Master No (Masters and Mercenaries, #9)(101)

“They’re coming,” Nick said, his voice calm.

“I’ll get the van started.” Hutch moved behind her.

She tried to focus on her patient.

Theo only had eyes for Erin. He ran his fingers over her face as though memorizing her. “Let Case take care of you. He won’t…he won’t know what to do. Took care of me so long, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. Now go, baby. I’m done.”

Tears dripped from Erin’s eyes. “No. You promised.”

What could she use? Maybe he was strong enough to make it to the van. She might have to risk it.

“Such a pretty girl.” Theo’s lips curled up, the blood on his face marring his perfection. He frowned suddenly. “Don’t cry. You never cry.”

“Don’t do this to me.” Erin leaned over. “You don’t get to do this, Taggart.”

“Erin, ask Tag…” He coughed again, blood bubbling up from his throat. “Fuck, ask Tag to forgive me.”

“No.” Erin’s head shook. “No. You tell him yourself.”

“Love you, baby. Forever.”

Faith felt the moment he died. His chest rattled and then stilled, sinking in. Motion stopped and his face went slack. Something left Theo Taggart in that second. Something that animated him, made him human. It fled and she was left with nothing more than a body.

“Theo? Theo?” Erin shook him.

The blood flow had slowed. She hadn’t noticed. His heart had stopped. It was no longer pumping, no longer moving.

She had to start CPR. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew he was gone. If he’d been close to an ER, maybe they would have a chance. If they had blood and all the technological wonders of a modern OR, she might have been able to save him, but she couldn’t not try.

“Theo? Stop it. Fucking stop playing around.” Erin shook him, trying to get some sort of response out of the man she loved. “Please. Please.”

“Erin, move back. I need to start CPR,” she said, shocked at how calm her voice was.

“Yeah,” Erin agreed, her eyes glassy. “CPR. That’s good. He needs it.”

“Get the women. They won’t come on their own. We have to move and now.” She heard Ten speaking, but the words didn’t penetrate. She could hear the gunfire getting closer. So much gunfire.

She got to her knees. Five compressions. She had to restart his heart. Nothing else mattered.

“No. No! Please don’t. Don’t make me leave him.” Erin was yelling, but Faith had to focus on Theo. Every second that passed made it harder to bring him back.

There was movement behind her. Brody was gone. She pressed down. One, Two, Three…

Ten hauled her up and into his arms. His gun clattered to the ground. His body shook, but he held her tight.

“No. I have to give him CPR.” She struggled in his arms.

He groaned and she felt him spasm, but he wouldn’t let her go. “He’s gone, Faith. He’s gone. Nick?”

Nick began to reach down for Theo’s body. His shoulder flew forward and she saw what she hadn’t before. There was a line of men coming up behind them. Nick groaned, but managed to fire behind him with the arm that hadn’t taken a bullet.

“Move. We have to leave him,” Ten ordered. “Move!” He glanced down at Theo. “Good-bye, brother.”

He took off, almost stumbling, but he managed to keep his feet under them.

As he rounded the corner, she saw the door opening. There was a crack of light now and she saw a hint of her sister’s blonde hair.

Too late. Far too late.





CHAPTER SEVENTEEN



Ten led her into the bathroom. Faith was like a doll he had to pose. If he let her, she would drift, her eyes becoming hazy as she almost surely found herself back in that horrible place where they’d been. Hours later, she was still in shock.

The only time she’d been in the moment was when she cut the bullet from Nick’s shoulder. Even then, she’d been like an automaton, not even arguing with the Russian when he’d refused pain medication. Ten had been ready to hold the big guy down. He and Brody had been on standby, but Nick never moved. Never flinched or cried out. Even when Faith widened the wound so she could get to the bullet, even as she’d doused him with rubbing alcohol to clean the wound, he’d merely stared straight ahead. At the end, he’d said something in Russian about his gratitude and gone to his room, closing the door.

Erin was under watch. She might not realize it, but Hutch had orders not to let her out of his sight. It was easy because she wouldn’t go back into the room she’d shared with Theo. She was on the couch, curled up with her gun, her eyes wide open though she’d told everyone she was going to sleep.

Brody was watching Nick. And Ten was going to take care of Faith, if his damn muscles would stop twitching.

He’d only been gone for two days. It had felt like weeks. How was it possible?

“Lift your arms,” he commanded quietly once they’d made it to the bathroom. Outside he could hear the wind whipping around. The storm was about to blow in or he would have had them all on a plane or a boat off the island.

Her eyes came up. Normally they were so vibrant, but now they seemed dull. “I already washed off the blood.”