Page 8 of Hidden Ascent

“Okay, don’t talk anymore. I’ll get you help.”

He reached for her arm when she rose, but his hand slipped off.

“It will only take a second.” She used the phone on the desk to call for an ambulance before returning to him.

“You’re going to be okay. The ambulance will be here soon. Hang in there.”

“It’s too late.”

“Don’t say that. They’ll get here in time. You’ll be okay.”

“It’s my fault.”

“This? No. This isn’t your fault. We were ambushed on the operation tonight. The whole team. They knew we were coming. Everyone else is dead.”

“Not you.”

“No. I made it out, and I shot the men who did it. And I’m going to make sure everyone involved has to pay. I’m sorry I didn’t get here in time to stop them from shooting you. But you need to live. I need your help. We have to find out who did this.”

He shook his head. “No. Isla. Let it go. Hide.”

“I never knew you were such a scaredy-cat. Ian Fogarty running away from a fight? No way. We won’t let them get away with this. They killed everyone, Ian. They have to pay.”

“You’ll die.” He shook his head again. “You’re already dead.”

Isla pressed harder on the wound. “I made it out alive. But you need to focus on you right now. You can make it through this.”

“You’re not listen—” He tried to raise his voice but ended up coughing up blood. “Let it go,” he rasped once he got his breath back. “You have to hide.”

“I won’t. They don’t scare me.”

“They should. It’s too big for you.”

“That’s why I need you to stay with me. We’ll do this together.”

“No.”

“Yes. You won’t die. I won’t let them kill you too.”

“Isla. Listen to me. Very. Carefully. I did this. I’m part of it.”

“What?”

“I deserve to die. I sent you all. You’re dead because of me. It was me.”

“No. You didn’t know. How could you have known?”

“I did, Isla. I knew. I knew about the setup. I had no choice. You don’t know how high—This goes high.”

“Ian, what are you saying?”

“You’re already dead…” His breath dragged out in a ragged gasp. Then his body sagged.

“Ian. Please.” She shook him. “Wake up. You have to tell me what’s going on. Who can I trust? Ian. Ian!”

She watched his open eyes, willing them to blink back to life, then dropped her head when she knew it was over.

When she heard a noise from behind, she turned in time to see the lamp swinging for her head. She tried to block it, but it was too late.

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