"And I will not forget that, my love. There may come a time when I collect on that promise, if you survive."
A high-pitched ringing filled his ears, muffling the sound of her voice. As he slumped against the stockade wall, his heartbeat slowed, faintly thrumming in his head. With the blood loss, his sensory skills faltered to nothing. He never heard his mystery woman leave.
The police tactical unit rammed the side door. Flashlights strobed the shadows. A dim haze flickered over the stockade wall like a surreal hallucination, the twilight end to a nightmare. The flurry of activity slowed to a crawl before his eyes.
Still, Christian caught sight of Raven, tears shimmering on her skin. Or had he imagined her beautiful face? He pictured her dark eyes reflecting the luster from a single candle. Then darkness edged her radiant face, despite his attempt to stop it. Without the strength to pressure his wound, he felt his arm grow numb. His hand collapsed to the floor.
He struggled to keep watch over Raven, but failed in the effort. His head too heavy to hold up any longer, he lowered his chin to his chest. With his release, pain ebbed from his body, fading with the rhythm of his shallow breaths.
Finally, blackness won.
CHAPTER 18
For an instant, her gaze focused on the light up ahead. Emergency crews hustled to treat the wounded and haul off the dead, their faces bleak with the daunting task. And her fellow officers were busy rounding up the rest of McBride's men. The warehouse parking lot was a lesson in controlled chaos.
Raven emerged from the darkened belly of the old warehouse, her body racked with pain. Drawing in a deep breath, she remembered how she'd felt just hours before, convinced she'd never make it back from Logan's hell.
But Christian hadn't been so lucky. She squinted into the floodlights, holding up her bloodied hand to shield her eyes. With the other, she held Christian, his cold, lifeless fingers clutched in hers. She only hoped he would know she was with him.
Strapped to a gurney, he wavered in and out of consciousness as the EMTs transported him to the ambulance. A plastic oxygen mask covered part of his face. Under the spiraling emergency beacons, his skin blanched in the light. A sickly pallor radiated over his skin, spreading like a disease.
Seeing him like this, Raven felt a slow panic grip her heart.
"Don't leave me, Christian. Not now," she whispered for his ears alone, squeezing his hand. As they neared the ambulance, his eyelids opened. The technicians loaded the gurney. Christian's gaze followed her as she stepped into the vehicle and knelt by his side.
"Are you a-all right?" His voice weak and muffled under the plastic mask, he swallowed hard. "He didn't—"
It pained her to see him striving to be heard through the breathing apparatus.
"Can I?" She gestured to one of the EMTs, asking if she could remove his mask.
"Just for a minute. Then I'm gonna need some room to recheck his vitals once we get under way." The man pulled back the blanket covering Christian's bare chest, monitoring his breathing through a stethoscope. He spoke into a radio clamped to his shoulder. "Lungs still clear. Will draw some blood for type and cross match. We're heading home."
The engine to the emergency vehicle rumbled. As they pulled away from the warehouse parking lot, the sirens wailed. The motion of the vehicle jostled Christian. She bent over him, lifting the breathing device. She felt the warmth of his breath on her skin.
"I'm fine. Thanks to you." She touched a finger to his cheek, tears welling in her eyes. "You risked everything . . . for me."
"Seemed like a good idea at the time." Hurt colored his eyes. "How's the priest?"
"Father Antonio is okay, just really shaken. While they were stabilizing you, they took him to the hospital to get checked out. I just wish this never—" She choked on her regret.
"This was all McBride. Don't take responsibility for what that sick bastard—"
He coughed; pain surged across his eyes. "Oh, God," he gasped.
"Christian ... I can't lose you. Please—" A sob lodged in her throat.
"Don't worry. I'm pr-pretty st-stubborn. And you owe me . . . dinner, remember?"
Every word was a struggle, his weakness more pronounced. But even with pain etched on his face, she saw through his attempt at humor, for her benefit. And she loved him all the more for it.
"How could I forget?" Her fingertips longed for the feel of his skin. She gently pressed her lips to his, caressing his face with a hand. Then she gazed into his eyes, laying a palm to his chest to feel the soft, steady beat of his heart. "I love you, Christian."
"What t-took you so long? You had me . . . when you ordered m-me to assume the position." He grimaced, his eyelids drooping. "Spread 'em, scumbag."
She pressed a knuckle to her lips, suppressing nervous laughter.
"I never called you that." She shrugged. "I thought it, maybe—"
She wanted to keep him talking, fearing she might not hear his voice again. Every moment with Christian felt precious—a gift.
"Raven?" He squeezed her hand, straining to stay alert. But he was fading fast.
"I'm here, Christian." She touched his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere."
He stared blankly ahead, as if he couldn't see her.
"Want you to know, if s-something should h-happen. I'd do it again. No regrets. I love—" Slowly, his eyes fluttered closed, his head leaned to one side.
Raven held her breath, letting his sweet words wash over her like a cleansing rain. She ran a finger across his lips, then repositioned the oxygen mask.
With Christian passed out, she turned to the grim-faced ambulance attendant, trying to hide her fear. "What's our ETA?"
Lakefront Memorial
Downtown Chicago
Raven paced the waiting room, bleary-eyed with the late hour. The surgery was taking longer than expected. Christian had been out of her sight more than four hours with no word on his condition. As ominous as that sounded, at least he was still alive. In her mind, no news was good news. Yet for her, time became a boundless chasm, one without a beginning or an end. Images came and went, her perception clouded by a suffocating fear.
Would she ever see Christian again?
Her thoughts turned to Fiona. In the ER, a nurse took what little patient history she knew of him, then asked a very simple question. "Is there anyone we can call? Now would be a good time to contact next of kin."
Closing her eyes briefly, Raven filled her lungs to garner strength. "No. He has no one—not anymore."
The nurse left after a curt nod, the door hissing as it closed behind her. Now, the empty waiting room echoed Fiona's betrayal. Alone to endure the vigil,
Raven slumped into a chair. She had no idea how to contact the woman. Did Fiona love her son enough to come forward, risking possible arrest for the murder of her husband? Her involvement in the death of Charles Dunhill might never be discovered, but Raven vowed to uncover the truth, especially if Christian—
She pushed the thought from her brain.
Her mind waged war against the thought of living her future without him. Hell! Who was she kidding? Her life began the day they first met. He awakened something in her, something she had never felt before. As she leaned her head back against the wall, tears filled her eyes. She gazed up at the clock as it squandered precious minutes, struggling to keep her eyes open. Shutting them only reminded her of the ordeal she'd barely survived.
A motion to her right caught her attention. The waiting room door opened. As Raven turned, a friendly face greeted her.
"How is he, Detective?"
"Father Antonio, please sit." She laid her bandaged hand on the chair next to her, forcing a weary smile. "He's still in surgery. Are you okay?"
"Yes, thanks to Mr. Delacorte. I owe him my life."