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Blood There’d been so much blood on Keira, all of it hers It didn’t see to lose so much blood and still be alive If he lived to be a hundred he’d never forget the sight of Keira bleeding out with every beat of her heart His hands had been covered with her blood as he frantically tried to ste God wordlessly both he and Callahan had para God, too, that they were in the parking lot of the hospital, and help was al But there had been so ency room one of the nurses there had been sure Cody was injured, too
“No word yet?” Callahan asked in his deep voice
Cody sed hard, fighting to keep his ehly “Not yet”
Callahan leaned one shoulder against the wall next to Cody After a long pause, he said softly, “She took a bullet meant for me”
I know, Cody wanted to say, but he didn’t trust himself to say the words out loud, not when part of hi there—well and whole—while Keira All she ever wanted was respect, he reminded himself as another little piece of his heart shredded Well, she’d earned that respect, and then some, even if it meant
“No one’s ever done that for me,” Callahan continued “Not even Mandy That’s not hoanted it to go down, not the way I—”
Cody’s harsh laugh cut him off “Special rule seven,” he said bitterly “That’s all she said She was already in shock, butspecial rule seven”
Callahan asked quietly, “What’s that?”
“The agency’s special rule seven—protect civilians at all costs” Cody’s voice grated on the words and nearly broke at the end, knowing the cost in this case ht be Keira’s life “That means—”
“I knohat it ht of myself as a civilian who needed protection I was always on the other side, the one doing the protecting”
Cody shook his head “Not to Keira Anyone who doesn’t work for the agency is a civilian” He thought about it for a moment “And even if that weren’t the case, she had another reason for walking into that bullet”
“What’s that?”
“She pro happen to you”
Callahan frowned “When—”
“Thatat my cabin, before McKinnon took your family away Mandy asked me first I told her I’d do my best” His face contracted, the h So she asked Keira, and Keira promised”
“Guts and brains,” Callahan replied, respect and adent”
If only Keira survives to hear those words, Cody told hi he wanted that for her, wanted her to know He turned toward the door to the intensive care unit and stared, as if he couldto be okay by sheer force of will He sensed rather than heard Callahan’s departure But Callahan returned within a few , “Here, drink this”
A cup of hot, black coffee was thrust in front of him Cody didn’t want it But he knew Callahan was just stubborn enough to stand there forever until Cody took the cup
He gagged a little as he drank the hot liquid It wasn’t very good Wherever Callahan had obtained it, the coffeepot had probably been sitting for a while, and the consistency and taste reflected it But it was hot And he was so cold inside So cold That hard, cold knot inside him reminded him that he had failed to protect Keira That was the bottootten there in time to save her
His thoughts turned inward, every detail of every h his mind; fro to surrender, to the moment he’d kissed her and realized the deep core of passion she hid from the world, until the ile, broken and bleeding