Authors: Carolyn McCray
“
Levont!
”
But no one answered as they coursed down the magma. Rebecca could feel the stone
’
s heat
beneath her
feet
. Would they make it to the bottom before their own raft burned them alive?
Then their speed slowed. They were reaching the bottom of the hill
,
where the ground sloped more gently. Brandt got them to their knees.
“
As soon as we get close enough to some real ground, we
’
ve got to jump.
”
Rebecca nodded
,
more than happy to oblige. She gripped Vakasa
’
s hand
,
making sure the girl understood the plan.
“
We
’
re going home,
”
she reassured her.
Vakasa smiled that bright smile of hers, leaning her head into Rebecca
’
s shoulder.
Then a shot split the night. Vakasa jumped up, lea
n
ing in front of Rebecca. She felt the bullet
’
s impact through the little girl
’
s palm. Hot blood splattered on Rebecca as Vakasa fell into her, blood coursing down her dress.
The little girl patted Rebecca
’
s cheek.
“
Momma,
”
then her hand fell away.
“
No!
”
Rebecca screamed
,
gathering Vakasa in her arms.
* * *
Davidson tore his eyes away from Vakasa and found a helicopter rising from behind the volcano. The Disciples
’
sniper hanging out the side, training for another shot.
Go to hell.
He brought
up
his rifle. He barely aimed. He let his instinct carry him. Let this one prayer be answered in full.
Davidson let loose the shot. It coursed upward, hitting the sniper
’
s scope, shattering the tempered glass, then sliced through the sniper
’
s eye. The bastard fell from the helicopter, dangling from his safety line. The chopper dragged him along the lava
,
then cut the line before it
,
too
,
was pulled into the magma.
The Disciples
’
sniper was finally dead.
That did not bring back Vakasa
,
though.
* * *
Brandt grabbed hold of the nearest shrub and pull
ed
the statue they were riding on toward solid ground. Rebecca was putting pressure on the wound. It was bad. He had no doubt it was bad. But it had to be fixable.
He scooped them both up in his arm
s
, lifting them from the onyx, taking them to higher ground. As soon as he set Rebecca down
,
she put her ear to Vakasa
’
s chest.
“
Start compressions,
”
she said, breathing into the little girl
’
s mouth.
Brandt did as
he was
told, giving five quick compressions
,
then pausing for Rebecca to give a breath. But
in
the next five compressions
,
he noticed that Vakasa wasn
’
t breathing anymore. The blood was simply pooling by her. He felt for a pulse. None. He moved the fabric aside to find a mortal, a way
-
mortal
,
wound in her belly.
“
Compress!
”
Rebecca demanded.
What would he say? No amount of CPR was going to bring Vakasa back. That had been a
“
shatter
”
round. The bullet had exploded inside of the girl.
“
Babe, she
’
s…
”
His fiancée ignored him
.
I
nstead
,
she started doing the compressions herself
,
then breathing again for Vakasa. He tried to gently urge her away
,
but she shoved his hands aside.
Davidson rushed over, but Brandt shook his head. The private sank to his knees, his head in his hands.
“
Rebecca…
”
* * *
“
No!
”
Rebecca answered
,
shoving Brandt away. Why couldn
’
t he see it?
“
She can heal herself.
”
Rebecca started more compressions. They just needed to keep her heart beating until they could get her to medical care
.
T
hen Vakasa would take over from there.
“
Babe, no, she can
’
t,
”
Brandt whispered, holding his hands over hers.
Screw that
. She kept up the compressions.
“
She healed me,
”
Rebecca stated, only stopping to give a breath.
“
She healed you.
”
Vakasa couldn
’
t be dead. She just couldn
’
t. But when Rebecca put her lips to Vakasa
’
s
,
she could feel how slack they were. How the girl
’
s body moved like a ragdoll
’
s when Rebecca did compressions.
Tears burned hot down her skin. She couldn
’
t give up. She couldn
’
t lose Vakasa.
