Read Online Sniper Fire (Love in the Crosshairs) by Kathy Lane - Free Book Online
Authors: Kathy Lane
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Joshua.
“I’m fine.” His gaze swept over her. “I thought you felt a little lumpy earlier. Thank you for the food.”
She twisted her lips. “Yes, well, if I’d had more time to think about it,” she said, slipping an arm under Kyle’s head so he could drink, “you and your men might have had to settle for the granola bars and jerky stored down here. The terrorists were searching everyone pretty thoroughly right before I got away.”
“You shouldn’t have taken the chance,” Kyle said between sips.
“Hush and drink.” She tipped the bottle against his lips, practically forcing him to open his mouth. He managed about three more small sips, pausing between each one to swish the water around before swallowing. When he nodded that he was through, she eased him back down. She smoothed back his hair again, noting the heat coming off his skin. “How’s the pain?”
He closed his eyes. “Manageable.”
“Tough guy, huh?” She moved to another storage box and rooted inside, pulling out a small vial of morphine and a syringe.
“No,” Kyle said, seeing the needle. “No drugs. When we move, I need to be conscious.”
Farrah huffed quietly, not pausing in prepping the shot. “When you’re moved you should be sedated up to your gills, but I have no doubt that won’t happen. As it is, you can’t lay there in pain for hours. It’ll cause too much stress on your body.” She pressed a couple of fingers to his lips when he started to speak again, and looked to Joshua. “When do you have to leave here?”
“Not for at least fourteen hours. That’ll give us plenty of time to make the pickup zone by midnight.”
“Where’s the pickup zone?”
When Joshua hesitated, Farrah lowered her gaze and concentrated on filling the syringe. A small knot of hurt curdled the coffee in her stomach that she’d had at breakfast. He didn’t trust her. She could understand—he had more lives to consider than just his and Kyle’s—but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow. She held up the filled syringe. “Don’t worry,” she told Kyle. “This will help you rest now and should wear off in about four to six hours. Okay?”
At his nod she swabbed the intake on his IV line with alcohol before slowly injecting the morphine. She stood quietly as the drug took hold. Her own tension eased as the tight muscles in Kyle’s face relaxed. Fingers brushed her arm again. Joshua’s touch, warm and comforting, the touch of a dear friend. No goose bumps danced over her skin this time. Seemed those were reserved just for Kyle, she noted wryly, a man who had never shown the slightest interest in her.
“Sorry,” Joshua said when she met his gaze. “Secrecy is a habit, Farrah. It’s what keeps us alive most days. The chopper is picking us up about six miles outside the city. Normally it wouldn’t take us four hours to cover that distance, but with packing out Kyle—”
“What do you mean by packing him out?” She couldn’t have heard him right.
“Just what I said. We’ll have to carry him. Don’t worry, we’ll keep him on the stretcher as long as possible. Even I know that’s better for him than a fireman’s carry, considering his condition.”
“A fireman’s—Joshua, have you lost your mind?” she hissed, trying to keep her voice down when she wanted to yell at him. “You can’t carry Kyle anywhere. Not in his condition, as you so succinctly put it.”
“Farrah—”
“No, Joshua, you aren’t listening. You can’t move him six miles on foot, in the dark, dodging patrols or police or whoever. It’s just too dangerous.”
“And leaving him here isn’t? Look, Farrah, I know you’re worried about him. So am I. But he needs more medical attention than we’ve safely got here. Even if you were able to transfer him to a civilian hospital to get that attention, the terrorists probably have all medical facilities monitored by now. They’ll find him. We’re not leaving him behind.”
She pointed to
“I’m fine.” His gaze swept over her. “I thought you felt a little lumpy earlier. Thank you for the food.”
She twisted her lips. “Yes, well, if I’d had more time to think about it,” she said, slipping an arm under Kyle’s head so he could drink, “you and your men might have had to settle for the granola bars and jerky stored down here. The terrorists were searching everyone pretty thoroughly right before I got away.”
“You shouldn’t have taken the chance,” Kyle said between sips.
“Hush and drink.” She tipped the bottle against his lips, practically forcing him to open his mouth. He managed about three more small sips, pausing between each one to swish the water around before swallowing. When he nodded that he was through, she eased him back down. She smoothed back his hair again, noting the heat coming off his skin. “How’s the pain?”
He closed his eyes. “Manageable.”
“Tough guy, huh?” She moved to another storage box and rooted inside, pulling out a small vial of morphine and a syringe.
“No,” Kyle said, seeing the needle. “No drugs. When we move, I need to be conscious.”
Farrah huffed quietly, not pausing in prepping the shot. “When you’re moved you should be sedated up to your gills, but I have no doubt that won’t happen. As it is, you can’t lay there in pain for hours. It’ll cause too much stress on your body.” She pressed a couple of fingers to his lips when he started to speak again, and looked to Joshua. “When do you have to leave here?”
“Not for at least fourteen hours. That’ll give us plenty of time to make the pickup zone by midnight.”
“Where’s the pickup zone?”
When Joshua hesitated, Farrah lowered her gaze and concentrated on filling the syringe. A small knot of hurt curdled the coffee in her stomach that she’d had at breakfast. He didn’t trust her. She could understand—he had more lives to consider than just his and Kyle’s—but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow. She held up the filled syringe. “Don’t worry,” she told Kyle. “This will help you rest now and should wear off in about four to six hours. Okay?”
At his nod she swabbed the intake on his IV line with alcohol before slowly injecting the morphine. She stood quietly as the drug took hold. Her own tension eased as the tight muscles in Kyle’s face relaxed. Fingers brushed her arm again. Joshua’s touch, warm and comforting, the touch of a dear friend. No goose bumps danced over her skin this time. Seemed those were reserved just for Kyle, she noted wryly, a man who had never shown the slightest interest in her.
“Sorry,” Joshua said when she met his gaze. “Secrecy is a habit, Farrah. It’s what keeps us alive most days. The chopper is picking us up about six miles outside the city. Normally it wouldn’t take us four hours to cover that distance, but with packing out Kyle—”
“What do you mean by packing him out?” She couldn’t have heard him right.
“Just what I said. We’ll have to carry him. Don’t worry, we’ll keep him on the stretcher as long as possible. Even I know that’s better for him than a fireman’s carry, considering his condition.”
“A fireman’s—Joshua, have you lost your mind?” she hissed, trying to keep her voice down when she wanted to yell at him. “You can’t carry Kyle anywhere. Not in his condition, as you so succinctly put it.”
“Farrah—”
“No, Joshua, you aren’t listening. You can’t move him six miles on foot, in the dark, dodging patrols or police or whoever. It’s just too dangerous.”
“And leaving him here isn’t? Look, Farrah, I know you’re worried about him. So am I. But he needs more medical attention than we’ve safely got here. Even if you were able to transfer him to a civilian hospital to get that attention, the terrorists probably have all medical facilities monitored by now. They’ll find him. We’re not leaving him behind.”
She pointed to
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