Page 40 of Exposing Adonis

Theriflebuttwassnug against the shoulder of my plate carrier as I fired from inside the helicopter. The centrifugal force from the strange physics that made helicopters work kept me from jostling about from the open door. A small bungee cord tied to my belt kept me from falling out. With those assurances, I leaned into my weapon andpop, pop, pop!

Two men dropped with my gun shots. Another car careened from it’s path, as it rushed toward the school where my men were holed up.

I fired on the enemy who came from two different directions. A green truck with a mounted machine gun on the back came to the gate, stopping perpendicularly in front of it. He faced outward, his red armband was bright in the setting sun. Other cars were coming from the distance.

Why was this idiot facing outward? I decided that as long as his gun didn’t face the building, then he’d live. For now.

I scanned the area. Chloe was huddled on the roof with Leo. When she saw us, the doctor waved us down.

“Land on the roof!” I called to Alex, who looked at me, the helmet that looked too big for his head turning in my direction. He nodded, and took a breath as his unsteady hands did what they needed to, lowering us to the flat roof of the pink building.

I blinked and looked closer. A belt was tied around my brother’s thigh, and two inches below it was a wet spot on his black trousers. I was pretty sure he didn’t piss himself, so he was probably bleeding.Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

My eyes scanned for Callum, but couldn’t find a hint of that auburn hair.

There was a downward pressure as the landing gear settled onto the roof. I undid the bungee cord on my belt and rushed out. I grabbed Leo by his shoulders, and he groaned in pain. With Dr. Laurent’s help, I stood him up. She must have expected to help limp him in, but there was no time for that nonsense.

I grabbed his left elbow, and flipped around so that my back was to his front, then I bent low grabbing his uninjured thigh and stood upright so that he was in a fireman’s carry and I marched him towards the open door. Alastair came out to help me place him securely on the floor.

I pushed Dr. Laurent inside as I yelled over the rotors, “Where’s Callum?”

“He’s downstairs,” she yelled back. She looked scared.

She went to my brother, checking the tourniquet, and trying to pack the wound with a med kit that was stashed under the seats. She got to work without any delay, and I knew my brother was in good hands. She was, of course, one of the best doctors in the world. So I wouldn’t need to worry. Right?

“Keep security,” I yelled at Alastair, who nodded when he heard my words. I headed out again, going to the small open door that led to a staircase into the building.

“Callum?” I yelled in the hallway. But there was no answer.

I went room to room, kicking doors down, and hoping like hell they had cleared the building of any booby traps. With each classroom where I couldn’t find him, my heart sank. It was on the fifth door that I saw it - him, in his fatigues, face up, rifle in his hand. His eyes were closed, a wound near his shoulder, blood pooling beneath him.

No, no, no! Not like Argentina.

“Callum!” I yelled, rushing to him, shaking his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

No answer except for a pained moan.

This isn’t bad, Lea, it means he’s breathing. His heart is still beating. You can save him.

The voice in my head was there telling me to fight. If there’s a pulse, then there’s life. You can always save a life.

I looked down at his wound, right at the shoulder. There was a clean exit, but a lot of blood loss. I put my hand over it, trying to put on pressure, but then realizing that there wasn’t fucking time. I had to get him somewhere secure. There was no point patching up here, just to get overrun and killed anyway.

“You asshole,” I hissed into this ear as I grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to sit up, his head flopping like a ragdoll. “The only one who can kill you is me.”

“Yes, darling,” he said with a low moan, his head falling on my shoulder.

I carried him bridal style, because a fireman’s carry with his wound was out of the question and it was a fucking chore. The man was heavy, but the corseting action of my plate carrier kept my torso upright. My biceps burned and my legs protested at the weight of carrying him up the stairs. I’m sure my back would be fucked up after this, but I needed to get him out of here now.

Get him to safety, Lea, and then you can treat him. Don’t think about anything else but that.

When I got to the roof, Alastair saw us and ran to help. He relieved me of my burden, and got Callum the rest of the way to the helicopter with long, languid steps.

We dragged Callum to the middle of the floor, and I immediately packed his wound with QuikClot and gauze. If I could keep some of his bloodinsidehis body, then he’d live. It was really annoying how easily the man bled out from his shoulder. This was the second time it happened. One more, and I’d start listing it as a character flaw.

Alastair took what had been my door, clamping himself into the bungee cord, and signaling to Alex with his arm, and a loudly yelled, “Let’s go!”

My hands became warm, blood pooling through my fingers as I put pressure on Callum’s shoulder.

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