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Only the thought of David kept her going beyond where she would have surrendered If he was alive, he would be co for her She never doubted that for a second

She forced herself to stay awake, looking for anything that would interest her enough to keep her mind alert When David came, she needed to be awake and able to help hio doithout a fight

Noelle looked around The building was some sort of bunker made of metal plates that would have been easy to tear apart and transport elsewhere The structure and everything in it was designed to be portable

But as interesting as that ht now, it was the only thing keeping her fro cold that sank into every pore Already, she was feeling a heavy, sleepy lethargy she knewhypothermia As deaths went, it was a horrible one--or would be until she just gave in to the urge to sleep Then it would all be over

Water dripped steadily from her hair into a shallow pool at her bare feet Her eyelids slid down and she struggled to open theain She told herself she had to stay awake David was co

Faith in David was all she had left, and she was clinging! to it with every ounce of strength she possessed

Suddenly, the unfire She couldn't lift her head enough to see who it was, but she didn't have to

David was here

Finally, David was able to act Grant, sniper extraordinaire, was able to take out four roup could even close the distance David ignored the rest of the eneets for his teaet inside, eliht at his side

Reports of downed hostiles filled his ear, but he tuned out the sound, putting all his focus into his part of the attack

Caleb and David burst through the doors, shooting anyone asn't Noelle Three men fell before the first enemy had a chance to return fire One ducked for cover behind a metal partition and the third sprinted across the room, toward Noelle

David saw her there, bloody, naked, tied to a listened under her chair

David nearly lost it right there It was like staring at Mary all over again Beaten Tortured

Dead

He nearly doubled over in pain, fighting off the urge to voain He wouldn't survive losing Noelle

The day Mary died, a monster had been born inside him Over the past two years, David had fed that ret Theinside David until there was little room for the man he used to be

Noelle had somehow found thatat her tortured body, everything hu in tor inside hi for its chance to strike

David forced out every shred of e in his heart He couldn't stand to feel anything right now If he did, it would destroy him--make him weak He had to be cold Hollow Ato take out every one of the bastards here and pray he died in the process

A bullet whizzed by his head, and if it hadn't been for Caleb jerking him out of the way, it would have hit its er body to cover David's frounfire They were pressed into a little alcove by the door, which was their only cover

Caleb crouched, dragging David with hi?"

David peered around the corner, needing to see for hiht She was still alive

A sense of relief tried to take hold inside hi it downNoelle would be okay, then having her end up like Mary He wouldn't survive that sort of pain again It was all he could do just to keep breathing

"I' after her," David told Caleb, his voice flat and hard

"Right," said Caleb, knowing better than to try to argue "On three"

Caleb gave David covering fire while David raced across the rooer or faster in his life He lived for a single purpose--saving Noelle

Behind hirunt of the man who had taken shelter behind the partition Caleb calmly reported another hostile dead over the comm unit stuck inside David's ear

That left only one ene

The blond man who had come David's way jumped out from behind a file cabinet where he'd hidden and used Noelle's body for cover And in case that wasn't enough to stop theainst Noelle's temple "Stop," said theover the concrete floor Inside hi to kill thatRecognition flared bright in David's memory The man was horribly scarred now, but David was sure this was the man who had held Mary captive The saht I'd killed you," said David His voice was hollow, emotionless

Noelle's eyelids fluttered in response to his voice but David refused to acknowledge it He had to stay focused She was going to be okay He was going to make sure of it, nothe scar along his cheek to stretch into gruesoes "Not quite That fire you set nearly did ed to escape, even with a bullet inhimself more completely behind Noelle David didn't have a clean shot "I knew you'd come for the woman

You always coritted his teeth against the urge to reach out for her

"You can't i you," said the man