Heroes Lost and Found (22 page)

Hunter looked at me for a second, confused, until he clicked in to what I was saying in my own wiped-out way. He nodded and unclipped a small radio unit from his belt. “We need a medical team in here, please. Bring a body bag and stretcher.”

As we waited I stroked the back of my neck, wincing as I felt the injection site. “What was that?”

“Jessie’s newest toy.” He pried my hand free and moved it over to his neck, rubbing it over the same raised bump. “He realized that we were playing with fire with portable jammers, too easy to lose either accidentally or intentionally. As soon as you lost yours he started working on a microchip. Just like the ones they use to track animals.”

“I’m not loving the reference.” I jabbed a thumb back at Steve, who was still standing guard over the near-hysterical Thrasher. “He went for it? I know it’s not Agency tech, but he hates this sort of stuff. Too easy for someone to use and abuse it.”

“He also wanted to survive this encounter.” Hunter stopped, nudging a shattered jammer where it lay on the floor. “I guessed Dykovski would want to figure out how he didn’t get your plug codes last time and wouldn’t stop until he found a way around the jammer. This way it’s a permanent solution. No one will ever have a chance to try and take them again.”

“Total security?” I wasn’t sure if I heard it right. “No more jammers? No more worrying?”

“Jessie says it’s not a hundred percent guaranteed, but it’s a lot better than worrying about having chains yanked off and Agency tech hunting us down.”

“But he got our codes.” I could feel myself beginning to break down, the burst of energy replaced with sheer exhaustion. “He still got the codes.”

“The chip nullifies any transmissions. Don’t ask me how, that’s Jessie’s area. What it means is that from now on even if someone got our codes and activated them, nothing would happen.”

I let my breath out in a low whisper. “Freedom. Total freedom.”

“And you’re alive to enjoy it.” Hunter drew me in, tucking me into his chest. “I wasn’t sure if you’d still be alive when we got here.” His face was damp against my neck as he sighed. “We registered a blip on the line. Jessie didn’t want to say anything definite, but we suspected it was a plug going off, and all I could think was you’d finally shot your mouth off too many times.”

I laughed and pulled him up for a kiss, tangling my fingers in his blond hair. “Is this your way of telling me to shut up?”

“No.” He gave a wistful smile. “I’ve given up on trying to tell you what to do. At least in the field when you won’t listen.” A mischievous smirk replaced the smile. “Now in bed, well, that’s another thing.”

I rolled my eyes as the medical teams came into view, bumping and dragging the stretcher down the hall. They warily worked their way around the two bears, Hot Foot still lying on the floor and paralyzed with fear. The bobcat let out a loud yawn.

One pair of paramedics stopped at Steve and Thrasher, the second pair continuing to join us. They didn’t even blink at the oddities around them.

I resisted the urge to hop on the stretcher myself. Instead I gripped the railing and led the medical team down the hall in a compromise, leaning as much as I could on the metal frame.

It took a minute to orient myself, but after that it was a short walk to get to the location.

“In there, please.” I stopped in front of the room. A spasm went through my stomach, the nausea building. I put my hand over my mouth and coughed, forcing the queasiness down.

The first medic opened the door. He turned back to his partner, a momentary shock flashing between the two men. Within seconds they moved in, stoic expressions replacing any other emotion.

I stumbled inside the door and leaned on the wall as they approached Kit’s body.

“Jo.” Hunter took my arm none too gently and turned me away from the ghoulish scene. “You need to get some medical attention yourself. They’ll take care of him, he’ll be fine.”

“He’s dead, Hunter. He’s definitely not fine.” I swiped at my nose. Flakes of dried blood dotted the top of my hand. “Bastard was as crazy as it gets in the end. Told me he deserved the jammer ’cause he was an Alpha and I was nothing.”

“You’re not nothing, Jo Tanis.” Hunter looked over my shoulder towards the paramedics, the two men maneuvering the corpse into the bag and onto the stretcher. “If I have to tell you that again, I’m going to carry you out of here over my shoulder and let the media get pictures of that sweet, kissable ass of yours.”

