Unfortunately, Raines had lost several of his mercenaries. Thank God the women of First Team were who they were. The house was destroyed but the people within its walls had survived.
Watching Bone kill was one thing. Watching her defend was something else entirely. She moved without caution or thought of her own safety—she’d been a machine.
And now she lay in this bed, more gunshots, this time a very nasty one to the side, and she was broken once again. He’d been unable to stop the flow of blood, only staunch it. The bullet remained in her side though it had clearly taken a chunk out of her.
“The look on your face tells me I will die,” she stated in a low voice.
His gaze rose to meet hers and she hissed in a breath, reaching for him.
“I am too mean to die, Asinimov. But I would be grateful if you could get this lead out of my side,” she whispered.
Her pain sank inside Dmitry, twisting his mind until he wondered if he would go insane with the need to kill for her.
“We will be somewhere safe soon and then we will get you fixed up,” he assured her.
Dmitry could hear the worry in his voice. Her capacity to endure pain was remarkable. But she had lost too much blood, even now her pressure was dropping dangerously low. He didn’t have the equipment to help her and his inability relegated him to prayer.
“You were praying,” she said, wonder filling her voice.
He nodded. “For you. I was praying for you.”
She swallowed and coughed, blood dotting her lips. “Maybe He will listen to you. He abandoned me long ago.”
She closed her eyes and his torture began anew. They had at least another hour before they landed in London. Nowhere was safe anymore. Trident was compromised so they’d been forced to flee. Their assets were varied so their finances would remain in order but they were scrambling to find safe harbor.
Dmitry had contacts in London so he’d suggested utilizing them. Rand and Adam were working on what came after. Dmitry’s prime resource in London was an old doctor who had saved Dmitry’s life more times than he cared to admit. Gunshots, knife wounds, even an attack by a hook-wielding terrorist who had almost finished him off for good.
He knew the old man would do his best to save her. If he could not, Dmitry would brave a hospital setting for her, though the gunshots would be reported. Trident wanted no trails but for Bone he would brave whatever government he had to.
”The babies are safe?” she asked.
“Do not talk. Save your energy,” he admonished. “Yes, they are safe. Your sisters are safe and so is Raines. You saved them all, Bone Breaker.”
“We must warn Blade,” she said before she passed out again.
Dmitry could do nothing but watch her struggle to breathe. Her life’s blood soaked the sheets beneath her. He counted the seconds and minutes until they landed and did his best to will her to survive.
Somehow she managed and when they arrived at the Dr. Moshe Vernon’s home, he put her under, operating with an efficiency Dmitry hadn’t realized such an old man capable of. She was transfused with more blood, the bullet was removed, the bleeding stopped and then she was resting.
“Can we transport her?” Dmitry asked.
“Not yet,” Moshe said. “It wasn’t bad with the exception of the blood loss. Her scar will not match yours, I dare say, but I would prefer you stay here so I can make sure infection does not root. I will do my best to get her well soon.”
“You are still safe?” Dmitry asked in a hard voice.
The old man glanced at him over the edge of his glasses, his look saying it all. Dmitry had saved his daughter ten years ago from a life as a sex slave within the Bratva. The good doctor would do whatever Dmitry asked him and not expose him to any threat.
So many Dmitry had saved because he’d not been able to save his own sisters.
“She is from my homeland?” Moshe asked.
Dmitry glanced at him, gaze narrowing. “She was born there.”
Moshe hummed and the sound was curious. “She has the look of my people but the shadows following her seem to be from a hell I cannot comprehend.”
“Do shadows not follow us all?” Dmitry asked.
Moshe nodded, a frown on his face as he walked once more to stand beside Bone.
Dmitry went to find the others. Moshe had checked Saya and Gretchen, declaring Dmitry a wonderful apprentice though his hands were too big for delicate work.
“It will be another few days before I can move her. Go ahead to Sydney. I will be behind you,” he said to Rand as he walked into Moshe’s small living room.