More Than a Mission - Caridad Pineiro [72]
“Aidan, please,” she pleaded, but Dani whispered, “Oh, God. Mitch.”
Tears flowed harder from Dani then and her gaze was unfocused as she stared ahead, labored for another breath, a hesitant, almost nonexistent one, and yet she somehow managed to whisper, “Didn’t…kill. Loved Mitch.”
A breath came. Like the hiss of air escaping a balloon. A last breath. Her body went limp and her eyes lost their life before they closed.
Elizabeth continued to hold her as Aidan searched for a pulse.
“Shit,” he cursed and called Lucia again. “Damn it. What’s the ETA on those EMTs?”
“Two minutes.”
“Shit,” he cursed again. When his gaze met hers, she finally understood Dani was gone.
“No,” she said softly, but then it grew into a wail as she repeated it over and over, and cradled Dani in her arms, rocking her lifeless body back and forth.
Aidan couldn’t just stand there, watching Lizzy’s heart break. Knowing that with every second that passed, there was less and less possibility of bringing Dani back.
“Lizzy, please. Give me room.”
He slipped his one arm between Lizzy and her sister, pried Lizzy away so he could pick up Dani and carry her over to a free spot on the floor. Laying her out, he knelt beside her and began to do CPR. Lizzy knelt opposite him and took hold of Dani’s slack hand.
He kept up the CPR for what seemed like hours until the wail of a siren grew closer and closer.
The EMTs arrived barely a minute later and urged them to the side so they could immediately get to work on Dani. Walker was with them, but as he observed from afar, Aidan could see in the other man’s eyes that Dani’s condition was not improving.
The EMTs were still working on her as they wheeled the gurney from the room. Lizzy went to go with them, but Walker shot out his arm and blocked her way. “I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible.”
“What?” Aidan shouted and advanced on the other man, grabbed his arm and yanked it down, but Walker immediately blocked their way once more when Aidan would have led Lizzy to the ambulance.
“Get out of the way, Walker. Lizzy should be with her sister.”
Walker shook his head and faced Lizzy. “I’m sorry, Ms. Moore. But given who your sister is—”
“The Sparrow,” Lizzy said weakly, her arms wrapped around herself as she gazed beyond Walker to the ambulance outside as it pulled away from the cottage.
Walker nodded stiffly. “Yes, the Sparrow. She’s being taken to a secure location where she can be treated. If she should survive—”
“You cold-hearted prick,” Aidan said and forcefully shoved Walker out of the way. “Let’s go, Lizzy.”
She laid a hand on his arm. A hand that was cold and covered with her sister’s blood. Despite that, she was calm. Much calmer than he. He finally realized his anger on her behalf was only causing her even more grief. He reached out and dragged her into his arms. “I’m sorry, Lizzy. I really am.”
“I’m…okay. Now.”
He stepped away, but not before he caressed the side of her face and said, “She’ll be okay.”
Lizzy confronted Walker. “When can I see her?”
Walker seemed truly uncomfortable about his answer, which made Aidan only a little less angry. Maybe he wasn’t as big a prick as he seemed. “I’m not sure, Ms. Moore. Things are a bit…unsettled right now. If we all return to our hotel, I’ll be able to tell you more and we can wait for news on your sister’s…condition.”
With a gracious nod, Lizzy walked out the door, her arms wrapped around herself once again as if that grip was all that was keeping her from breaking into pieces.
Walker was about to follow her out, when Aidan snared his arm.
The other man stopped, looked down at Aidan’s hold and then up to his face. “You’ve let this get way too personal.”
“You bet I have. You get Corbett on the line. You tell him that this business about a secure location is a load of crap.”
“I’ll do one better, Spaulding. I’ll get him on the line so you can tell him yourself.