Page 50 of Misunderstood Hacker

“That’s probably a good idea. In 2014, a study done by Penn U figured out the mortality rate for gunshot wounds is around twenty-seven percent. So we should hurry.”

He reached over the top of the couch and pulled down an afghan. It was soft and wouldn’t hurt as bad on my skin. The bullet wound was still oozing blood on my right side. I used part of the blanket to stop the bleeding.The world was starting to fade in and out.

Eric reached up to his ear. “I have the queen.”

He alerted the team of my status. “You need to hold on. John is causing a distraction for us.We’ll be able to get out of here in a few.”

A few seconds later, the building shook, and I could hear the windows breaking from the explosion. John was going big with his distraction.

Eric reached up to his ear to hear his teammates. “We need to move. We’ve got more incoming.”

I needed to tell them about Axmed’s brother. “Eric, he has a twin. There are two of them.”

He notified the team about both targets.“The team will take care of it. Let’s get you out of here.We know he has a twin.If they are both here, we can take them both out.”Eric looked over the couch.“Stay here for a second. I need to see if the coast is clear.”

Eric got up and looked around the corner, then motioned for me to follow. While Eric was looking one direction, Ashkir walked up behind him from the other and hit him across the head.

My scream echoed through the main part of the building. I leveled my gun at the second man who had destroyed my life, and Ashkir had his gun leveled at me.

****Brock****

When Eric notified us he had Jessica, a shimmer of hope crossed my mind. I rounded the corner and headed toward Jessica and Eric’s location.I caught sight of Axmedheading toward the back door. I couldn’t let this man escape. He has caused Jessica so many nightmares already.

I raised my gun and fired two shots—one to the back of the head, and one to the chest. Axmed fell to his knees. I turned and hurried toward Jessica’s location. I needed to see her.Eric had not said how she was doing.

A bloodcurdling scream came from their direction. I knew it was her. I took off at a dead sprint toward her.When I finally made it into the room,I halted abruptly. Eric was lying on the floor, unconscious. A man that looked like Axmed had a gun pointed at Jessica’s head.

He hadn’t seen me enter the room.He was focused on Jessica. Blood matted Jessica’s hair. The blanket she had over her was covered in blood. I needed to get her to the hospital. Not wasting any more time, I leveled my glock and took a shot. I squeezed the trigger, and the man dropped to the ground.

“Jessica!” I yelled as she collapsed as well.

I rushed to her side and swept her into my arms. Eric was starting to come around. I signaled for help, and John notified me over the com he would help get Eric out.

Out on the lawn, Mia was waiting in the helicopter. The remainder of the team would stay back and clean up.They were going to make sure no one was left to torment Jessica again.

I put the headphones on when I entered the helicopter. Jessica was still in my arms. Her breathing was faint, and I couldn’t get a look at her wounds. From the amount of blood on the blanket, I had a feeling it was bad. It looked like she was missing her clothes. I couldn’t let my mind wonder what happened.

“How far?” I barked at Mia through the headset.

“We’re cleared to land at the hospital.A few more minutes, and we will be there.Keep talking to her.”

Jessica was going very pale in my arms. “I swear I’m hiring a doctor the second we get back. Our next teammate will be medically trained for the field.”

The second the skid of the helicopter hit the hospital roof, a team of doctors and nurses ran toward us. One of the male nurses pulled her from my arms and laid her on a gurney. Within seconds, tubes were plugged into her arms, and she was wheeled toward the hospital doors.

The team joined me at the hospital when the cleanup was done. Neal was sitting next to me.Eric had just gotten out of the emergency room.He’d had his head examined. Mia and John were sitting across from me in a deep discussion.

“I still don’t understand how we missed so much,” I mumbled to myself. Everyone was still in their tactical gear. Eric and I were covered in Jessica’s blood.

“The second there were talks about him having a brother, I looked,” Neal said. “There are no records. His mom had a home birth, and for some reason, they never declared both kids. I have a feeling she sold one brother and kept the other.”

“From what I understand, they reconnected about twelve years ago. Axmed andAshkirhad different last names.Jessica’s dad needs to explain the missing information,” Eric added.

Mia came over and sank into the chair next to me. “Jessica is kick-ass and will make it through this. She did once before.She will be out of surgery soon, and then you can go grovel for being such an ass.”

I was so worried about her injuries that I hadn’t stopped to think she might not want me there.

Mia poked an elbow into my side. “She will take you back.All you have to do is explain what happened.”

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