Page 72 of Peace Under Fire

Squish glanced at JoAnn who was lying flat on the floor, still breathing heavily—and then back at Grumpy. Mandy’s sister looked worse than Grumpy did.

Unbelievable.

Crusher glanced up, eyeing the men huddled around them. “Billy, Brick, hold the door to the garage. Last thing we need is someone getting the jump on us.” His gaze dropped back to the long, still body beside him as Billy and Brick eased back and turned, heading out of the room. “Is it dangerous to move him?” Crusher asked.

A very good question. When Mandy said JoAnn could heal people—exactly how healed was she talking about? Completely healed? Partially healed? Mandy’s sister had obviously sealed up Grumpy’s wounds. The lack of fresh blood was evidence of that. But newly knit flesh was damn easy to rip. Would carrying him to the Land Rover unravel all the healing she’d done and put him at death’s door?

“Will moving him start the bleeding again?” Squish asked since she hadn’t responded to Crusher.

“Not if you don’t drop him,” JoAnn said. Her breathing leveled out. She sighed and closed her eyes, draping her wrist across her forehead. “The wounds are patched, but fragile. At this stage, jostling his chest could rip the healing flesh. When he wakes, he’ll be closer to fully healed.”

“When will that be?” Crusher asked, his sharp gaze scanning Grumpy’s relaxed body.

“No idea.” Judging by her uninterested tone, she didn’t care, either.

“We need to get him to the SUV, but without disturbing the wounds.” Crusher scanned the gym. “Nothing in here to stabilize his torso.” He turned to Gray. “Check the garage. There must be something in there we can use.” As Gray left the gym, Crusher turned to stare at the woman stretched out across from him. There was awe along with curiosity in his eyes.

“Mandy told us you could heal someone by touching them,” Crusher said. Although he was watching JoAnn, he still knelt next to Grumpy, his fingers pressed against the dude’s neck. He hadn’t sounded the alarm, so Grumpy’s pulse must still have been ticking away. “How, exactly, do you do that?”

“No idea,” JoAnn said without opening her eyes.

Squish scowled at the reply. Talk about bullshit answers. “You must have some understanding of how that little trick of yours works.”

How could she not?

“Nope. No idea.” JoAnn’s mouth compressed into a stubborn line.

She was lying. Hell, suspicion radiated from her. While the woman had saved Grumpy’s life, she obviously didn’t trust them. Not one bit.

The crevices digging into her forehead were lighter now, though. More furrows than grooves. She’d stopped sweating too. Nor did she look as haggard. She was recovering from those few moments of exertion. Whatever it was that she did during her healings, it must take intense effort and energy, which reminded him.

“Mandy says you can kill someone by touching them as easily as you can heal them. So why use the pitchfork?” And how had she shoved it all the way through the ballistics vest?

JoAnn opened her eyes long enough to shoot a betrayed look at Mandy and then rolled her head and glared at him. “None of your damn business.” Her jaw set. “Mandy talks too much.”

Nope. Friendly and forthcoming were not on JoAnn’s to-do list. Not that it mattered. They didn’t have time to get into that weird shit now anyway. Briefings on the abnormal could wait until they were on the plane or holed up at the Refuge. The only things they needed to know ASAP were operations details—like what she’d seen since the compound had been attacked, whether the assholes responsible were hanging around, and if the bastards had strung new cameras, or were using drones to monitor the property. Tex said the original cameras were down but new ones could have been installed.

Their targets wouldn’t have abandoned the compound. Not yet. They’d still be looking for the two women who’d escaped.

“Have the men who attacked the compound and kidnapped your sisters returned?” Squish asked. “How the hell did you escape their initial sweep anyway?”

She must not have been in any of the buildings when the place had been attacked. If she had, the gas would have knocked her out and she would have been captured too.

Her mouth flattened, and she just laid there, eyes closed, ignoring the question.

Mandy shifted until she was facing her sister. With a tentative gesture, she reached out to brush JoAnn’s semi clenched hand. “Jo, we need to know if the cockroaches are still here looking for us. Jacob and his team are here to help. But they need to know what they’re facing. If the cockroaches are on the property, we need to know. They need to prepare.”

“The cockroaches are always looking for us.” Her rage seethed through every syllable of her response. JoAnn jerked her hand aside, avoiding Mandy’s fingers. “I’m not the one who forgot that. You are.”

CHAPTER 17

Mandy recoiled from the fury and accusation in her sister’s eyes. It was obvious that JoAnn blamed her for the attack on the compound, and the kidnapping of their family.

JoAnn’s reaction stung because Mandy knew she was right. There was no question that leaving her home to find Jacob had ignited the chain of events that had led to the discovery of their hiding place and the attack on the compound.

Even if Kaylee’s reverse trace had led the cockroaches to the compound, as Tex suspected, it had been Mandy’s original abandonment that had triggered those protocols, which had led to the reverse trace. If she hadn’t left the compound, and then sent that voicemail, Jacob wouldn’t have contacted Tex.

She’d never forgive herself for giving into her selfishness and exposing her family to such terrible danger. But she was trying to make it right. She was trying to get their family back. Only she couldn’t accomplish that without Jacob and his SEAL friends. Neither could JoAnn. Like it or not, her sister needed these men as much as Mandy did.

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