Page 52 of Declan's Hope

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Hope heldToby’s stare through the back bus window he had his hands and nose pressed against. The smile she attempted probably wasn’t too convincing, but he gave her one back anyhow. What would happen to him once she was gone? She met the eyes of the other children watching just as intently. What would happen to all of them?

She side-eyed Salazar. If only she could find a way to convince the man currently riling up his people to take his anger out only on her and not involve the children.

Right, Hope. That had worked soooo well in the house.

Her attention piqued at Declan’s name. Then seconds later, Salazar threw out her own name as well. Guilt ate at her. The children were in danger because of her—because of her connection to Declan.

And Salazar had been right. What happened to them today would tear Declan apart. Maybe if she had even a rudimentary grasp of the Spanish language, she might understand exactly what would be happening. Whatever it might be, his men seemed to be all for it—if their enthusiastic reactions were anything to go by. Taking French might not have been the best—

What?

Was that…

No one seemed to be paying any attention to her. So she peered closer at the bus windows without being too obvious about it.

It was someone. At least what little she could make out of the top of a black-covered head barely popping up between the seats.

The team.

It had to be. Her chest expanded with excitement. If team was here, then so was Declan.

But where?

Her gaze darted around before focusing back on the bus. What was whoever that was doing?

It only took a moment to figure it out, as little by little her students’s heads went down—all but Toby’s, of course. But even his eventually disappeared with some help, when the little boy was yanked out of sight.

Thank god.

Even if something happened here on this porch before the EPA team could get to them, the children would be safe. Declan and the team would make sure of that. She hazarded a glance at Kara, who Mercy had pressed against her body with her face angled away from Hope. They had to find a way to protect Mercy’s daughter too. The other woman wasn’t going to let her child be harmed. She would fight with her last breath for her child.

Hope’s gaze tracked up to the blood trickling down from the side of Mercy’s mouth—then the dried blood around the gash on her head. She’d already proven her ferocity when it came to her daughter. When the time came for them to make some kind of move, Hope would be right there with her.

"And now," Salazar said, switching to English and drawing her attention to the man whose head angled her way. She met the satisfied gleam in his eyes. "Who—"

Thwack!

Hope gasped as Salazar’s head tossed one way, then the other, immediately before…

The right side of his skull blew out in a plume of blood and other stuff. And as horrific as it was, she couldn’t tear her widening gaze away as she followed his body’s crumpling descent to the porch floor.

The man’s hand on her arm went slack during the split-second of stunned silence that followed, so she wrenched free and stumbled back. He tensed and his jaw dropped as his frowning gaze went to Salazar lying in a heap. But then his hate-filled glare lifted to hers as bedlam erupted with shouts and gunfire filling the air. "You," he spat out, raising his gun arm.

She braced herself. But before the gun made it all the way up, he jerked—the gun going lax in his grip—as red bloomed across his shirt. The gun fell from his hand before he clutched at his chest and pivoted, his backward steps sending him tripping over Salazar’s body and tumbling over the porch railing.

My kids!

Her panicking gaze flew to the empty windows of the bus peeling away—at least as fast as a bus could peel. The children hadn’t seen anything. Her relief was short-lived when she took in what was going on in the yard.

Everything was happening at once—bodies falling, guns being shot wildly. It was too much to take in.

"No!"

Hope whipped her head toward the gruff, masculine yell. Her gaze glanced first over Mercy wrestling with the man who had struck her earlier, while Kara kicked him in the shins. But then it landed on a linebacker-sized stranger rushing the three from the far side of the porch, the only thing visible through the slick black mask he wore being the bridge of his dark brown nose and narrowed topaz eyes.

Mercy needed her help. Maybe from both men. But before she could make a move, strong arms banded around her from behind and dragged her backward.

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