I forced a smile, the effort taking almost all of my remaining strength. He tugged at my arm again.

“Come on. Let’s get you checked over. We still have Dykovski to worry about.”

“Yes, yes we do.” I rubbed my eyes. “I owe him for what happened here.”

The stretcher rose with a squeak and a bang as it locked into place, the dead super hidden from sight in the black plastic bag. The medics moved it by us in silence, leaving us in the room.

Hunter stared at the cage. It sat in the center of the room, the dried pool of blood nearby. Without Kit’s body it seemed larger, dominating the space.

The single word came out in a primeval, masculine growl. “No.”

I could see the rage building, his jaw tensing, his teeth grinding. It didn’t take a mind reader to see what he imagined happening to me.

Now it was my turn to pull him out of the room. “Let’s go.”

“He didn’t… He didn’t…” Hunter stuttered. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

I knew what type of hurt he was asking about. He’d seen the bruises, the split lip and the dried blood.

He wasn’t talking about any of those assaults.

“No, he didn’t.” I touched his face, quieting the trembling in his lips. “He didn’t. I’m fine. Now I need a hot bath and a whole lot of loving. Then we’re going to hunt Dykovski down and make him pay.”

Outrager met us at the front of the bunker, his fingers twisted around a computer tablet as he barked orders at the agents running by. His eyes widened as he took in my appearance. I’m sure I didn’t look ready for my poster shoot, with Hunter’s jacket hanging off my shoulders and my lack of other clothing, not to mention a new slew of bumps and bruises.

His lips moved for a second without any words. Maybe it was a prayer, maybe a curse, I didn’t know. He glanced away, his gaze fixed on the cement walkway under our feet.

Outrager cleared his throat as we stood there, his face flushed.

“I’m sorry, Jo,” he said. “I had no idea. We had no idea.” He looked at Hunter. “We’ve got the mobile command center parked over by the ambulances. I can only assume Jessie’s having a great old time hotwiring everything inside. He hasn’t come out for hours.”

Hunter gave a sharp laugh, leading me past the Agency representative. “All we need is a stack of sandwiches and a few dozen painkillers.”

“Ooh.” My stomach gave an answering growl as I stumbled into the sunlight. “Now you’re talking.”

I put one hand up over my eyes, using the floppy jacket sleeve to cut out most of the sunlight. Around us men in military fatigues charged in, none of them carrying weapons.

“Agency men,” Hunter explained. “They’re going to lock the cache down after they clear it.”

I blinked at the number of black SUVs and ambulances lined up for parade. “What did you do?”

Hunter lifted his hand, catching the attention of a female paramedic waiting by one of the ambulances. She grabbed her bag and ran towards us.

“It’s a long story and I’ll tell you when you clear medical. In a nutshell, we tracked Kit’s plug going off, raided and searched all the caches within a five-hundred-mile radius and got very little sleep in the past day.” He pointed at the woman. “Come with us on the bus, please. I want a full physical on her, top to bottom. And I don’t want to do it out here in front of everyone.”

I spotted Harris sitting on the bumper of an empty ambulance, shaking his head from side to side. He appeared like he was coming off a week-long bender and had woken up minus a kidney.

Steve waved a hand and shouted over to Harris from a nearby ambulance, still occupied with Thrasher. Harris smiled and staggered over to the strongman. Dust clouds rose from his feet as he plodded along.

Thrasher lay on the stretcher, strapped down with an IV set in his uninjured arm. His face was pale as the paramedics bandaged the stub where his hand used to be. He watched as Steve gave Harris a tight hug, lifting the smaller man off the ground.

Steve said something funny enough to send all three men into chuckles and laughs, Thrasher joining in with a nervous look at Harris.

Harris stepped up into the ambulance and patted Thrasher on the shoulder, saying something. A second later Thrasher nodded and moved to shake hands.

