Page 198 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

‘Harker said we must wait for you.’

It’s the only thing he’s heard so far that gives Kade any comfort.

‘Well, I’m awake now, so.’

‘Take it easy,’ Lachlan suggests, offering his hand to Kade when he tries to stand, but Kade ignores it, tears in his eyes. Instead, he reaches for Vasily fucking Sorrenko who, to his credit, doesn’t hesitate.

Kade’s feet find the ground. His legs hold his weight. When he can stand, he removes what tethers him to the bed. One cannula taped into his forearm, monitor wires trailing from his chest and a red light glowing through the tip of his finger.

Noah comes inside, disapproving look already wiped clean by the sight of Kade standing without wobbling. ‘All right,’ he says, mostly to himself. ‘Well, at least hydrate and try not to tear anything.’

‘Yes, I will make tea,’ Vasily assures him.

‘The last time you made tea, people died.’

‘You cannot blame the tea.’

‘How’s Luca?’ Kade asks, searching Noah’s face.

The change is slight.

A softening around his eyes, his mouth settling into careful neutrality.

‘You can see him if you’d like.’

✴

Luca lies unconscious beneath amber lights, surrounded by monitoring machinery. His face has been washed clean, but blood remains clotted at the base of the limp, light-brown curls at his temple, stiffening them against his hairline. His skin is ashen. Everything below his nose is obscured. Bandages cover both cheeks and wrap beneath his jaw, holding the swollen ruin of his face in a shape that only vaguely resembles the one Kade knows.

Lucozade.

Kade stops beside the bed, gripping the bar at the bottom.

No one on earth will ever convince him that this isn’t his fault.

‘The tracheostomy is temporary. The swelling made his airway unsafe.’

‘What did the bullet hit?’

‘The round tore through his mouth, left cheek to right. It shattered the back of the mandible on both sides and took several molars with it.’ Noah pauses. ‘Most of the damage was to the tongue and floor of the mouth.’

Kade looks at him. ‘How bad?’

‘The tongue was nearly severed at the base. Both hypoglossal nerves were caught in the track. We repaired what we could, but the tissue without a viable blood supply had to be removed. We’ve plated his jaw. He’ll need more reconstruction once the swelling settles. Bone grafts, dental work, probably soft-tissue grafting to both cheeks.’

The words arrive separately. Kade understands every one of them and yet none of what they mean together.

‘Will he be able to talk?’

Noah’s expression gentles again. ‘Speech needs controlled movement of the tongue, jaw and lips. Luca has severe damage to all three, as well as the nerves responsible for moving his tongue.’

Tears roll down Kade’s face. ‘What can you do?’

‘In time, we can reconstruct the jaw. There are nerve grafts we can attempt later, but the tissue loss and scarring will be extensive.’

Kade made him Team Leader.

He brought him along.