Marc felt his guts twist in a knot at Angelina’s announcement in Adam’s kitchen a few hours later.
“No fucking way.”
“Marc, I’m going. This is something I have to do.”
“Not with Martin lurking out there somewhere. The sheriff’s department hasn’t been able to locate him since he left the hospital Sunday morning. For all we know, he tailed us to Denver and is just waiting for his opportunity to find you alone so he can attack you again.”
“But I won’t be alone. I’ll be with Karla and Cassie.”
“I forbid you to go.”
She put her hands on her hips and stood her ground. “You and what army?”
“No way are three defenseless women going to be able to stave off an attack if Martin goes after you, Angelina.”
“Cassie and I are black belts in Tae Kwon Do,” Karla offered.
Marc glared at Karla. You’re not helping. His attention returned to Angelina, who put forth her argument, as well.
“You know I fought him off Saturday night, so I have a few moves of my own. My four older brothers taught me well.”
Marc felt control slipping away from him. He didn’t like to feel out of control, but she was putting herself in a place where he couldn’t protect her from harm. If he was her Dom, he had to protect her. He knew that, if he ever wanted more than a Dom/sub relationship with her, he’d have to give her freedom outside play scenes. She was a stubborn, independent woman. Italian. He realized she controlled the relationship, their future, if there was one. He couldn’t really stop her.
That thought scared him to death.
“I’ll be fine, Marc. But you know why I have to do this.”
Yeah. Marc pointed a finger at his chest and she smiled at him. She had to prove some damned thing to him. If it got her killed or hurt, he’d never forgive himself. “Let me show you the wilderness. I take novices out there all the time.”
She shook her head and the noose tightened even more around his neck.
“If I lose it out there, I’m not going to embarrass myself in front of you.” She smiled again. “Relax. It’s just an overnight camping trip. Nothing’s going to happen.”
Karla tried to reassure him. “We’re just going to be up at Lincoln Lake on Mt. Evans. There will probably be lots of other people hiking and maybe even camping, as well. Cassie’s determined to get some wildlife shots and the mountain goats are pretty easy to find there.”
Adam walked into the room, still wearing his cape, but he’d lost the mask and hat. Luke followed. The tenseness in the room was palpable.
Adam’s hand went to the back of his neck, a nervous response Marc first noticed back on Fallujah. “What’s wrong?”
Adam could help. He could at least control Karla a little bit, if he chose to. “These two women think they’re going camping overnight on Mt. Evans. They’re planning to leave at daybreak, after they run up to get Karla’s friend.”
“Yeah, Karla said it’s something she does every year with Cassie.”
“Well, Angelina’s my concern and with Allen Martin still out there, she’s not going anywhere without one of us watching over her.”
“Karla, hon, why don’t you and Cassie postpone the trip until things settle down here? Or let one of us go with you?”
“No, Adam. Cassie and I have been planning this for weeks, and now Angelina wants to join us, which is great. But this is a female bonding adventure. Cassie’s not comfortable around men, especially the dominant types like you guys.” She looked away. “I won’t make her uncomfortable like that. This is our annual ritual and we’re going to do it without men, like always.”
Shit. Adam had no better control over her than Marc did over Angelina. God save them all from strong, stubborn women.
Chances were they’d be safe. There were fewer nutcases per capita in the wilderness than there were in the city here. Martin was probably off nursing his broken nose and laying low after realizing what a total asshole he was.
Yeah, right.
Marc sighed. He had to let her go. As with Shibari, the rope could embrace or strangle. He had to let go of the tight rein he wanted to hold on her—or he’d lose her. But he didn’t have to leave everything to chance.
“Let me take you down to the shop to get the gear you’ll need.”
* * *
Angelina stretched her aching legs out. She’d never hiked so long in her life. The boots she’d gotten at Marc’s store were comfortable, but all she wanted to do right now was take them off and wiggle her toes.
Karla and Cassie were off gathering firewood while there still were a couple hours of daylight left, giving Angelina a chance to chill and recover from the strenuous hike. The wind blew constantly up here, no trees to slow it down. She got used to it after a while and it became like white noise, blocking out all other sound.
Such a sad and desolate place. In the distance, she could see snow-covered mountains. She shivered. At least the snowline was above them here. Still, it was cold.
Lonely.
