It took several tries, but eventually, the function in her starved lungs returned. Gracie coughed and sputtered, Nate turning her head to the side so the water she’d inhaled could be expelled.
“That’s it, baby.” He almost cried with relief. “Let it all out.”
“I’ll be damned,” Matt exclaimed. “You did it, man. You fucking did it.”
Several other at-a-boys were spoken and Nate received a few pats on the back, but his concern for Gracie wasn’t over.
She’d been without a pulse for a while, and her brain had been deprived of precious oxygen for several minutes. She was breathing on her own again, but her eyes remained closed and her only response to his voice was a mumble and slight squeeze of his hand.
“You’re going to be okay, Gracie. You hear me? I’m here, and you’re going to be okay.”
“The rest of my guys are en route via chopper,” Ghost told him. “I contacted them the minute the car went under. They’ll take Gracie and your team to a jet that will be waiting at a private air strip not far from here. There will be medical equipment on board, and with Matt’s background, he’ll be able to monitor her until you’re back home. McQueen’s already made arrangements for Gracie to be transported to Homeland’s private medical facility after you land in Texas.”
“What about Rasat and Barry?”
“Let me worry about them.”
Nate was taken aback by it all. Not only had Ghost, Fletch, and Coach helped with getting Gracie back, they’d clearly been busy while he’d been working to keep Gracie with them.
In addition to that, Ghost’s other men—men Nate had never even met before—were dropping everything to help get her back home.
He was damn near speechless, which was saying a lot for him.
“I-I don’t know what to say.” Nate looked up at the Delta leader. “Thank you.”
Ghost grinned. “You can thank us by taking good care of your girl.”
And that’s exactly what he did.
Before long, three more members of Ghost’s Delta Team—their nicknames Beatle, Truck, and Hollywood—arrived with the chopper. They landed it in a large, open area just on the other side of the bridge.
Handing an unconscious Gracelynn off to Gabe, Nate climbed up into the bird then helped Gabe load her onto the pallet of blankets Ghost’s men had made for her. Gabe, Matt, and Zade all piled in behind them. After making rushed introductions to Ghost’s guys, the chopper took off.
Feeling like he could breathe for the first time in days, Nate sat on the floor next to Gracie. Gabe, and Zade each took one of the small cargo seats while Matt remained on the chopper’s floor opposite him.
The former corpsman gave her a shot of antibiotics to fight off possible infection from the lake’s murky water. Then, using the other supplies Ghost’s team had provided, Matt began cleaning and dressing the bullet wound he’d found on her arm.
Once again, Nate was beyond grateful for Ghost and his men. They’d stepped up in a huge way, and he knew he’d never forget everything they’d done to help.
Nate’s own men remained quiet, but Nate was fully aware each one was there for him. No matter what happened.
They were his team. His family. His brothers.
Glancing down at Gracie, Nate used a finger to gently wipe away the damp strands of hair that were sticking to her beautiful face. Unable to keep from it, he leaned in and kissed her softly before settling himself back down onto the metal floor.
With her hand in his, Nate stayed like that the entire way to the airport. He absentmindedly rubbed the gold band still on her left hand as he kept vigil over her. Though it wasn’t a real symbol of their love, he couldn’t bring himself to remove it.
For the first time since finding her, Nate allowed himself to really look at her. His eyes swept over her body, taking in every injury he could see.
Fierce outrage raced through his system as he studied her bruised and battered face. He cringed, his teeth grinding together when he noticed the raw, torn skin on her wrists.
Back at Yavuz’ farmhouse, he and Matt had realized something was off and finally busted into the room where she’d been held. His teammate had stopped him from tearing the place apart when he saw the metal cuffs and chains attached to the bed’s headboard.
The bastards had kept her bound, but she’d fought hard to try break free.
His eyes rested on the rise and fall of her chest. Nate found he was terrified to look away for fear she’d stopped breathing again.
Squatted across from him, Matt assured Nate, “She’ll make it, brother. You got her out and got her breathing.”
