Read Online Undercover by Gerard Brennan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Gerard Brennan
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to know that he was so pleasantly surprised by her little scrap of forced affection. Her Judas kiss.
###
C ormac checked John for a pulse. He found it right away. Mattie stared, expectant. Cormac gave the kid a nod.
"He's still alive."
Cormac knew the safe house was bang in the middle of a vacant terrace and so it was unsurprising that the police hadn't flooded the scene. But they had to get moving before Big Frank came back with a small army.
"Did he get shot?"
Cormac nodded. He pushed up John's bloody shirt and found a wound to the left of his bellybutton. Mattie took a step closer and hissed at the sight of it.
"Hold on," Cormac slipped his hands under John's back. He planned to roll him onto his side and check out the wound.
John howled.
Cormac covered John's mouth with the palm of his hand. "Take it easy, mate."
Mattie pulled on Cormac's arm. "Stop it, you'll hurt him!"
"He needs to calm down or he'll do damage to himself. Just stand back, Mattie. I'll take care of this."
Cormac removed his hand when he felt some of the tension leave John's face. His palm was slick with the other man's sweat. Cormac looked him in the eye.
"You're in shock, John. I'm going to roll you onto your side in case you throw up. I'm hoping to see an exit wound on your back. Do you understand?"
John didn't answer.
"I'm taking that as a yes. Brace yourself."
Cormac moved John with one steady push. John grunted and cursed. The exit wound was as big as Cormac's fist. He was glad to see it, ugly as it was.
"Okay, John. It's as good as it can be. I'd tell you you're lucky but..."
"Fuck yourself."
"There you go. Mattie, I might need your help, kid. Do you think you'll be able to stomach it?"
"What do you need me to do?"
"Put pressure on your father's wounds until I can cobble together some sort of dressing."
Mattie nodded. "I can do that."
Cormac went to Paddy's body and tore strips of material from his XXXL T-shirt. He folded them into a pair of thick pads and handed them to Mattie.
"One for the front and one for the back. Squeeze them together as hard as you can. I won't need you to do this for long, okay?"
The kid went right to it. He used the heel of his left hand for the entry wound to protect his broken fingers. There was pain in his expression but he didn't complain. Cormac returned to the mammoth task of tearing cloth from a dead fat man. Sweat sprang up on his forehead. It was like manhandling a small whale. The slow burn of a vigorous weightlifting session warmed his muscles.
"You nearly finished?" Mattie's voice was edged with strain.
"Two seconds, Mattie. Hold on."
Cormac kicked it up a gear and knotted together a bandage.
"My dad just puked."
"That's forgivable kid. He's been gut-shot. Hang tight."
They worked together to get the bandage around John's waist. Cormac did the heavy work – compared to lugging a dead Paddy about John seemed as light as a rag doll – and Mattie pulled the makeshift dressing tight and tied it up with admirable efficiency considering he had to work with one hand. He compensated for his broken fingers by pulling one end of the bandage with his teeth.
"Okay. Nice work, Mattie. You ready to get moving?"
"Why are you helping us? You're one of them, aren't you?"
Cormac held his hand out. "Detective Cormac Kelly. Pleased to meet you, Mattie."
Mattie looked as serious as a funeral director as they shook.
"Are we safe now, then?"
"Almost. We need to get your father out of here and get him some medical attention, but we're nearly home and dry."
So long as we stay a few steps ahead of Big Frank.
###
L ydia eyed the security cameras above Rory's front door. Her client unlocked three bolts and then, just inside the hallway, he tapped a seven-digit code to disable his alarm system. She felt something tug on her stomach. The kidnappers wanted her to breach this system? Rory directed her up the stairs to the guest room.
Lydia dropped her overnight bag at the foot of the bed. The
###
C ormac checked John for a pulse. He found it right away. Mattie stared, expectant. Cormac gave the kid a nod.
"He's still alive."
Cormac knew the safe house was bang in the middle of a vacant terrace and so it was unsurprising that the police hadn't flooded the scene. But they had to get moving before Big Frank came back with a small army.
"Did he get shot?"
Cormac nodded. He pushed up John's bloody shirt and found a wound to the left of his bellybutton. Mattie took a step closer and hissed at the sight of it.
"Hold on," Cormac slipped his hands under John's back. He planned to roll him onto his side and check out the wound.
John howled.
Cormac covered John's mouth with the palm of his hand. "Take it easy, mate."
Mattie pulled on Cormac's arm. "Stop it, you'll hurt him!"
"He needs to calm down or he'll do damage to himself. Just stand back, Mattie. I'll take care of this."
Cormac removed his hand when he felt some of the tension leave John's face. His palm was slick with the other man's sweat. Cormac looked him in the eye.
"You're in shock, John. I'm going to roll you onto your side in case you throw up. I'm hoping to see an exit wound on your back. Do you understand?"
John didn't answer.
"I'm taking that as a yes. Brace yourself."
Cormac moved John with one steady push. John grunted and cursed. The exit wound was as big as Cormac's fist. He was glad to see it, ugly as it was.
"Okay, John. It's as good as it can be. I'd tell you you're lucky but..."
"Fuck yourself."
"There you go. Mattie, I might need your help, kid. Do you think you'll be able to stomach it?"
"What do you need me to do?"
"Put pressure on your father's wounds until I can cobble together some sort of dressing."
Mattie nodded. "I can do that."
Cormac went to Paddy's body and tore strips of material from his XXXL T-shirt. He folded them into a pair of thick pads and handed them to Mattie.
"One for the front and one for the back. Squeeze them together as hard as you can. I won't need you to do this for long, okay?"
The kid went right to it. He used the heel of his left hand for the entry wound to protect his broken fingers. There was pain in his expression but he didn't complain. Cormac returned to the mammoth task of tearing cloth from a dead fat man. Sweat sprang up on his forehead. It was like manhandling a small whale. The slow burn of a vigorous weightlifting session warmed his muscles.
"You nearly finished?" Mattie's voice was edged with strain.
"Two seconds, Mattie. Hold on."
Cormac kicked it up a gear and knotted together a bandage.
"My dad just puked."
"That's forgivable kid. He's been gut-shot. Hang tight."
They worked together to get the bandage around John's waist. Cormac did the heavy work – compared to lugging a dead Paddy about John seemed as light as a rag doll – and Mattie pulled the makeshift dressing tight and tied it up with admirable efficiency considering he had to work with one hand. He compensated for his broken fingers by pulling one end of the bandage with his teeth.
"Okay. Nice work, Mattie. You ready to get moving?"
"Why are you helping us? You're one of them, aren't you?"
Cormac held his hand out. "Detective Cormac Kelly. Pleased to meet you, Mattie."
Mattie looked as serious as a funeral director as they shook.
"Are we safe now, then?"
"Almost. We need to get your father out of here and get him some medical attention, but we're nearly home and dry."
So long as we stay a few steps ahead of Big Frank.
###
L ydia eyed the security cameras above Rory's front door. Her client unlocked three bolts and then, just inside the hallway, he tapped a seven-digit code to disable his alarm system. She felt something tug on her stomach. The kidnappers wanted her to breach this system? Rory directed her up the stairs to the guest room.
Lydia dropped her overnight bag at the foot of the bed. The
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