Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Cold.
The kind that burned into her bones, drained any hint of energy out of her. Left her drifting in a void she knew she might not escape this time.
Neve blinked, the scenery rocking back and forth, everything bouncing and shifting until she thought she’d puke. She tried to focus, but her vision dimmed into dull, blurry shapes that barely stood out in the low light.
Someone squeezed her hand, and she managed to roll her head to stare into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. “Coul…”
Her voice died, his name fading into a groan as pain flared through her chest, threatening to pull her under.
Coulter leaned down, brushing hair back from her face. “Easy. We’re almost at the bunker. Just… stay with me.”
She nodded, or maybe she only thought she had, her head far too heavy to move effectively. She inhaled, drinking in notes of gun oil and smoke layered with antiseptic cream — a combination that roiled her stomach. A constant hum vibrated up through her back, gravel crunching in the background.
She faded, roused by the harsh glare of fluorescent lights passing above her, Coulter’s hand still holding hers as Wynn spoke from what sounded a thousand miles away. Neve blinked, and Darwin loomed over her, staring at her side as he talked softly to someone else.
Wynn, she assumed.
He shifted his gaze, meeting hers. “Easy, Neve. You’ve lost a lot of blood, but we’ve got you. You’ll feel better when you wake up.”
Another nod, only this time she knew she’d only thought it, the room slipping into darkness. A few voices mumbled in the background, a comforting warmth held her hand.
More pain, but it wasn’t the blinding white-hot fire it had been before, this was more of a dull ache wrapped in a chemical haze.
Dim lights illuminated the space, the strong scent of citrus cleaner and fresh coffee permeating the air.
She stared at the ceiling, slowly running through a checklist — right side heavily bandaged, pinpricks of pain seeping through that dull ache.
Every breath echoed through her ribs, the air wheezing out with a deep, grating click.
Patches of skin burned, but compared to the gunshot wound, they seemed inconsequential.
She drifted for a bit, coming back out god knew how much later. Her head still felt heavy, as if she’d taken too many pills or drank one too many tequilas, the woozy feeling tempered by a familiar warmth.
Coulter.
His name formed before she managed to turn her head, stare at his massive form wedged into a chair beside the bed, his hand curled protectively over hers.
Dark eyelashes rested against his cheeks, his legs propped up on a makeshift ottoman.
Deep purples and blues stained half of his visible skin, and he had what looked like bandages layered beneath his hoodie.
She must have made a noise because he went from sleeping to threat-ready in a heartbeat, muscles primed, gaze sweeping the room. And she knew, if he’d had a weapon, he would have drawn it.
He snapped his gaze to hers, some of the tension easing from his face as he kicked his feet off the stool, leaned in. “Hey.”
She licked her lips, holding tight. “Hey.”
He reached behind him, grabbed a glass and offered her some water. He smiled as she swallowed a few sips, still staring at her as if he wanted to swaddle her in bubble wrap but knowing she’d hate it. “About time you woke up.”
She frowned. “How long?”
“Three days. Though, I swear Darwin gave you something because he kept telling me to calm down. That you’d heal faster if you rested, and that you only did that when forced.” Coulter raised her hand, kissed the back. “He’s not wrong.”
Neve coughed, grunting when it sent a shock of pain through her ribs. “Three days?”
“You’re lucky I didn’t make it a full week.”
Neve glanced at the doorway as Darwin leaned against the frame, arms crossed, his glasses still not quite straight.
He shook his head, ambled over to the bed. “Welcome back.”
She smiled, grimacing when every small movement seemed to bleed through the pain meds. “Pretty sure I have you to thank for that.”
“I can only take half the credit. Your teammates got you here.”
“Great, now I owe everyone.”
“With how reckless you all are, I’m sure you’ll get the chance to pay them back.”
She looked at Coulter. “It was more calculated than reckless. Ask Wynn. She did the math.”
“Oh, Wynn told us all about it. Coulter, too. I swear Gus damn near had an aneurism. Would have if you weren’t the luckiest person I know.
” Darwin gestured at her side. “Bullet was a through-and-through. Missed your lung and liver. All your major vessels. It did gouge a chunk out of a rib, which is what hurts, but otherwise, very anticlimactic.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
“I wasn’t. But don’t get any ideas that your lack of serious complications means you’re cleared for anything other than keeping your ass in the bunker.
