Diego started to clamber to his feet, intending to pick up Tina and get the hell out of there. Unfortunately, it was hard finding the energy to move, much less stand, so he knelt there on the floor, telling himself he would just take a second to catch his breath. But the seconds began to drag out, and even though Diego knew he had to get moving, if it wasn’t for the sound of footsteps nearby, he probably would have stayed right where he was until help arrived.
He lifted his head, frowning when he saw it was darker inside the building than it had been before. Even so, he could still make out the shape of a man standing ten feet away, an automatic pointed in Diego’s direction.
Diego reached for the Glock still holstered at his waist, but knew he’d never get it out in time, not with his reflexes slowed from the blood loss. Even when he got his right hand on the polymer grip of the weapon, he couldn’t seem to pull it out. The slow smile spreading across the other man’s face in the dim light told Diego he’d run out of time.
Then out of nowhere, a cardboard box flew through the darkness, slamming the asshole in the side of the head.
From the corner of his eye, Diego saw Tina slumped to the floor, all her energy exhausted in her effort to throw the box. It wasn’t enough to rip the man’s head off or anything close to that, but it distracted him enough for Diego to finally get his weapon out.
The man shoved the box aside with a curse and fired at Diego just as he pulled the trigger on the Glock. The guy fell to the floor even as a bullet slammed into Diego. Pain bloomed in the center of his chest and breathing became impossible, making Diego doubt his vest had been able to stop the round. But it must have, or he’d be dead.
Rolling painfully to his knees, Diego crawled toward Tina, terrified all of this was going to be for nothing. But when he slipped a hand under her shoulder and rolled her over, she let out a little groan and he released the breath he hadn’t known he was holding.
“Let’s get you out of here, okay?” he murmured.
Diego slowly picked Tina up and stumbled to his feet, only to promptly drop to a knee, his head spinning so fast, he thought he was going to pass out for sure. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to stand again, and this time, he stayed upright. He staggered toward the exit, ignoring the guy he’d left cuffed on the floor, murmuring the whole time to the girl in his arms, promising she’d be okay.
The trip through the shops, which had seemed rather short on the way in, had lengthened considerably. He was convinced he’d stumbled at least a hundred miles and still didn’t seem close to getting out of there.
Diego didn’t realize he’d fallen to his knees until he felt the grit of sharp rubble digging into his skin. He immediately tried to regain his feet, but instead, slid to the floor in a boneless heap. He twisted sideways at the last second, so his shoulder slammed into hard linoleum instead of Tina. She lay a few inches away, her hazel eyes fighting to stay open as his started to close.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, the words little more than breath moving across his lips. “I know I promised, and I’m sorry.”
Tina’s eyes opened for a moment, and he thought he saw understanding and forgiveness there. Or maybe that was simply wishful thinking.
Diego fought the blackness, trying to reach for his radio mic so he could beg them to hurry and get to the girl before it was too late. But his arms were beyond numb and movement impossible. All he could do was lay there and watch Tina fade away.
It was so damn wrong.
Then, all at once, cops and paramedics were surrounding them. He closed his eyes, relieved. Tina would be okay.
“You still with me, Diego?” a deep voice asked.
Diego opened his eyes once again to see Hale leaning over him, concern written all over his face. For a moment, he wondered how the hell his friend was there. Then he stopped worrying about the meaningless shit and asked the only question that really mattered.
“The girl?”
Hale nodded, gripping Diego’s hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “The paramedics just took her out. They’re loading her on the helicopter right now. It will leave the second you’re on it. You just have to hold on.”
Then he was on a gurney and paramedics were shoving him full speed through the abandoned stores and out into the freezing rain. But no matter how fast they moved, Hale kept up with them, stuck right there at his side, holding Diego’s hand in his.
“Just a little bit farther,” Hale told him. “The bird is in the empty lot across the street. We’re going to wheel you straight there. Just hold on.”
Black spots swirled above Diego, blurring out the glare of the streetlamps and flashlights around them. He swore he could hear his heart thudding in his chest and the sound it was making did nothing to convince him that it wanted to continue the effort.
“I don’t think I can,” he mumbled, his words slurring as something metallic and nasty filled his mouth and throat, making it difficult to breathe, much less talk. “Tell my family that it didn’t hurt. That…it was quick.”
That was a lie, of course. In reality, the pain in his chest felt like there was a living creature inside him, slowly digging its way out. But he didn’t want his mom and dad or brother and sisters to know that. It would make what happened to him even harder on them.
Hale cursed, his eyes misty even as his lip curled in anger. “None of that shit,” he growled. He frigging growled. And even though Diego knew it was nothing but a pain-driven delusion, he thought for a second his best friend’s eyes were glowing vivid yellow-gold. “Don’t even think you’re getting out of that SWAT assessment this easy. You said you were going to do it, and you can guarantee I’m going to hold you to that promise. Now, suck it up and keep breathing until you get to the hospital. Or I’m telling your mom you gave up because you were afraid to face humiliation in front of me and the rest of the SWAT team.”
Diego wasn’t so sure his friend’s speech was having the desired effect, but he supposed he couldn’t blame the guy for trying. He would have done the same thing.
“Don’t give up on me, Diego,” Hale urged, his voice barely audible over the thump of the helicopter blades that signaled they were getting close to the bird. “Don’t give up on yourself. There are hundreds of people out there waiting for someone like you to help them out of whatever shit they’ve found themselves in. Thousands, maybe. You’ve spent years helping other people, but if you ever want to help another living soul, you’re going to have to fight to stay alive. Fight like you’ve never fought before.”
Diego let those thoughts roll around in his head as the paramedics lifted the gurney into the helicopter and the damn rain finally stopped hitting him. Outside, Hale was shouting at him to fight—for himself and all the people who’d depend on him in the future.