shoulder threw him off axis and he hit the ground like falling timber. His head bounced off the concrete floor, and his eyes rolled back into his head, finally displaying some white. Freaky was out for the count.
Luke let out a big breath of relief. That had been exhilarating but close. After his brother Donovanâs suicide, the only thing that had kept Luke going was the need to avenge his twin brother. That had been almost twenty years ago, and now finally, after living on the street, military training, and then the FBI academyâwhere heâd been recruited into the clandestine DTUâhe had the skills and the opportunity to make that happen. He was not going to get himself killed. Not when he was so close.
Freaky was still out, resting with his shoulder at an uncomfortable angle. Luke strode up to the car and peeked inside to see what the creature wanted so badly. The pale form of unconscious Astrid made Lukeâs heart skip a beat. He rubbed his chest and told himself the reaction had nothing to do with caring about the blond Amazon. It was only due to her being an important link to the lab that had held him and his brother captive so many years ago.
A quick check revealed all the doors locked, so Luke took a page from Freakyâs game book and used his elbow to bust in one of the windows. He chose the passenger-side front window to spare Astrid from as much of the spraying glass as possible. Once inside, he checked her vitals, mostly by touch since the garageâs fluorescent lights didnât penetrate to the depths of the back of the car. Her pulse was weaker than heâd like, but regular. She breathed unhindered. He patted her down, checking for any injuries that would explain the blood trail, and found her car keys in the front pocket of her jeans.
As he moved down her legs, his hands became coated in blood. Astridâs jeans were covered in it, as was the backseat. A strip of cloth had been tied around her leg like a tourniquet. He debated loosening the makeshift bandage, but sheâd obviously tied it after the jeans got soaked, so it must have stopped her bleeding. Her steady breathing and pulse were good indications that she hadnât bled out.
He fished the car keys from Astridâs pocket and adjusted her position so she was resting more comfortably and more securely. Outside the car again, he spared Freaky another look. Ideally, heâd like to bring the unconscious creature with him so he could interrogate him, but he didnât have anything strong enough to tie Freaky up. If he wasnât working undercover, Luke would have had useful equipment with him. Anything less than regulation handcuffs would probably break as soon as Freaky woke up and decided to exert some force on his bindings. Luke couldnât risk that happening while driving, especially not with Astrid in the car.
There was that chest tweak again. He rubbed the skin above his heart. Something he ate must have given him heartburn.
He stepped into the silver SUV and started it. His first priority was to keep Astrid alive, to get her to medical care before any of Freakyâs friends showed up. If that involved leaving a potential source of information unsecured, so be it. Life was full of bitter choices.
He put the car in Drive and took off toward the hotel.
* * *
Luke parked as close to the hotelâs service elevator as he could. By some stroke of luck, he managed to get unconscious Astrid up to his floor and in his room without running into anyone. Heâd considered taking her to the emergency room, but he preferred not having his undercover name in any official records, not even on ER intake forms. Showing up at a clinic with a woman whoâd been stabbed would lead to all kinds of questions and probably a visit from more than one law enforcement officer. Luke had field medic training. If her injuries werenât too severe, heâd save time and paperwork by taking care of her
Luke let out a big breath of relief. That had been exhilarating but close. After his brother Donovanâs suicide, the only thing that had kept Luke going was the need to avenge his twin brother. That had been almost twenty years ago, and now finally, after living on the street, military training, and then the FBI academyâwhere heâd been recruited into the clandestine DTUâhe had the skills and the opportunity to make that happen. He was not going to get himself killed. Not when he was so close.
Freaky was still out, resting with his shoulder at an uncomfortable angle. Luke strode up to the car and peeked inside to see what the creature wanted so badly. The pale form of unconscious Astrid made Lukeâs heart skip a beat. He rubbed his chest and told himself the reaction had nothing to do with caring about the blond Amazon. It was only due to her being an important link to the lab that had held him and his brother captive so many years ago.
A quick check revealed all the doors locked, so Luke took a page from Freakyâs game book and used his elbow to bust in one of the windows. He chose the passenger-side front window to spare Astrid from as much of the spraying glass as possible. Once inside, he checked her vitals, mostly by touch since the garageâs fluorescent lights didnât penetrate to the depths of the back of the car. Her pulse was weaker than heâd like, but regular. She breathed unhindered. He patted her down, checking for any injuries that would explain the blood trail, and found her car keys in the front pocket of her jeans.
As he moved down her legs, his hands became coated in blood. Astridâs jeans were covered in it, as was the backseat. A strip of cloth had been tied around her leg like a tourniquet. He debated loosening the makeshift bandage, but sheâd obviously tied it after the jeans got soaked, so it must have stopped her bleeding. Her steady breathing and pulse were good indications that she hadnât bled out.
He fished the car keys from Astridâs pocket and adjusted her position so she was resting more comfortably and more securely. Outside the car again, he spared Freaky another look. Ideally, heâd like to bring the unconscious creature with him so he could interrogate him, but he didnât have anything strong enough to tie Freaky up. If he wasnât working undercover, Luke would have had useful equipment with him. Anything less than regulation handcuffs would probably break as soon as Freaky woke up and decided to exert some force on his bindings. Luke couldnât risk that happening while driving, especially not with Astrid in the car.
There was that chest tweak again. He rubbed the skin above his heart. Something he ate must have given him heartburn.
He stepped into the silver SUV and started it. His first priority was to keep Astrid alive, to get her to medical care before any of Freakyâs friends showed up. If that involved leaving a potential source of information unsecured, so be it. Life was full of bitter choices.
He put the car in Drive and took off toward the hotel.
* * *
Luke parked as close to the hotelâs service elevator as he could. By some stroke of luck, he managed to get unconscious Astrid up to his floor and in his room without running into anyone. Heâd considered taking her to the emergency room, but he preferred not having his undercover name in any official records, not even on ER intake forms. Showing up at a clinic with a woman whoâd been stabbed would lead to all kinds of questions and probably a visit from more than one law enforcement officer. Luke had field medic training. If her injuries werenât too severe, heâd save time and paperwork by taking care of her
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