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Salazar lay uitar in shards next to his loose and broken, the beautiful wood scattered like pieces of shrapnel

Brannon shouted, "Dave, see to Salazar Okay, guys, careful now Disarh fives, only heavy breathing, relief on every face as the agents went from man to man to find any still alive

Griffin exa down the alley the other night wasn’t aent Dave Parmenter, also a paramedic, went to his knees beside Salazar "It’s bad We need an aht away" As he spoke, Dave was already pressing his hands with all his strength against Salazar’s chest

Griffin said, "We should call in a helicopter" He started hobbling as fast as he could back toward the passage, but a DEA agent raced past hients got the tounded gang members ready to walk or be carried to the front of the cave; another covered the dead with blankets

Salazar still lay on his back, unconscious now, and next to himite streaked with blood

It was Dix who carried Salazar out on his back They were all standing outside the front cave entrance, Salazar still on Dix’s back, when the helicopter blades whuht it down in a narrow clearing, with feet to spare between the blades and the pine tree branches Two medics juurney, and slid him in "We can fit the other tounded," the pilot called to them, and the men were loaded in Dave climbed in with them, and the helicopter lifted off

"Got to ad the helicopter blades whip so close to the tree branches that snoent flying

The snow had stopped falling for thethe world look perfect again

Dix straightened and twisted his back around, trying to loosen up "I’d rather not do that again," he said "I hope Salazar "

Henderson County Hospital

"I hate this place," Griffin said, staring around the eency rooically soothing pale green but looked more like week-old artichokes to him Only he and Anna had coents had stayed at Winkel’s Cave, doing an inventory of all the drugs and overseeing their ree se blazing smile "An op that went perfectly," she said for the third tiether "Can you believe it, Griffin? It went perfectly!" She wasa wild cocktail in her blood "I’ at least five hundred kilos of cocaine It’s the biggest bust I’ve been in on I wonder how long they’ve been delivering drugs at Winkel’s Cave?" On and on she went, questions pouring out of heroperation And all the agents had survived, plus they’d closed down a big distribution center and wiped out the MS-13 gang activity in the area At least for a while

Anna pulled off her black wool cap and grinned up at hih the cave, even that one gnarly section Let’s find Dr Chesney so she can look at your leg You’ve got to get it strong again; otherwise, you’ll never be able to hold ers over her mouth to shut her up He could feel her ers, "I’and belly Will he tell us anything? Doubtful, since gang honor demands they keep quiet We’ll see"

"What about the other one?"

She shook her head

Griffin watched her pace back and forth in front of hi up at her while he rubbed his throbbing leg She leaned down and kissed him, then she was off when she saw Mac Brannon walk into the ER with Dix and Ruth He watched her talk, gesticulating with her hands It had felt odd not to be in charge of an operation, but he couldn’t co to plan It was a miracle He wondered what Anna would say when she ca