7
“Everyone okay?” Trevor asked, keeping his position low.
With his belly still flat on the office floor, Coop turned his head toward the other man. “I’m good. Mac?” He looked to the spot where she’d been standing, his heart damn near stopping from what he saw.
She was on her back, Marino’s body lying halfway on top of her. Neither one was moving.
“Mac!”
Barely able to breathe for the fear coursing through him, Coop kept himself low, covering the short distance on his hands and knees. He cringed when he realized a good portion of Marino’s head was gone.
“He’s dead,” Coop announced to Trevor as he rolled the man’s lifeless body off of Mac’s.
“Mac?”
He looked down at her still form. Her eyes were closed, arms lying limp at her sides. But it was the blood covering the front of her shirt that terrified him most.
He pressed two trembling fingers against the side of her reddened neck. His lungs expelled every ounce of air in one loud puff when he felt a strong rhythm there.
“She has a pulse.”
“Thank God,” Trevor stayed low as he made his way over to them.
“Mac? Baby, can you hear me?” Frantically moving his hands over Mac’s chest and lower torso, Coop searched for an entry wound. “There was only one shot, right?”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t always mean anything.”
The other man was right. They’d both seen bullets go through one person, only to take out another.
“Come on, baby. Open your eyes.” He turned his desperate gaze to Trevor. “There’s a lot of blood, Trev. I can’t tell if it’s Marino’s or hers. I can’t find an entry wound, but she’s not moving.”
Why isn’t she fucking moving?
Panicked, Coop lifted and turned her slightly to feel along her back. “I can’t find where she’s been hit!”
Mac groaned, her voice rough and slightly slurred. “That’s because I wasn’t hit.”
Coop froze, praying his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. “Mac?”
“I’m okay.” She brought a hand to the back of her head and winced. “Must’ve hit my head when Luca fell into me.”
For the second time in as many minutes, he blew out a huge breath of relief. Mac started to sit up, but he put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “Stay down.” He turned to Trevor. “Stay with her while I look for the shooter.”
“You won’t find him. I saw a glint when the sun reflected off a scope in the trees across the street.”
“That’s where I’ll start looking.” Coop looked back down at Mac. “Check her over good and call for an ambulance.”
“No.” She pushed his hand away. “I told you, I’m fine.”
“You could have a concussion.”
“I don’t, but even if I did, there’s nothing they can do for me that I can’t do for myself.”
Despite his objections, Coop helped her to her feet. Bending over to pick up her gun, she swayed a bit when she straightened her spine.
He let out a low curse. “That’s it. You’re going to the hospital.”
“I can’t go to the hospital, Sean.” She winced at her own raised voice. “A hospital will only lead to questions.” Mac glanced down at Luca’s dead body. “Questions we really don’t want to have to answer.”