Steve nodded his approval as the paramedics continued to work on Thrasher. His large meaty hands shaped and cut odd shapes as he recited another joke to the pair. Harris started to blush, and I could only wonder what would evoke such a response.

“Come on.” Hunter tugged me towards the paramedic. “I’ll give you the punch line later.”

“I’m fine.” I pushed myself away from Hunter, striking a precarious balance on my bare feet. “I need to…” My mind went blank, the words dribbling down my front and into the dust.

“Excuse us a second,” Hunter said to the medic. She nodded and retreated a discreet distance from us, holding her equipment bag.

He leaned in, touching his forehead to mine. “Jo, you’re exhausted. I need to make sure you’re okay before we do anything else.”

“But…”

“But nothing. Do you want me to get the handcuffs? Got the red fuzzy ones in my luggage.”

This prompted a giggle cough from the paramedic nearby.

“The links are working again?” I asked, feeling my cheeks start to burn and not from the sunlight.

“They’re fine. The caches are set up to jam the links, but only for a very limited area. We’re out, we’re hooked up again. And that’s all I’m going to say until you get fixed up.”

My legs went wobbly, prompting Hunter to tighten his grip on my waist. “Maybe I’ll rest while you check on what’s happening.”

He smiled. “Yes please. And thank you.” He waved the waiting medic over. “Let’s go to the bus and give you both some privacy.”

I let out something between a gasp and a shriek as we moved around one set of black SUVs. “What the hell is that?” My attention focused on the mobile monstrosity we were heading for.

The jet-black tour bus sat quietly in the middle of the chaos, towering over the smaller cars and civilian vehicles.

“Mother Mary and all the saints…” I mumbled, taking in the expanded sides and the black, featureless paint job. No band name, tinted windows and a whole lot of electronic hardware bolted to the roof.

“Mobile command center,” Hunter repeated. “With a shower stall. No tub, sorry to say.”

I gawked as he led me up to the front of the bus. The door swung open to spout Jessie in all of his glory, who immediately attached to me with a painful hug.

“Jo. We were so worried, David’s on the phone and we’re just…” He took a step back, his face going red as he realized he was touching more of my bare flesh than he’d ever seen before, other than in his dreams.

“It’s good.” I held up a hand before he combusted in front of me. “Go try to get some goodies from the bunker if you can. Don’t know what the odds are of them letting you in and out, but give it your best shot.”

He looked from me to Hunter to the paramedic and back to Hunter again. Hunter tilted his head towards the bunker entrance. Jessie took off at a run.

Hunter gave a chuckle. “And that’s my cue to go see how upset I can make Outrager. Call me if you need anything.” This was more to the medic than myself. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He dropped a kiss on the tip of my nose. “There’s a fully stocked fridge inside. When she clears you, start eating. And don’t forget to call David.”

He trotted off, disappearing back into the crowd of Agency men. I stared at him until he vanished, his white T-shirt swallowed up by the dark black and blue suits.

“He’s a cutie.” The redhead gestured up into the bus. “After you.”

Chapter Twelve

“You seem to be just a little dehydrated.” The paramedic folded up the fat blue blood pressure cuff. “I’d like you to get some x-rays, however.”

I resisted the urge to laugh. “I’ve had a lot in the past few weeks. I think I’m over my radiation limit.” Mentally I went through the count. Bruised ribs at St. Mike’s in Toronto after the alien battle, some more at the hospital in Vegas after the mine cave-in. If hospitals gave out frequent-flyer miles for medical attention, I might be able to take that European tour Mike had joked about.

She wrinkled her nose. “Well, keep it in mind if you feel unwell. I understand your reluctance, but if you feel faint or anything odd, please call 911.” The rest of her equipment went back in her dark blue kit as I eased myself off the couch and went searching for clothing. “I’d take it easy for the next few days, let your body heal. Eat, drink and rest.”

I searched my new surroundings as she continued to repack her gear. The front of the bus had four standard seats for those wanting to watch the road. A small mini-fridge beside the driver’s seat offered some bonuses to maneuvering the monster bus on the road.