Page 80 of Sovereign Oaths

He shot Derek. He was on the ground. If he had been able to move at all, he would have been fighting to get to me.

Was he dead?

No.

I couldn’t think that way. He was just injured. He’d be okay.

He had to be.

CHAPTER 19

Javier

Cruz stayed on the phone with us as he got to the scene. “Fuck! I can’t get close. Police are already here.”

“We’re almost there,” I told him. “Find him.”

Marco leaned forward in the seat as if he’d see them faster. Traffic was stopped three blocks away, so I pulled over. We got out, running without speaking.

Remaining calm for their sake was something I’d been doing since we’d first met. It was my role. Clearheaded and pragmatic. I had to stay ahead of things, with multiple backup plans constantly evolving.

One block away, we could see the first responders.

“He’s on a stretcher,” Cruz updated.

“Barricade?” Marco asked.

“No, just police keeping people back.”

“Marco, create a distraction. We’ll get Derek and get out.”

“Got it.” Marco split off, running toward the opposite corner and out of sight.

I got to Cruz and grabbed his elbow. He pointed out Derek, and I fought down the panic at seeing him unmoving. They were getting ready to load him into the ambulance, and we could absolutely not let that happen. Not only would his healing kick in, but if they ran blood tests, they wouldn’t come back anywhere close to normal.

The Pack could intervene, but it would take time and resources we didn’t have.

Screaming broke out as the glass storefronts on the other side of the street shattered at once. Everyone turned, taking in the damage. Cruz and I ran forward, pushing the limits of what was humanly possible, and grabbed Derek.

By some miracle, he wasn’t strapped down. “Put his arm over your shoulder.”

We each put an arm around his back, lifting him so he stood between us. It would be less noticeable than carrying him. Hopefully.

We hurried past the crowd, none of them paying attention as more glass shattered in the opposite direction. I led us back to the car, and Cruz climbed in the back, dragging Derek in with him.

I got behind the wheel and waited for Marco. He was there a moment later, panting as he slid onto the seat.

“Call Rod,” I ordered as I pulled onto the street and turned as soon as possible getting us far from the scene within a minute.

Marco explained what happened, then paused. “Where’s the car?”

“We have men there. It’s been abandoned.” Rod’s voice came over the speaker.

“What?” I demanded.

“We’re checking cameras in the area.” His voice sounded far away. “Wipe anything with footage of them getting Derek.” He paused again. “Her phone and purse were left behind.”

“Ama’s too?” Marco asked.

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