in blue had swung Hadley’s limp body into his arms and turned them toward the crowd. Waist-deep water surrounded them and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
Every muscle in my body was tight, ready to strike.
Ready to kill, maim, harm.
“He’s baptizing her. Cleansing her,” I mumbled, and the man dipped Hadley’s head back into the water.
“Matt and Drake have two seconds to get to where they need to be before I go in,” I radioed.
“We’re ready when you are,” Matt announced.
Thank fuck.
“Logan, do you have a shot?” Luke asked and I didn’t miss the tremble in his voice.
“You got this, Luke,” Logan replied which meant he had no shot and Luke had to get his head straight.
“In three,” I broadcasted.
But before I could count down, the man holding Hadley shifted. His right hand came out of the water brandishing a long blade and my blood turned to ice.
I didn’t call out the order to move. I ran and I did it shouting.
A moment later, the man holding Hadley was no longer holding her, because he had a bullet between his eyes.
Then Hadley disappeared underwater.
35
I heard him.
The rebel yell.
I heard Brady and I waited.
Not that I could do anything else since I was fairly certain either both my shoulders were dislocated or they were broken.
The pain was otherworldly. The fear only exacerbated the physical hurt.
I was being cleansed.
Cleansed of my demons. Bishop had deemed me a temptation. He’d proclaimed I had one chance to release the evil inside of me and if I didn’t, I would be sacrificed.
I wanted to fight this, but my arms would not work. I’d tried. I’d summoned up all the willpower I had and they still wouldn’t work. Each step I took toward the “baptismal pool” was excruciating. I couldn’t help myself. And I feared no one was going to find me in time.
Bishop pulled a dagger and brought it high, readying to plunge it into my body. Then over Bishop telling me the devil needed to be cast out, I heard Brady.
A moment later, I heard the gunshot and sucked in as much oxygen as I could, preparing to go underwater. I couldn’t use my arms to swim but the water wasn’t deep and I could stay under and wait. Brady would come.
I hit the water and sank.
I felt hands on me. Not gentle, they were tugging me to the surface. I couldn’t see, all I could hear was muffled voices, but I knew. I didn’t struggle as I was pulled up and held close.
“I got you.”
Three words that had me sagging in relief.
But he didn’t take us back to shore, he was swimming us out farther into the water.
“I can’t swim. My shoulders are broken.”
“I got you.”
I didn’t have time to think about how stupid I’d been. How reckless. How I’d put myself and others in danger. Brady had me. I was safe.
And I finally, I gave in to the pain.
“Hadley, no, baby, stay awake.”
“Hurt everywhere.”
“I know. Just a little longer. Stay with me.”
I didn’t want to stay with him. I wanted to close my eyes and sleep for a year. I wanted to hide under my bed and not face what I’d done.
“I’m stupid.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Brady said something but I couldn’t hear him over the sirens. I picked my head up off his shoulder and saw more police cars than I’d ever seen in my life drive straight onto the grassy area. Then uniformed officers were out of their cars swarming the area.
“What are they doing?” I asked as I watched in horrified fascination all the men huddle together as the women scurried around them to form a circle, dragging children with them.
“Good Christ,” Brady grumbled in disgust.
And that was when I got it. The women were being used as a shield. A human barrier so the police couldn’t get to the men.
What the hell?
“You’re good,” Trey shouted from the embankment and Brady started moving us that way.
Brady hadn’t taken us across the pond but he’d taken us off to the side, away from the mayhem.
“Toss me your shirt,” Brady clipped and I remembered my state of undress.
“Oh, God.”
“Shh. You’re safe.”
Brady tagged Trey’s shirt out of the air and brought it to my chest.
“I don’t suppose you can put this on?”
“No way. Can’t move my arms.”
“Okay, baby. I’m gonna cover you the best I can.”
“Please don’t let my dad see.” Brady’s body went solid and I quickly rushed out. “It looks worse than it is. No