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Caleb turned away, unable to stand the sight of yet another life ruined on his watch

Shanawed at him, but he had a job to do, so he shut that part of himself down If he didn't hurry, chances were David and Noelle would be added to that list, and he couldn't let that happen

By the time Caleb was halfway up to the cabin he heard the crack of a rifle and prayed that it was Grant's rifle that had made the noise

Noelle crouched beside David, willing her body not to seize up with fear So, but the rational part of her brain kicked into gear and assessed the situation

David's left ar heavily, and Noelle said a quick prayer of thanks that the bullet hadn't veeredvital He was conscious, but groggy, likely fro his head on the way down

She didn't dareShe ripped off her sweatshirt, heedless of her glasses as they tangled in her hair She tied the shirt around the wound, pulling it as tight as she could

David groaned in pain and his eyes fluttered open

Outside, Noelle could hear the heavy pounding of a helicopter's blades The Sas co her speed and strength She scrambled to slide the disk she'd burned out of her laptop and tuck it inside David's shirt She only had a few seconds before they were here, and she needed tohands

Without hesitation, Noelle typed a cora on her hard drive would be scrubbed aithout a trace She didn't care about all the work she'd done being throay She was only worried about David andwhen he moaned in pain Slowly, his eyes opened and she could see confusion clouding his blue eyes

"David!" she said, filling her voice with every ounce of terror she was feeling It got the desired reaction and she could see hi off the effects of his injuries He looked almost lucid And mad as hell

"Do you reht we gling to focus

Noelle leaned down to his face Fear prowled along her spine with acid claws She was shaking so hard it was difficult to rabbed his face in her hands and kissed hi there wasn't time to say

Noelle pulled away and stared directly into his eyes "Remember what I told you the first time we made love It's i the cabin They were out of tiave in to the torrent of fear and anger and guilt that had begun pounding at her the second she realized David had been shot Tears strearief

She pressed her fingers against his neck, blocking off the flow of blood going to David's brain In a few seconds he'd pass out Noelle prayed it would be enough to fool thehe was dead

Three ar a spray of wood splinters into the air

Noelle turned toward them, her face a teary un from David's belt, stood and pointed it at the closest er, one of the

Noelle stuiant black hole that sed her up in one bite

Grant was too late to stop theon the helicopter He disappeared around the corner of the cabin with her limp body over his shoulder before Grant could take the shot The twowith David's body were another story

He controlled his breathing as he peered through the scope on his rifle, targeting the head of theDavid's feet Grant didn't have ti, so he found the rhythm of the beats and made his shot between them

Pink blood spray bloomed into the air froet, who hadn't yet realized why the load he was carrying had suddenly become so heavy A scant three seconds later, the second round in a lifeless heap

The helo pilot iven orders to leave without thethe limbs of the nearby trees into a frenzy ofthe pilot, but then hesitated Noelle was on that chopper, and if he took it down, it ht kill her If that happened, David would never recover Assuht had Grant's lungs squeezing hard, blocking off his air With a vicious curse, Grant ripped the scope from his eye and went to see if David was still alive

The throbbing in David's head woke hiency called him out of the blessed comfort of unconsciousness Then he re to his feet

His head spun, and he could barely es swi before his eyes

"Easy," said Caleb "Just take it easy and sit down"

Caleb'sDavid onto a stool left him no choice but to sit or fall down

"Where is Noelle?" he demanded of all three Calebs who stood in front of hi to find her, David"

Find her? She wasn't here? Fear and guilt threatened to drive hione

David clutched Caleb's shirt, not caring how desperate he sounded "I have to go after her"

"We will," assured Caleb in a low, coo"

David's vision had cleared so that there was only one of everything again The pain pounding at the back of his skull was still there, as was a deep burning sensation in his left arm None of that mattered, and he couldn't let it slow hi was I out?"

Caleb checked his watch "Eighteento pack you up and bring you along Their helicopter left without the with her computer and all her papers," continued Caleb in an even voice as if he were talking about the weather rather than the whereabouts of the woman David loved

"Is she ?" David couldn'teven bring himself to ask