You lost an obscene amount of blood. If Wynn hadn’t given you a couple pints of Coulter’s…
” He sighed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“I’ll let Coulter take you back to your room in the morning.
But nothing, and I mean nothing, until I give you the all clear. ”
Coulter leaned in. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she follows the rules.”
Darwin coughed. “Right, like you’ve been doing? Despite not getting shot, you’re not much better off. So, you’ll both keep it low key for the next week or two.”
Darwin shook his head, mumbling to himself about what terrible patients they were as he crossed the room, started flipping through a stack of papers.
Neve relaxed against the bed. “You look like you went ten rounds with Tyson.”
Coulter smiled. “Close, but that’s nothing you have to worry about.”
“Of course I have to worry. It’s in the job description.”
“Which one? Team leader or the woman I plan on spending the rest of my life with?”
His words caught her off-guard, and she had to physically tell herself to close her mouth. Not that they hadn’t said I love you, but hearing him utter them so casually… It made her stomach flutter. Spun the room a few times.
She drew him in close. “Both. And I’m gonna hold you to that last one.”
“Good, because I’m holding you to your promise, too.”
“Still breathing.”
“No thanks to that last shot. You owe me a few years of my life back, by the way. Seeing you lying on that catwalk, knowing you’d get hit… You never should have left the container.”
“I swore I’d always have your back.”
Coulter sighed. “Stubborn. And thanks. I’ll never forget what you did for me.”
“I didn’t do it just for you. I did it for me, too, because there’s no future without you in it.”
“Amen.” He glanced at Darwin, then closed the distance, planted a soft kiss on her lips. “I love you.”
“Love you more.”
“Always a competition with you.” He squeezed her hand. “Sleep. The gang will want to see you in the morning. Might help if you didn’t look as if you were about to pass out.”
“Only if you’ll stay.”
“Wild horses… sweetheart.”
Neve grinned, letting herself fade, Coulter’s hand lulling her into a soothing sleep.
By the time Coulter carried her to their room, propping her back against the headboard, the room seemed brighter, the pain was already half what it had been the day before.
He frowned, shaking his head. “I think it’s too soon. You look like you’re dead, again.”
Neve cocked her head to the side. “I’m fine. Well, as fine as I can be considering… Besides, Darwin and Wynn are literally down the hall. And you know how Wynn hovers. She’ll probably bust through the door if I cough funny.”
“I heard that.”
Neve relaxed. “Didn’t say anything you didn’t already know.”
Wynn walked into the room, Zadie and Scout trailing behind her. “And I hover because you’re always the one getting hurt.” She looked over at Coulter. “Well, you and Coulter.”
Coulter crossed his arms. “As I recall, Scout took a round to her vest at the clinic.”
Wynn glanced back at Scout. “You’re right. You’re all the reason I don’t sleep at night.”
Zadie coughed. “Pretty sure that’s sexual frustration but…” She grunted when Wynn swatted her in the arm. “Like we all haven’t noticed how you and Darwin look at each other.”
Wynn rolled her eyes, a hint of blush staining her cheeks. “But you’re right. I will bust in if I think you’re breaking ranks, so… looks like you two will be just as frustrated as the rest of us until your ribs heal.”
Neve smiled at Coulter, loving the way he stared at her as if he was already picturing how their next round would play out. “Good thing I’m a fast healer. Which reminds me, I was a bit out of it at the end. I need a SIT REP.”
Scout leaned against the far wall, looking edgier than usual.
“Well, to start, Ramsey’s dead, courtesy of Coulter, which, while not ideal, was definitely the right call.
His men are in the wind, though I suspect they’ve scurried back to Finch and Hyperion.
Not that they’ll be staying long because while the rest of you were trying to get yourselves killed, Zadie was transferring as much of Ramsey’s files off his internal servers as she could before everything went off the rails. ”
Neve perked up. “What did you get?”
Zadie shrugged. “Just the roster of the Blackridge off-book team along with deployment logs. Proof that they were the ones who attacked us up in Bralorne, right down to the GPS coordinates and the exact minute they opened fire. Gus took a copy. Said he’d find a way to have Blackridge dismantled — take responsibility for our deaths.
” She sighed. “Give our families some closure. Let everyone know it wasn’t a training accident. ”
Neve nodded. “Not nearly enough, but I’ll take it.”