Page 13 of Raven's Hunt
Chase huffed, layering on more bandages in an effort to stop the bleeding. “Looks like we’ll be making a trip to Providence.”
Buck coughed. “Like hell, we will. We’re heading back to the office — getting a head start on whatever slammed into us back there.”
Chase paused, looking more than a bit intimidating. “And here I thought I was the medic.” He wrapped one hand around the wound, staring at Buck when he hissed. “You need x-rays, maybe an MRI. See if the bullet hit anything important on the way through.”
“It didn’t.” Buck shook his head. “Not the first time I’ve been shot. Besides, if we go the standard route, whoever treats me will have to notify local law.”
Chase laughed. “Hate to break it to you, buddy, but I know for a fact, the local sheriff is already aware you’ve been shot.”
“I don’t care if Greer knows. It’s the report. Once it’s in the system…” He glanced at Tierney. “Anyone with a decent hacker could access it. And we need to keep this locked down until we know what we’re facing.”
Chase pushed out a harsh breath. “Fine. I’ll clean it and stitch it, push some meds your way. But if I think there’s even a hint of an infection, I’m dragging your ass over to Providence, conscious or not.”
“You do know I can rig your truck to blow, right?”
“And I can drug your coffee.”
Buck snorted. “Okay, okay. You win. I’ll be a model patient for you.”
“That would be a first.” Chase glanced over at her. “Tierney? You hiding anything Rowan and I should know about?”
Tierney tugged the blanket tighter around her. “Some cuts and scrapes, a few bruised ribs, but Buck got the worst of it.”
Chase eyed her. “By bruised, are we actually talking cracked? Because you look like you want to puke.”
“You can thank Foster for that. I don’t get up nearly as often as you guys.”
Which wasn’t a lie. She’d only flown with Foster a couple times, and each one had been a chaotic adventure that had left her stomach lodged in her throat, her head spinning. The fact she’d kissed Buck, had been well on her way to fully surrendering didn’t factor in. Wasn’t the root cause of the nervous roll of her stomach. How her throat closed tight whenever she pictured how far gone she’d been.
That, given the chance, she’d kiss him again.
Chase nodded. “Rowan will need to look at them once we land. Until then, breathe, and if you think you’re going to hurl…”
“Don’t be an ass. I can hold it together until we get back to the hangar.”
“Right.”
He leaned toward the cockpit, tapped Foster’s shoulder. His buddy glanced back, nodding at whatever Chase said. The aircraft slowed a bit, some of the noise fading.
Buck nudged her thigh, still smiling as if they’d spent the night calmly sitting around the campfire, before shuffling closer, pressing his leg against hers. He didn’t speak, just stayed close, his warmth slowly settling her pulse.
Fatigue set in, all that adrenaline bleeding into crippling exhaustion, just like earlier. She let her head tip back, everything passing in a hazy blur before the machine touched down, the engines quickly spooling to idle.
Dalton and Zain opened the doors, ushering them out and across the helipad, shutting out the noise as the hangar door snapped shut behind him. The sudden silence jacked up her heart rate, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the threat was actually over or just pausing to breathe.
Sheriff Greer Hudson stood in the middle of the room, looking nearly as intimidating as Chase, her baby bump pressing against her uniform. Buck’s boss, Bodie Page flanked her right side, arms crossed, brow slightly furrowed.
He stepped forward, his gaze taking them both in. “I thought you two were scouting a new route?”
Buck raked his good hand through his hair. “That was the plan, until things went sideways.”
“When don’t they?” Bodie waved toward the door. “We can chat after you’ve both gotten patched up, showered, and into some dry clothes.”
Buck shook his head, removing the gear he’d stripped off the downed merc. “We can warm up, later. I want to know who the hell those men were and if they’ll be coming back for round two.”
Bodie took the tech, handing Buck’s phone to Greer.
She flipped through the photos, mumbling under her breath before handing it back to Bodie. “Guess it’s a good thing Avery’s already on the way. No chance the Feds aren’t getting involved in this. Any idea what we’re facing?”
