The knife came down. She aimed at Shah and fired. The bullet caught his body, and he fell back seconds before the blade plunged into Evan’s chest.
He glanced back at her. Only for a flash of a moment. Then he grabbed Shah in a chokehold and swam toward the ramp. She ran after him, her legs shaking. He dragged Shah up the incline and out of the water. Blood instantly soaked the concrete and ran down in rivers of red rainwater.
“Is he—?”
“Dead?” Evan ripped off the guy’s hood and rested his fingers on his neck. “He’s got a pulse.”
“I’ll get an ambulance down here.” She dialed the sheriff and put in the request. He assured her medics would be there soon.
She ended the call and allowed herself the chance to breathe deeply and look Evan over from head to fin. His wet suit was cut open, blood oozing from his arm.
“You’re bleeding,” she said as she dropped next to Shah to determine how to stem the flow of blood. “Let me look at it.”
“It’s just a scratch.” He removed Shah’s respirator from his mouth and the tank.
“A scratch doesn’t bleed like that,” she said, watching him as he took off his hoses and put Shah’s hoses on his own tank.
He didn’t respond to her comment.
Blood spurted from the hole in Shah’s chest. She pressed her hands over the gaping wound and looked up at Evan. “What are you doing?”
“Going back in.”
“What? Wait. You gave me a thumbs-up. Is there still a risk?”
“Not likely.” He slipped into his vest. “But I need to swim the length of the dam to look for other DWFAs. And then I want to remove the blasting caps from the explosives. Just in case.”
She understood his need to be thorough, but she didn’t like it. “And you’re sure you can use that arm?”
“Yes.” His focus was pinned on the mission ahead. He secured the vest and gave her a tight smile. “Be back before you know it.”
“Be careful.”
“Always.”
Right. Always. In her book, being careful meant running from a potential bomb, not running toward it. But then in her job she often ran toward danger, so she should understand. Problem was she loved this man with every fiber she was made of. She’d never been in love with a man before, and it was one thing to run into danger yourself. Quite another to have your loved one do so.
She watched him disappear into the water and then turned her attention back to Shah, pressing hard on the oozing wound.
She heard footfalls pounding down the ramp. Mack and Sean rushed toward her, guns raised.
“Heard the gunshot,” Mack said.
She looked down at her hands covered in this terrorist’s blood. “I shot Shah. He was coming at Evan with a knife. Medics are on their way.”
“Where’s Evan?” Sean asked.
She explained, and her voice hitched as tears burned in her eyes.
Mack knelt by her. “Let me take over.”
She lifted her hands, and Mack slipped into place. She checked Shah’s pulse. “He’s still with us.”
A pair of medics came running down the ramp, the rain sloshing under their feet and the wheels of their gurney. She moved out of the way and stood back by Sean and Cam. A medic took over for Mack, and he joined her.
The four of them stood for a time, staring at the dam as the rain washed over them and adrenaline pumped through her veins.
Mack put his arm around her shoulders. “Evan being on the team was the best thing that could’ve happened to us.”
