“Bells?”
“Yeah.” Colton steppedcloser.
“I’ll draw him as close to the cave opening as possible. I plan to be the one to shoot his ass, but if you get him in your sights, take himout.”
“Mypleasure.”
He toodisappeared.
“Where do you want me?” Milesasked.
“You’re my wingman.” Jon gave Nyx the command to stay. “If Jaya’s hurt and Finn is in that cave, also hurt, I’m gonna need help getting them out ofthere.”
“How’d he get them across theriver?”
Jon’s hands clenched again. “How do youthink?”
“So we could be dealing with hyperthermia as well as concussions and other injuries. As soon as we confirm they’re inside, I’ll radio Rage and Clash, get them here. Both of them have medical training. Charlotte and the others can have a couple vehicles ready for transport. The closest clinic is sixteen milessouth.”
He’d already checked, ready to whisk Charlotte there, but she’d shut him down. Jon gave him a back slap. “Thanks forthis.”
Miles nodded. “Let’s get your girlback.”
Jaya’s head pounded,stomach roiling. Bone-deep chills racked herbody.
Hard. Whatever she was lying on was so, sohard.
Cold.
Wet.
A trickle of water ran down her cheek, her hair seemed plastered to herlips.
She peeled one eye open. At least she thought it was. The darkness around her made her wonder if she wereblind.
Blinking, she managed to get the other eye open, needing to raise her head slightly to do it. She was face down on unforgiving stone, and her head throbbed from themovement.
There wasn’t much to see thanks to the dark. Laying her cheek back down, she checked in with the rest of her body. Her toes were numb, her clothes soaked and sticking to her skin. The tips of her fingers matched her toes, unwilling to move, but she managed to press herself onto herback.
For her trouble, she received a splash of cold water in her face as a large drop fell from what looked like a giant icicle hanging above her. It seemed to glow, a white dagger hanging from the cave’sroof.
A cave? She’d never been in one before, but she was pretty sure this had to be one. Another sting of the freezing water on her cheek made her suck in a breath. Her ribs rebelled, yelling at her for theinhalation.
Where amI?
As her senses came online, she heard a loudshishingnoise nearby. Was thatwater?
Someone left the fauceton!
She smiled at her delirium, raising her desensitized hands to her face and wiping hereyes.
Her stiff fingers hit a painful spot above her ear and a memory cut through the stupor. The smile fell. A baseball bat swinging at her head, an explosion ofpain.
Justin—Dalton. The bastard had hurt Charlotte, hurther.
Fear brought her upright, her poor head once again screaming in agony. She grabbed it and held it between her freezing hands, eyes pinchingshut.
Move.