Heknowshe shot him there.
He saw the bullet hit, watched it drop him.
But when he pulls down the socks, fingers pushing through the blood, he finds no wound, no entry, not even a graze.Kade holds the boot up.There’s a hole clean through the leather of the upper ankle.Bothsides.
‘What the fuck?’
Luca taps him on the shoulder and starts rapid-fire signing, but Kade stops him, gives a brief smile because he appreciates the gesture.‘I can hear again, it’s OK,’ he says quietly.‘Luca,look.’He shows him the boot, then the ankle.Luca follows his gaze, mildly patronising at first but then he slowly understands, confusion marring his features.Luca is one of Kade’s closest friends.They’ve known each other for five years.
‘Um, what the actual fuck?’he says.
From behind Kade, Seth hisses, ‘Itoldyou!’
‘What’s wrong?’Cole asks.
‘Stay back.’Kade takes out a blade and slices the tee off completely.There’s blood all over the intruder, scarseverywhere,but no wounds, not a single… fucking…one.Luca checks him thoroughly too, both of them pawing at this strange intruder to find exit wounds, holes, scrapes,anything.
‘Kade,’ Riley says.Kade can’t ignore him even if he wanted to, so his gaze snaps up.Amber eyes meet blue.‘Talk to me.’
‘He’s not hit,’ Kade blurts out, doesn’t know how else tosayit.‘I got him in the ankle, but there’s nothing, only blood.He’s not hit anywhere except the—oh my God.’Kade stares at the intruder’s face, horror growing inside like gruesome wings unfurling as his mind struggles to accept what it’s seeing.
Bullets arewigglingout like stubby worms.
His skin around the freshly vacated holes is extending like feelers, stretching and reaching to clasp and meld with the other side, sewing together.His face is spitting the bullets out,stitchingitself up.Luca falls backwards, scrambling to get a chunk of distance but Kade can’t move, can’t look away.The intruder’s face is healing right before his eyes.
The Watch is deadly silent, but Kade hears each of the bullets fall onto the floor and then a shaky, crackly breath is dragged into wet, previously still lungs.The intruder coughs, his body jerks, and he tries to blink, but he can’t quite do it because one of the bullets went right into his eye and even though it’shealing, it’s thick with sticky blood.
Kade can’t believe what he’s seeing, but he’s also practical enough to yank every weapon off the man while he’s still boneless.Luca shakes himself quickly and helps.They slide each item across the floor, yelling at someone to take it and get it away.Once even the smallest of blades is removed, one of which is custom built, Kade drags him by the bare feet towards the steel doors.
‘Permission to lock him in here?’he asks, and he’s doing it either way but has to ask because those stairs lead to Riley’s rooms on the very top floor.
Already headed for the doors, Riley says, ‘Granted,’ not a moment too soon because the intruder is waking up, groaning as he looks around.Riley touches the wall beside the doors to open them both.The steel door and iron bars slide into the wall and Kade throws the intruder’s weight against the bottom step leading up into the spiral staircase.He steps back quickly.
‘Just the bars.Keep the door open so we can monitor.’
Riley does as he suggests.
Thick, heavy bars slide into place, locking tight like a prison cell.For the first time ever, Kade is grateful for them.
All holding rooms are in the basement.
They’d never have made it before he woke up.
The six of them stare at the intruder.
‘Seth,’ Riley says.‘Take a team, sweep the building level by level and find anything he left behind.’Seth, whose brother is dead downstairs, gives an efficient nod.‘Luca, sweep the outside.None of this leaves the Watch.’
Both Seth and Luca dutifully answer, ‘Heard.’
Luca pats Kade’s arm, throws him a look.‘Catch up in a bit.’
Kade gives a shaky nod.
It’s just him, Cole, Finn and the boss in this room where a man shot to death came back to fucking life.Riley Harker turns his full attention to his bodyguard.‘Kade,’ he bids, ‘come with me.’
‘He’s n-not dead.’
‘Let’s go.’Kade forces himself to look away from the doors, confused.
