

, she became a person of interest, but also a savior. Clemons. That was the

barely audible over the roar o

ed her w

pper to mask her retreat. She scrambled up the ridge, diving i

ed from t

he moved like a force of nature. Tall, broad-should

Cle

eeds. The heir to the Clemons empi

ipped in one fluid motion.

is voice was a r

wn behind him, car

She saw the medic pause, look closer, and then

ted over the noise. "Field cauterizatio

ing a full three hundred and sixty d

he rhododendrons whe

eart rate slowed to a craw

He crouched down. He touched the

ed up s

that had fallen when she was thro

is face unreadable

pocketing the clip. "And sweep the

back into the deeper woods, mov

tes later. She climbed back through

d. Her hands wer

ication: Mis

es Level 1 Unlocked.

sensation as muscle fibers knit together and nerves sha

thin, still calloused from scrubbing fl

yes. Tomorrow wa

changing, but the wa