“
You
’
ve got to let it go,
”
Brandt urged, trying to pull her hands back from the girl.
“
You
’
ve got to let
her
go.
”
“
No
.
”
No. Rebecca couldn
’
t and she wouldn
’
t.
* * *
They all watched the monitors in stunned silence as Rebecca continued chest compressions and Brandt continued to coax her away from the girl. Thermal imaging showed Vakasa
’
s bright
-
red heat signature cool to orange, then to yellow.
Bunny turned abruptly, trying to get a gun from Prenner
’
s hand.
“
I can
’
t let you.
”
Fine
. Bunny abandoned the quest for a gun and lunged at Emily. She grabbed the CIA operative around the throat.
“
How could you?
”
The woman
,
though
,
only smiled sadly.
“
It was God
’
s wish.
”
“
God
’
s wish
?
”
Bunny repeated, clamping her fingers around Emily
’
s windpipe.
“
If you hadn
’
t
—
”
Prenner tugged on Bunny, trying to get her away from the traitor.
“
Can
’
t let you do that
,
either.
”
Bunny stopped struggling against the lieutenant and allowed him to pull her back.
“
Guantanamo won
’
t be good enough for you.
”
“
Trust me,
”
Prenner said
,
“
s
he
’
ll pay.
”
What exactly could Emily pay that would bring
back
Vakasa? Bunny spun around and faced the monitor.
“
Stark, make arrangement
s to
fly me there ASAP.
”
“
With the eruptions and ash
,
it could be weeks before
—
”
“
Get me there
.
”
“
Ya,
”
Stark said
,
typing rapidly.
“
On it.
Bunny reached out and touched the screen. How could she care so much for a little girl she
’
d never even met?
* * *
God
,
how he wished circumstances were different, but
they weren
’
t
. Brandt had been in the field way too long. He
’
d seen this type of injury way too often. He put a hand on Rebecca
’
s back as she sobbed even as she continued CPR.
Lopez trotted up to them, a broad grin on his face, pointing over his shoulder.
“
Did you see that?
”
Brandt gave a sharp shake to his head. The corporal
’
s smile fell.
“
Oh shit.
”
“
You two go find Levont.
”
“
Levont?
”
Lopez said
,
his head swiveling.
“
Where
’
s Levont?
”
“
Find out,
”
Brandt growled. Davidson pulled Lopez up the hill. Although
,
Brandt didn
’
t have much hope that the men
’
s search would end any better than Rebecca
’
s attempt at resuscitation.
“
Hon,
”
he said
,
putting his hand over hers again.
“
She can do this,
”
Rebecca choked out.
“
She
’
s got it in her.
”
Brandt squeezed his fingers around his fianc
é
e
’
s.
“
She was just a little girl.
”
“
Don
’
t you
dare
use the past tense
,
”
Rebecca hissed.
“
A brave, remarkable little girl, but a just a
little girl
.
”
Rebecca shook her head
,
but when she went to compress her arms
, she
gave out and crumpled against Vakasa. He pulled them both into his embrace. Rebecca
’
s sobbing racked the both of them.
He leaned his forehead against Rebecca
’
s and gave up the fight against his own tears, letting them flow down his cheek. They joined Rebecca
’
s and
,
together
,
splashed down upon the girl they
’
d come to love.
CHAPTER 30
═══════════
═══════
Undisclosed
L
ocation
, Israel
Three
Days Hence
Davidson held Bunny
’
s hand as their turn came to view Vakasa
’
s coffin. It was a simple ceremony. A simple grave
deep
in the desert. Only they would ever know where the unmarked grave lay. Bunny had made sure that Stark blanked out all satellite feed of the area.
Lying in
the wooden coffin, the little girl looked like she was just sleeping. That if he reached out, he could rouse her. That h
e could wipe the guilt away for
not saving
her. For not seeing the sniper. For
not being fast enough.