She wished Marc were sitting here beside her. Sure, Cassie and Karla would be back soon and it sounded as though they had some fireside rituals they would go through tonight to burn away painful memories from their pasts. For Karla, it had something to do with her brother’s death. For Cassie, it sounded as though she had some demons to release, but Angelina hadn’t wanted to pry.
Angelina didn’t want to release anything, well, except maybe Allen. More importantly, she wanted to embrace someone. Be tied to him forever. All she wanted was to feel his arms around her, their bodies becoming one again.
A stinging on the side of her neck brought her hand up to swat whatever had bitten her this time. Didn’t insects migrate or hibernate for the winter or something? She’d been pestered by them all day.
After struggling to pull her boots off, straining muscles in places she didn’t know existed, she leaned back and let the warm afternoon sun kiss her face. It really was peaceful up here. A good place to come and think.
Not that she couldn’t think in civilization, too.
She certainly had some thinking to do. Like about where her relationship with Marc was going to go after this. She didn’t expect any earthshattering wilderness epiphany or anything, but would be happy if she just survived unscathed and didn’t become a whuss at the first sign of wildlife. Didn’t the animals leave you alone if you left them alone? Well, not so with bears or mountain lions, she supposed. But up here, they were more likely to see bighorn sheep and mountain goats, according to Cassie.
Even though she was from the mountains of Peru, the woman had become one with her surroundings here in Colorado. It was an almost mystical experience to watch her move. Angelina couldn’t understand how anyone could experience that sense of being. Of belonging. Did Marc feel that?
Cassie would be perfect for Marc. Well, if she liked men. Some man must have hurt her deeply.
Angelina felt a cramp tighten in her calf and stood up to put pressure on it. A movement out of the corner of her eye sent her heart into her throat. She turned expecting to find a grizzly bear only to see the blur of something tall and brown lunge at her, hitting her head and knocking her off her feet. When the back of her head hit a hard surface, she was momentarily stunned. Whatever had attacked her was straddling her, cutting off her ability to fill her lungs with air. When her eyes cleared she looked up at the bandaged face of Allen.
He pinned her wrists to the ground and hovered over her face. “Hello, Angie. Did you think I wouldn’t find you eventually?”
She struggled to get him off of her, but his weight was solid and her legs couldn’t make contact with anything but air. He moved her arms above her head, taking both wrists into one hand, then reached down and began unzipping her jacket. His hand went inside to squeeze her breast until she screamed.
“I’ve missed hearing you scream for me, Angie.”
“No! Get off of me, you fucking asshole.”
Tsk-tsk. “You’ve been hanging around that sailor too long, picking up such foul language.” He brought his hand up and slapped her, hitting the bruise he’d left there Saturday night. She saw black spots before her eyes for a moment. “Now, we’re going to get out of here before your friends get back.”
He pulled a roll of duct tape from his pocket and he ripped off a piece. She managed to open her mouth before he placed the tape over her. Perhaps with a little mobility in her jaw, she’d be able to work the tape off. How far had Karla and Cassie gone? Did they hear her scream?
He pulled her to her feet and dragged her over to her backpack. “We’ll just take your pack, because I didn’t know we were going camping when I followed you out here today.”
She had no idea what was in there. Marc had packed it while his manager added a few items to Cassie and Karla’s already well-equipped packs. His grip on her forearm hurt and she felt stones digging into the soles of her feet. She tried to tell him she wasn’t wearing her boots, but he paid no attention. His intention was to get her away from her friends. From safety.
Angelina fought and tried to pull away from him, but he only stopped and turned her to face him. He put her pack on her back and then tackled her, his shoulder digging into her abdomen, until she was slung over his shoulder.
Oh, God. This couldn’t be happening. She looked back at where she’d been waiting for Karla and Cassie, but soon it disappeared as he turned in another direction. The path below her and Allen’s feet filled her vision as he took her further and further away.
She screamed, hoping someone would hear her despite the duct tape. Allen laughed at her feeble attempts.
“Save those screams for later, Angie. We have some catching up to do.”
* * *
Marc’s phone beeped indicating a SAR emergency. When he saw the GPS coordinates the air whooshed from his lungs. He hadn’t felt that breathlessness since his hemo-pneumo in Fallujah.
