Whispers in the Dark - Maya Banks [131]
“What’s happened to Nathan?” Swanny asked. “Talk to me, Shea. And listen. He wouldn’t want you to do this. He has people to help him. You can’t take this for him this time. Do you understand me? You’ll hurt him far more by doing this. You’re too weak to take this from him. Let him bear his own pain this time. I swear to you we’ll get him out. Do you hear me? Snap the fuck out of it and look at me, damn it!”
“Swanny, what the fuck?” P.J. demanded. “Get the hell away from her before I do it for you.”
Swanny ignored her and turned to Donovan. “Ask Sam what the hell just happened to Nathan. Do it. She’s taking his pain. She’s absorbing it just like she did before when he was being tortured. Only this time she doesn’t have the strength to do it.”
Fear grabbed Joe by the throat. Donovan went pale and he cupped his hand over the mouthpiece so the wind wouldn’t interfere.
“Sam, what the hell is happening in there? I need to know what’s going on with Nathan and I need to know yesterday. Our situation is critical.”
“Nathan’s down,” came Sam’s grim reply. “Took a knife to the side. Garrett’s trying to stop the bleeding now. We’re on our way with him now. What the fuck is going on with you?”
“Oh Christ,” Joe whispered. “How bad, Van? We need to know how bad.” He glanced at Shea as fear took a firmer hold. She’d give her life for Nathan. He knew it like he knew his own name. But Nathan’s life wouldn’t be worth shit without her, and her sacrifice wouldn’t mean a damn thing in the end. He couldn’t let this happen.
Instead of waiting for Donovan, Joe broke in. “You be honest with me, Sam. Tell me how bad it is. Shea’s in a bad way because she’s taking his pain and she’s bleeding heavily. It’s his injury that’s causing her bleeding. She’ll die because they’re connected and she thinks she has to save him. So you tell him to find his way to her and you make him tell her that he’s going to be goddamn fine. I don’t care if he’s lying or not. If we lose her, he’s lost to us anyway.”
“He’s not going to die,” Sam snarled. “You tell her that. You connect with her. Don’t you dare let her die. I’ll make sure Nathan knows what’s going on, but don’t you let her go in the meantime. You do whatever you have to do to keep her alive. Lie to her. I don’t care. Just get the job done.”
Joe dropped to his knees beside Shea and shoved Swanny aside. He lifted her head, holding her close, while P.J. put both hands over Shea’s side in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Donovan moved in with a med kit, and he and P.J. began to work on a pressure bandage while Joe focused his entire being on forging a connection with Shea.
NATHAN could tell whatever was being relayed to Sam wasn’t good and he cursed the fact that he’d lost his earpiece when Garrett converged on him to stop the bleeding. He knew he was right when his brothers and even the members of Steele’s team and Resnick regarded him with a mixture of fear and dread.
But what worried him more was that his pain was easing. The warmth he’d long ago associated with Shea spread through his veins, replacing the burn with soothing comfort.
And yet he couldn’t feel her. Not in the way he’d always been able to in the past. He could feel what she was doing for him and it made him furious. But it was as if there was some giant roadblock to Shea.
His stomach churned and his hands began to shake.
“Tell me, goddamn it,” he bit out. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.
He threw off Garrett’s hand and tried to get up, but Garrett hauled him back down and forcibly kept pressure on his wound. Dread mounted in Nathan’s chest until he could barely draw a breath.
“You go, Sam,” Resnick said hurriedly. “My men and I will stay behind to do cleanup. I’m going to have to call this in and let the chips fall where they may. I may be out of a job,