Page 114 of Bishop's Queen

Bishop blinked away that nightmare, and she was gone when he opened his eyes again. Ignoring the soreness around his ribs and hip, he gritted his teeth and propped himself on an elbow to push up. Ella and Locke were perched next to Manny.

Shit.

“Locke, help him,” Ella said.

“I—uh,” Manny sputtered. “Oww.”

Manny’s eyes were closed, and Locke stood with his phone to his ear. “We need an ambulance.” He pinched the bridge of his nose as he explained and gave their location.

Bishop turned toward the base of the hill, where the van had crashed into the trees. Ella’s video equipment was strewn the remainder of the way down the hill, and the van’s front end was demolished by the force of the impact. FB ran circles around them, and Bishop had no idea where LK was.

“Got Manny?” Locke asked.

Bishop nodded, knowing what was on his buddy’s mind. They were under attack, and somehow they’d missed it. What were the chances that Manny had forgotten to set his car in Park? Or that it had slipped out of gear? Impossible.

“Ella,” Manny moaned. Tears leaked down his cheeks.

“Help is coming. Hang on!” She cried with him, holding his hand. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’ll be back.” Locke sprinted up the hill.

“Is he going for the ambulance?” Ella asked. “I don’t hear sirens.”

No, babe. He’s hunting. “We need to keep Manny calm.”

How had Bishop missed this? They were in a wide-open park. They would’ve seen a car coming up to the parking lot. How long would it have taken someone to follow them? Or hike on foot? Too long. But nothing was impossible. They sure as hell didn’t have tracking devices on their vehicles… or did they? Manny’s van was the new item in the equation and a constant around Ella. They couldn’t search everyone in contact with her…

An ambulance siren blared in the background. Locke jogged downhill, his head shaking. Once he was by Bishop’s side, they watched as the ambulance made its way up the drive to the parking lot. Any car would have been visible, a point the ambulance had just confirmed. “You’re probably thinking what I’m thinking.”

“Affirmative.”

“I’ll call in to Titan. Stick with Ella.”

He wasn’t going far from her. He almost hadn’t made it in time. The memory of cold steel slamming into his body made him shudder. Ella could’ve been roadkill in a beautiful park that she’d sworn was her favorite place on earth. Guilt tightened his lungs, and he cleared his throat.

A medical team ran down the hill with a gurney and packs. They crowded around Manny, and Bishop scooped Ella into his arms. “I’ll take you to get checked out.” Truth was, he didn’t want her to hear Manny when they immobilized him. It was better if Ella missed this.

“I want to stay with him.”

“I know you do, babe. But I promise, they have him.”

He ground his molars at the pain from his own bruises and cradled her. Ella sucked in a breath, reacting to an injury too.

She dropped her head against his shoulder. “How did I let this happen?”

“Same question I’m asking,” Bishop mumbled. They were both hiding bruises and both asking the same questions. Every time he least expected it, he found out they were the same. This time, for the first time, it was for the worst.

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