Marc sent text messages to Luke, Adam, and Damián. “Attack on Mt. Evans. Lincoln Lake. Might be the girls. Cougar. Meet at the trailhead.” He gave them the coordinates. “Adam, bring your laptop. Damián, your rifle.”
Marc grabbed his gear and headed for the Porsche, knowing he could ride shotgun with Luke once they met up. Damián had been the best sharpshooter in his Marine recon unit. Marc hoped he’d be able to traverse the terrain up there, but if he could get within a mile of the cougar, he’d be able to take it out.
Please, God, don’t let anything happen to them.
Why hadn’t he been more forceful and refused to let her go up there? He was supposed to protect her. He’d taken what precautions he could, but his mind had been so focused on the human threat, he hadn’t even considered a cougar attack.
When his phone beeped again, he looked down and saw it was Adam. “Karla says Angelina’s gone.”
The Porsche swerved as Marc lost control. Before he killed himself or someone else, he pulled over to the shoulder and dialed Adam. His heart hammered against his chest. He screamed at the top of his lungs, “No! God-damn it. You can’t take her away from me!” He lay his forehead against the steering wheel
Mio Dio, not now. I just found her. I can’t go on without her.
When Adam answered, Marc asked, “What’s happened? Was it the cougar?” His voice rasped in his ears.
“No. It’s that fucking dickwad, Karla thinks. Damián and I are on our way with the gear you asked for.”
Martin? Who was attacked by the cougar? He signaled to merge and got back onto the highway.
“I have GPS monitors in all three packs. Find out if she has her pack still.”
“She does. But no boots. That’s why they don’t think she just wandered off on her own.” He paused and added, “There were signs of a struggle.”
Stay strong, Amore. I won’t let him hurt you again. I promised you—and I keep my promises.
God help me. Please, don’t let me fail her again.
* * *
As the sun sank lower on the horizon, Angelina wondered if he’d ever stop. Her bones and muscles were screaming as he jarred her along the trail. Where was he taking her? Then he stopped abruptly and let her fall to the ground with a grunt.
Would anyone be able to follow their tracks? She wished she’d had something to drop along the path for them to follow. That worked in the movies, at least.
“We can’t start a fire and call attention to ourselves. I’m sure your sleeping bag will keep me warm, though.”
She closed her eyes, hoping he’d leave her outside to freeze rather than have to touch him. Allen started pulling things out of her pack—flashlight, rope, trail mix, the water purifier Marc had shown her how to use.
Angelina edged away from him, toward a pile of fist-sized rocks. Maybe if she could get one of them, she’d be able to hit him. She wished they were larger, but these would be easier to conceal. She just hoped there weren’t any snakes concealed by the rocks.
“Don’t move.”
Damn. He was onto her.
“Sit down.”
Maybe not. She moved just a little closer to the rocks, then sat on the ground. When he turned his attention back to the pack, she reached out to grasp one stone in each hand, the biggest she thought she could handle.
“That fucking bastard.”
Angelina looked at Allen and saw he held a small black box in his hand, not much larger than a matchbox. Allen stood and threw the box off the side of the mountain with as much strength as he could.
“Your rich sailor boy thinks he can outsmart me. Well, I’ll show him who’s smarter.” He began repacking the items. “Get up. We have to keep moving so we can lose their track.”
Track? What had the box been? Some kind of tracking device? She smiled ruefully. Thank you for trying to protect me, Sir.
She knew if she let Allen take her any further into the wilderness, Marc would never find her. She needed to make her move. Now.
She tried to speak through the tape to attract Allen’s attention and get him to come closer.
“What is it?” He was exasperated, which might play in her favor. He wouldn’t be thinking clearly.
He stood and walked over toward her. When she made no move to stand, he reached down and grabbed her by her upper arms. She assessed her options and decided on her best target. Bringing her hands around to her chest, in one continuous movement she slammed both rocks into his bandaged nose. The sound of bone crunching against bone gave her some satisfaction. Hearing him squeal like a pig provided the rest.
“God-damned bitch.”
Once more, she watched the blood spurting from between his fingers and she scrambled to her feet. She ran to the pack and pulled out the rope and flashlight. Returning to where Allen lay huddled on his knees, she swung the heavy-duty light against his temple, sending him sprawling face down on the ground.
