Uh, no...it’s not.
When he yanked on her arm again, Olivia flew forward through her tent’s opening. Her legs had to work double-time just to keep up with his as he led her into another, larger tent nearby. Understanding hit the minute she walked in.
In the middle of the tent—on a cot much like hers—lay a man. Correction, aboy. He couldn’t have been more than fifteen or sixteen, and he was bleeding. A lot.
Several men filled the tiny space. Their guns were at their sides, their faces grim. The place reeked of sweat and blood...and fear.
Scarface shoved her roughly toward the cot. “Fix him,” he growled.
At first glance, Olivia could already tell the boy had lost way too much blood. She shook her head nervously. “I-I have no supplies. He needs blood, and I have nothing to—”
“Fix. Him!”Scarface yelled loudly.
Olivia flinched at the fury and determination on the man's face. Then, she noticed something else. Scarface bore a very close resemblance to the wounded boy.
He seemed too young to be the boy’s father. Older brother maybe?Well, crap.Something told Olivia she'd better at least attempt to save him, or they'd both be dead soon.
Approaching the boy with caution, Olivia tried to pretend as though she was working in her emergency room back home, rather than a filthy tent surrounded by a group of ruthless killers. A difficult, if not impossible, task.
Her hands trembled as she checked his pulse. It was barely discernible, and his breathing was so shallow she had to watch his chest closely for any sign of movement. The front of his shirt was soaked with blood, and there was a hole in the material’s lower half.
Wishing for a pair of gloves, Olivia carefully moved the sticky, wet material back to get a better look at the injury. Her heart sank when she saw the large wound just above his navel.Damn.
She’d seen enough of these to know that, even under the best of circumstance, his chances wouldn’t be good. Given their isolated, unsanitary location and lack of supplies, Olivia already knew how this would end.
Just as she had done many times before, Olivia pushed her nerves aside and called upon her professionalism. She straightened her shoulders, turned around, and addressed the group.
“He needs drugs. Something strong for the pain. I need to make him comfortable.”
One of the men looked around at the others. His broken English did nothing to hide his nervousness over her request. “W-we no have drugs here.”
Olivia barely resisted rolling her eyes at the whole lot of them. They’d kidnapped her and murdered several innocent people, and this jackass was worried about her knowing they had illegal drugs?Idiot.
Up until now, she’d kept her cool. The entire time she’d been here, Olivia had stayed as calm as possible, doing nothing to draw any unwanted attention. However, her band of patience had already worn dangerously thin. Seeing these guys trying to play innocent, after everything they’d already put her through? That thin band finally snapped.
Lifting her chin, she narrowed her eyes. “This boy isdying. There’s nothing I can do for him, other than to make him as comfortable as possible while that happens.”
When they all just stood there, staring at her with total indifference, she addressed Scarface directly. Praying he had a tiny shred of decency buried somewhere deep down, she very bluntly gave him the truth.
“Damn it, he’s just a kid! Unless you want him to lie in unthinkable agony every second he has left on this earth, you’ll bring me something to take away his pain.Now!”
Scarface approached her. To say he was livid would be a major understatement. Her heart felt as though it was trying to claw its way out of her chest as she tried to remain in control.
Okay, so maybe the bossy nurse routine hadn’t been the best choice after all.
Through clenched teeth he said, “He is my brother. You will save him.”
Olivia forced herself to keep eye contact. She knew this probably wouldn’t end well for her, but she refused to lie to him.
“I can’t.” She swallowed. “I’m sorry. The wound is fatal. All we can do now is—”
She didn’t have the chance to move before Scarface’s large hands wrapped around the tops of her arms. His grip was bruising as he shook her.
“You. Will. Save. Him!”
Olivia held back a cry of pain. The boy’s death was inevitable, but she knew she had to at least make it look as though she were attempting to save his life. If for no other reason, than to buy her some time.
“I-I’ll try.” Even to her, the words sounded unconvincing.
