Page 5 of Brax

“Chipper? We need you now!” yelled Mav. “I need you to land behind this damn building. We’ve got an injured girl.”

“Stay with me, honey,” whispered Brax. He’d turned her on her side, gently holding her. When the others signaled that Chipper had landed, he easily lifted her, cursing beneath his breath.

“What’s wrong?” asked Pax.

“She can’t weigh more than eighty pounds,” he frowned.

Chipper turned to see the ashen face of the young girl. When they were on board, he closed the door and immediately took off at top speed. Mav grabbed the medical kit while Pax extended the seat to a bed. The coat was so pathetic Brax took the scissors to it to open it. He stared down at the prone body, then pushed back her ski cap.

“What’s wrong?” asked Saint, walking toward him with water and towels.

“This isn’t a child,” said Brax, staring at her. “She doesn’t weigh more than a child, but she’s an adult.”

There was no doubt. The curve of her body, the full sweeping roundness of her breasts, told them everything they needed to know. This was an adult woman. A tiny, frail, under-nourished adult woman.

By the time they reached Belle Fleur, the medical team was waiting at the runway. Cruz lifted the girl and took her down the steps, laying her gently on the gurney.

“She hasn’t woken,” said Brax, staring at her. “She convulsed, had a seizure, and didn’t wake.”

“She’s alive, honey,” said Gabi. “Let us figure this out.”

Stephanie could hear the strange voices. She couldn’t respond, but she could hear them. Whisked away to the clinic, she remembered nothing about the entire episode other than the man who’d carried her to the helicopter. She only hoped she hadn’t jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

Katelyn, Marilisa, Victoria, and Chelsea all came to the clinic immediately, wanting to know if they recognized the young woman. While Ajei and Kelsey got her clean, Cruz and Doc ran blood work, x-rays, and everything else that Gabi and Riley ordered.

Five hours of waiting, only to see the most somber faces they’d ever seen walk toward them.

“Is she alright?” asked Brax.

“She’s alive. She’ll live,” said Gabi, unsure of what to say next. She’d never had to deliver news like this before.

“Good. That’s good. What aren’t you telling us? I didn’t see any injuries other than the obvious. I mean, she’s just a young girl who needs to eat and maybe take some meds, right?”

“Yes.” Gabi stared at him. “No.”

“Well, what is it, Gabi? Yes or no?” asked Saint. Gabi, Riley, Doc, and Cruz stared at one another.

“She’s a clone.”

CHAPTER THREE

Her head was pounding. She must have hit it when she had her seizure. Her pills ran out three days ago, and she couldn’t break into the pharmacy again. She just couldn’t. Opening her eyes, she realized she was in a room with lights on and a bed with sheets. A moment of panic set in, then someone reached for her hand.

“You’re okay, sweetie,” said Kelsey. “You’re safe here. Do you remember what happened?”

“Men. Those men…”

“That’s right. They’re our friends, and they work and live here. They brought you in. You had a pretty nasty seizure. Do you have those often?” asked Kelsey.

“About twice a month,” she whispered. “I take pills, but I don’t have any more. How am I clean? Where are my things?”

“Ajei, the other nurse, and I bathed you. No woman wants to wake up dirty,” she smiled. “We had some clothes in our store that fit you. It’s not fancy, but it will do.”

She looked down and saw the leggings and long sweatshirt. That man. Those men, they would have seen her body.

“Stephanie? That is your name, right?” asked Kelsey. She nodded. “Stephanie, how old are you, honey?”

“I-I think I’m twenty-eight,” she said.

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