Page 56 of Rhys

He looked at the timer again, his heart dropping when he saw that there was barely two minutes left.

“Run!” He grabbed Vanessa’s arm and pulled her with him. “We have to move. Now!”

The three of them took off in a dead sprint. Together, they ran fast and hard in the same direction Trace and the others went. Deep inside, Rhys was shouting a prayer to God and anyone else willing to listen.

Please, God. Please let Vanessa be okay. Do what you want to me, just please…don’t take her. Not yet. Not like this!

They reached the far side of the lot. Rhys’s foot had just hit the paved road running in front of the building when a blast of heat lifted him off the ground and tossed him in the air.

He screamed for Vanessa, or at least he thought he did. He thought he was still yelling for her when a flash of pain hit. And then…

Nothing.

* * *

Vanessa satas close to Rhys’s hospital bed as she could get. He was still unconscious from the concussion he’d gotten when he’d landed after the bomb’s detonation.

Greyson and the others were also present, their Homeland Security ID’s giving them a free pass to crowd around their teammate’s room. They were still in D.C., and according to everything they’d heard, this hospital was the best in the area.

Vanessa snuck a sideways glance in Greyson’s direction. From the look on his face, she knew the sweet man was blaming himself.

She wanted to go to him. To give him another hug and tell him it wasn’t his fault. But experience had taught her there was nothing she could say or do would help ease the misplaced guilt the man was feeling.

So she remained seated, her focus returning to the man lying motionless in the bed. A man who, in just a few short, crazy days, had once again become the most important thing in her world.

Kenneth Austin was being held in a secure location under twenty-four-hour watch. Something else Charlie Team’s Homeland connections were good for…making sure a wanna-be terrorist and his cronies were locked away tight.

Forever.

It had been twenty-four hours since the explosion. In that time, Austin’s mansion had already been raided by the Feds. According to what Trace had been able to find out through his connections, the FBI, CIA, and Homeland were all working it as a joint case to ensure everything was handled by the book.

With Greyson’s guidance, the criminal tech team had recovered and secured the same files Greyson’s cloning software had found. In them, there was enough evidence linking Austin to North Korea and the nuke plans, which would most likely result in Kenneth Austin’s execution.

As for John…the man would forever be known as a traitor to his country. Not only had there been ample financial evidence of his payoffs from Austin, but the authorities had also found surveillance photos of her and Rose, including that night on the bridge.

It broke Vanessa’s heart to know that not only had John turned traitor, but that he’d also had a hand in Rose’s death and the attempt on her own life. But surround yourself with liars, and eventually you’re gonna get burned.

Rhys’s hand twitched against her palm. Sucking in a breath, Vanessa sat up straighter, her eyes lasering in on his as she watched for another sign that he was waking up.

At first, she thought maybe she’d imagined it. But then…

There!

His brow furrowed, a low moan reverberating from deep inside his chest as the tip of his tongue peeked out and ran across his busted bottom lip.

“Rhys?” Vanessa stood and leaned over the bed. Not bothering to hide her excitement, she said his name again. “Rhys? Honey, can you hear me?” To the others, she said, “Guys, I think he’s waking up!”

Trace, Greyson, Kellan, and Asher surrounded their teammate’s bed. Together they watched and waited until finally,blessedly, Rhys slowly opened his eyes.

He blinked against the light, and it was clear he was having a hard time focusing. But as he took in the faces of each of his friends, the clarity appeared to slowly return.

A set of dark, strained eyes landed on her. “Hey,” he choked out. His voice sounded dry and raspy.

“Hey, yourself.” She somehow managed to keep her voice steady. His image blurred behind a well of unshed tears. “How do you feel?”

“Like I got blown up.”

The room filled with a round of low laughter as Rhys’s assessing gaze fell over her face and body. When he noticed her arm was back in a sling, he frowned.

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