Explosive Attraction - By Lena Diaz Page 0,48
blood. It’s not...” She shuddered and swallowed. “Come on.” She grabbed his hand and this time he didn’t resist. He let her pull him behind her.
They rounded the stone wall and he drew up short, yanking Darby to a halt. No, not this. He swore and pulled her back to the entryway. “Where’s the perp?”
“Perp? I don’t under—”
“The person who did this. Where is he?”
“I don’t know. I never saw him.”
“There are some police officers outside. Tell them to get an ambulance, and to get the bomb squad out here.”
She nodded and ran through the entryway.
Rafe turned back around and rushed to the opening of the nearest cell. Jake was lying half in the cell and half on the courtyard grass. Rafe crouched beside him. There was so much blood he wasn’t even sure where Jake was injured, or if he was even alive.
Jake’s eyes fluttered open. “Darby, is she—”
“She’s fine. Where are you cut?”
“Abdomen. I heard someone behind me and started to turn around when he knifed me in the gut. All I got was a glimpse of a ball cap pulled low over his face. I couldn’t even tell you how tall he was because I was doubled over.” He grimaced, and Rafe wasn’t sure if it was because Jake was in pain or because he was disgusted that he couldn’t identify his attacker.
“I told you on the phone the bomber sent me your picture. Why weren’t you on alert? How did you let this happen?”
“It’s not like I just stood there and let him do this,” Jake snarled.
Rafe took off his shirt and bunched it into a wad. It was hard to tell where to press, and he had to be careful so he wouldn’t move the vest strapped over Jake’s shoulders. He pressed the cloth against the largest spot of blood he saw. From the way Jake sucked in his breath, Rafe figured he had the right place.
“I thought I’d killed the bomber,” Jake said. “Three days ago. I didn’t think there was any danger anymore. What the hell is going on?”
Rafe shook his head. “I don’t know. But right now, we’ve got a bigger problem.”
Jake’s mouth curved in a rueful grin. “Yeah, you got that right.”
Rafe held the cloth pressed tightly against Jake’s stomach, trying to stanch the flow of blood so he could focus on his next task.
Disabling the bomb strapped to Jake’s chest.
* * *
THE SOUND OF SOMEONE running had Rafe turning. His mouth fell open in stunned disbelief.
Darby skidded to a halt beside him.
“Get out of here!” Rafe leaped to his feet and grabbed her by the shoulders. He turned her around. “Go on, run!”
She shook her head violently back and forth, her hair flying around her face. “No, I’m not leaving.” She shoved his hands off her shoulders and dropped to the grass beside Jake. “This is my fault. I’m so sorry.”
Rafe knelt down beside her. “Darby—”
Her mouth set in a hard, determined line. “I did exactly what you told me to do. I told those cops outside what had happened. And you know what they did?”
Jake laughed, then started coughing. Bright red blood sprayed out of his mouth, onto the vest.
“Be still, you fool.” Rafe pressed his shirt back against the wound.
“They told you,” Jake said, his voice barely above a whisper. “They told you to stay back, wait for the bomb squad. After the all clear, then they’ll send in the medics, right?”
“Exactly! They’re all morons!” Darby reached across Rafe and swatted his hand away from the shirt. “You can’t disable a bomb and stop the bleeding at the same time. And since all your sissy cop friends are too scared to help, here I am.”
Rafe clenched his teeth together. If he wasn’t so frustrated and worried about Darby’s safety, he’d be laughing right now. “My fellow sissy-cop bomb techs will be here in a few minutes, just as soon as the truck arrives with equipment.”
“Fine. When they get here, I’ll leave.” Her eyes were overbright with unshed tears. “I’m not abandoning him. This is my fault. I thought Jake was trying to hurt me. I ran. That’s the only reason someone was able to surprise him. I’m not abandoning him.” Her voice broke on the last word. She bit down on her bottom lip and turned the shirt, pressing the dry side against the wound. “Go on, do whatever you bomb guys do. Save your friend.”
“It’s not your fault, you know,” Jake said, his voice low and weak.