Cami breathed heavily, not only from the emotion of the moment but also the exertion of having to breathe for herselfandfor Fin. But she didn’t hesitate to reapply the plastic barrier, press her lips over Fin’s frighteningly pale lips, and begin CPR all over again.
For five minutes, the only sounds in the room were the furious winds of the storm, thepuff,puffof Cami trying to breathe life into Fin’s body, and Doc’s grunts as he continued chest compressions.
But eventually, with a roar of frustration, a roar ofanguish, Doc shoved to a stand. “Fuuuuuccckkkk!” The word strained out of him until it ended on nothing but a hoarse whisper.
Dana hiccupped on a sob and felt John’s arm tighten around her shoulders. Cami, who’d been a rock through it all, hung her head and let out a sad little bleat of defeat. And Brady, who’d been quiet because LT and Olivia had been working on his arm and shoulder, finally spoke up.
There was such heartbreak in his voice when he said, “Will? Tell me Fin’s not—”
Will didn’t let him finish. Instead he wrapped a desperate hand around Doc’s bare calf. “Don’t stop!” he begged Doc, snot leaking from his nose, tears leaving glistening trails down his stubbled cheeks. “Keep tryin’! Please! For the love of Christ, keep tryin’!”
Doc’s Adam’s apple traveled up the length of his throat. There was such sadness in his eyes that a fresh batch of tears flooded into Dana’s.
“I’m sorry.” He tugged hard on his earlobe. “He’s lost too much blood. His heart won’t work.”
The whole scene went surreal then. Because there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. And it didn’t matter that one group had come to rob and murder the other. The fact remained, a man was dead. A husband and a father by the sounds of it. And that was tragic no matter which way you sliced it.
Doc’s voice was gruff when he said, “Give the dead his dignity.”
Dana wasn’t sure what he meant by that. But she understood once John pulled the bloody quilt off the bed.
He was as gentle as if he were wrapping up a newborn when he carefully placed the blanket over Fin’s body. Then, with a gesture of kindness she would remember for the rest of her days, he removed the plastic covering from Fin’s face and used the edge of the dangling sheet to softly wipe the blood from Fin’s chin and cheeks.
Will, Brady, and Jace had all gathered around Fin’s head. Their grief was palpable, permeating the air. But it was Doc’s ragged moan that truly shattered Dana’s heart.
It was the sound of a man in agony. Not physical, but mental.
Throwing open the door, he stomped out of the room.
“Dalton?” Cami’s face was red and splotchy from crying.
John placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, kiddo. Up you go.” After he’d pulled Cami to her feet, he leveled a look on her. “Go after him. He needs you.”
Cami didn’t need to be told twice. She darted out of the room, her long black hair swinging and her sandaled feet slapping the floorboards.
John watched her go before turning back to Dana. He used the backs of his knuckles to wipe away the tears trickling down her cheeks.
“Y’okay, darlin’?”
“No,” she told him honestly, hiccupping on another hard sob.
She didn’t know how much she needed a hug until he dragged her close and closed his arms around her.
Chapter 17
8:01 PM...
The bathroom door was closed, but Cami could hear splashing coming from the other side.
“Dalton?” She knocked softly, her eyes slowly adjusting to the blackness of the hallway.
Now that the sun had set, even the faint light that had shined through the slats in the hurricane shutters was gone. And though she could still hear Julia’s fury, somehow, not being able toseethe strobe effect of swirling debris outside made the raging storm seem less scary.
That was a good thing since her nerves were shot.
Once, when she’d been a little girl, a huge nor’easter had pummeled Staten Island with blizzard conditions. The snow had weighed down the electrical lines until the utility pole outside her house snapped in two. She remembered standing in the bay window of the living room, watching the downed powerline drape across a tree and spark against the snowy limbs.Crack, snap, POW!
She felt like that downed powerline now.
