Page 87 of Fierce Hope
She caught DJ’s eye. He held her gaze and dipped his chin. He was ready.
“My move, Sarah,” Jade said clearly, risking an obvious signal to Deke.
The instant the last syllable left her lips, she launched herself toward Sarah. A heavy worktable, and beyond that, a jumble of broken crates filled the space between them, but she didn’t have to reach the woman.
Hands still tied, she threw herself into the table, waiting for the sound of the shot, the bullet that would tear into her. The table toppled, crashing into the pile of crates. Tools and parts scattered across the concrete.
But all she heard were the shouts of Deke and his team.
She landed on her side, hard on the edge of the upturned table, driving the air from her lungs.
Then it happened.
A shot exploded.
She braced herself for the impact, but the bullet never reached her. She jerked her head up.
DJ!
Sarah jolted violently, a stunned gasp escaping her as the gun slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor. Her hand flew to her shoulder, dark red seeping rapidly between her fingers as she staggered backward, losing her grip on DJ.
Deke rushed past Jade, knocking Sarah to the ground and pinning her wrists securely above her head.
Christian moved next to Deke, handgun trained on Sarah. “Stay down.”
“DJ!” Jade cried, rolling to her side and lifting her head, desperate to get to him. But her hands were still bound. Ignoring the pain in her side, she wriggled off the broken table, eyes frantically searching the last place the boy had been standing.
“I’m good,” DJ said breathlessly, dropping to his knees beside her and pulling her into a fierce hug. “I’m good, Jade.”
She tugged at her restraints, trying to hug him back. “Are you hurt? Did she?—”
“That was awesome!” DJ’s eyes shone. “How did you and Dad know what to do?”
Jade bit back tears of relief. “Sometimes you just have to make a move and trust your partner will follow through.”
“For real.” He moved to her back. “I’ll untie you.”
Now that the immediate danger had passed, Jade’s body began registering every injury. The impact with the table had left a deep, throbbing bruise along her ribs, and the hard landing on concrete had scraped her arms raw. Her muscles screamed in protest as DJ worked at the ropes binding her wrists. The flash-bang’s effects still lingered—a persistent ringing in her ears and dull headache pulsing behind her eyes.
When DJ finally freed her hands, she tried to stand but found her legs quivering uncontrollably beneath her. Her system was flooding with so much adrenaline that coordinating basic movements felt nearly impossible. She made it halfway up before staggering sideways, catching herself on the overturned table.
“Whoa, easy,” DJ said, his hands supporting her elbow. “You hit that table really hard.”
“I’m okay,” she managed, though her voice betrayed her with a slight tremor. Every breath sent a jolt of pain through her side. But DJ was safe. That was all that mattered.
Three more figures rushed through the door—Ronan, Maya and Izzy, weapons drawn, moving with practiced efficiency. While Deke tended to Sarah’s gunshot, Izzy quickly secured her with zip ties while Ronan swept the rest of the building, ensuring there were no other threats.
“She’ll do for now,” Deke announced, rising to his feet.
His gaze went straight to his son.
DJ smiled at him. “I’m good, Dad.”
Jade hand never seen such a radiant smile as the one painting Deke’s face. “You’re more than good, son. You rocked this. Hard.”
While DJ squirmed and beamed under the weight of the compliment, Deke sought Jade’s gaze. “That was incredibly dumb.”
Jade’s mouth dropped open. She fought the urge to press her hands to her chest. She felt like she’d just been shot. Maybe she had made a stupid move, but she was trying to?—
