What? I’m feverish, not dead.
She shows me two earpieces and hands one to me, before shoving one in her own ear. “I was told to let them know you’re alive.” She winces suddenly and snaps, “Jesus Christ, stopyelling! Yes, he’s right here. He’s got a fever and we need out of here quick or he’s going to pass out on me. I gave him what I can but it’s not going to work right away and we’re dealing with a ticking time bomb. And I really don’t want to be shot.”
I put the earpiece in my ear and I hear Cryos snapping back, “What do you mean shot? Who the hell is going to shoot you? I thought you said that you made it to him in one piece.”
“She meant me, Cryos,” I rasp out. “Doesn’t think that I can handle a gun in my condition.”
“Thank fuck,” I hear Cryos breathe. “Hulk, brother, it’s fucking good to hear your voice. And of course you’re not going to fucking shoot her. Between you and the others, you can probably handle that thing in your sleep.”
“Hulk?” Bullet’s voice suddenly barks. “Brother, are you alright?”
“I’ve been better, but I want to get the hell out of here,” I admit tiredly.
“We got you, brother,” Bullet promises. “Cryos, connect us in with the others and let’s get them out of there. Avery, stay with Hulk and we’ll get you both out of there.”
“If I die, you promise me that you’ll take care of Sawyer and Isla,” Avery demands, her tone serious and firm. “Promise me, Bullet.”
“I promise,” Bullet grunts. “But it won’t come to that, Avery. Just listen to Hulk and whoever helps to get you out.”
I look at my angel in front of me, trying to put on a brave front, but her blue eyes are full of fear. She saved me, and now it’s my turn to save her. I just hope that I can stay alive and awake that long.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HULK
Is she an angel or the devil in disguise?
I look backat the table and quickly grab the brass knuckles and a couple of knives. “Put these on your knuckles, and make sure you put the knives somewhere you can easily grab if you need them,” I tell Avery as I hold them out to her.
She stares at everything for a moment, but she must decide she doesn’t have any other choice because she grabs them and puts the knives in the pockets of her yoga pants. The handles stick out, but that’ll work for now. The brass knuckles are too big for her hands, but she curls them closed to keep them from falling off. “How am I supposed to grab the knives with these?” she asks.
“Hopefully you won’t need to, but if you do, let the knuckles fall off and reach for them,” I answer. She’s right, it’s not the best idea, but it’s what we have to work with. “The knuckles will do some damage if you put enough weight behind it, and I knowyou can. They’ll stun someone long enough you can either get away or get to the knives.”
“Or you could just give me the gun and I’ll shoot them,” Avery argues pointedly.
“Only one gun, angel, and you need to have the guts to kill someone if they get in the way. Can you do that?”
“Give her a bat, brother, she’ll be fine,” Frost’s voice says in my ear, a small lick of amusement in his voice. I’m confused on why that’s so funny.
Avery scowls. “Fine, we’ll do this your way, but if you die on me because you’re too slow to get that gun up, I’ll take it from you and do it myself.”
Despite everything, I smile. “Sure thing, angel.”
“Stop calling me angel,” Avery huffs.
“Can’t, sorry,” I say lightly. “You’ve saved me more times than I can count.”
Before she can argue with me anymore, Cryos barks, “We’ve got Vlad and Nikolai incoming now. They’ve got the call we’re around, so we need to get you out of there before they get there. All the cameras are offline, so get a move on.”
“Bowie, Frost, you’re on point,” Shadow orders. “Viper, you and I are heading into the house. Bullet and the others will handle the guards. Hulk, leave that room and head to the end of the hall. Cryos, can you give directions to get him out of there?”
“I got it,” Cryos promises. “Vlad’s SUV is going at full speed to get back, so the faster you get out, the better.”
“Misfits are incoming,” Bullet says tightly. “We don’t know friend and foe right now, but they’re coming to help us, and we need to make sure that they don’t have much to do. So move it.”
There is so much in those words, but I can’t unpack them right now. We need to get out of here. I look over at Avery, who looks like she’s wondering about her decisions, but our eyes meet, and she gives a small nod. Time to get out of here.
Every step ache as we make our way to the door, and I hate how much my hands are shaking as I force it open. Fuck, I need to get out here, or Avery is right and I’m going to crash. Sheer will and training keep me moving, but how long until that’s not enough?