Before he could recover his senses, she dug her knee into his back and took the rope, executing the hogtie technique Marc had shown her at his house the other night. She’d never thought she’d use it for non-erotic purposes. While the tie didn’t look as nice on Allen as it had on Luke, she knew he wouldn’t be getting loose anytime soon.
She reached up and pulled the tape off her mouth. “I’ll be sure to send someone back here for you, Allen. If they can find you without the tracking device—and before a bear or mountain lion does.” The look of fear on his face brought a smile to her face.
Angelina looked around. Having no clue where she was, she only knew to grab the now-bloody flashlight and her pack and start up the same trail Allen had taken her down. As she walked along, she began to hear sounds. The wind, always. But now her senses were heightened. She could hear birds. And even the scurrying of burrowing animals as they took advantage of the last bit of sunlight. She stopped and looked out across the landscape, seeing the mountains stretching out forever.
Majestic.
Marc’s world. She found that she did want to know more. Explore more.
Sweat broke out on her forehead and trickled down her face. The air was chilly against her wet skin. That probably wasn’t a good thing. With the sun just above the mountain peaks, she knew she had to get back to her friends as soon as possible. The thought of being up here alone at night terrified her.
“Angelina!”
Marc? As if her thoughts had conjured him up, she looked up from where she’d been watching where she placed each footfall, hoping not to hurt her feet any more than she already had. Her eyes blurred, then cleared. He smiled and she dropped the pack and sailed into his open arms.
“Oh, angelo mio. You’re safe.”
“I am now. I’ve never been so happy to see someone.”
She let the tears flow as she held on, afraid if she let go she’d find she’d only dreamed him to her again. But his solid arms around her were definitely real. He pulled away, lowering her to the ground, and took her face between his hands. When she winced, he inspected her cheek.
“Did he hurt you, cara.”
“He’s worse off than I am.”
Marc smiled. “Good girl. I’m so proud of you.”
His praise warmed her. She realized she was proud of herself, too.
“How far back?”
“Fifteen minutes or so?” She had no idea how long she’d been walking. She’d just put one foot in front of the other, over and over again. God, her feet were aching.
“Damián’s waiting for us about 500 yards up the trail.” Marc turned around and spoke. “Luke, escort the ladies to meet up with him while Adam and I go back up the trail to pack out Angelina’s trash.”
She smiled and relaxed, relieved not to have to go back there with them. Leaning around Marc, she found an entire search party—Luke, Cassie, Karla, and Adam. She hobbled over to Karla and gave her a hug.
Karla squeezed her tight. “I was afraid I wouldn’t see you again.”
“I’m like a bad penny. I’ll always keep turning up.”
Karla let go and put her pack down and unzipped it. “You forgot something.” She pulled out Angelina’s hiking boots.
She smiled and sat down to put them on. Her feet were swollen and sore, but at least she wouldn’t ding them up any more on the hike back.
“Angelina, will he be hard to spot?”
“No, he’s in a small clearing right next to the trail. Hogtied.”
He smiled. “Good girl.”
She grinned back. “I had a great teacher.”
Marc reached down and gave her a hand up. “We won’t be long. I’d like to get you all back to your campsite before it gets too much darker.”
“You’ll let me stay?” She knew she didn’t need his permission to stay, but just assumed Marc wouldn’t leave the decision up to her after what had happened.
“If that’s what you want to do, I want you to stay. The threat is gone now.”
She smiled her thanks. He trusted her to make her own decision. Maybe he wasn’t into the total domination thing after all. She could still remain independent and be with him.
Except in the bedroom or at the club, when she so wanted him to control her, rather than be an equal partner. She realized she could accept that type of relationship.
“I love you, Marc.”
He looked stunned a moment, as if he were about to bolt. Then he grinned and brushed a strand of hair from her face. “I love you, too, Angelina.”
Without warning, he grabbed a hank of hair at the back of her head and pulled, opening her mouth to prepare for the onslaught of his kiss. Her clit went into overdrive as his lips crushed hers. He drove his tongue into her mouth without preliminaries, performing a mating dance with her own tongue. She reached up and held onto his shoulders to keep from melting into a puddle at his feet. Grabbing the hair at the back of his head, she gave him a little of what she’d gotten. His hand lowered to her butt and he ground their pelvises against each other.
Suddenly, he broke away and looked down into her half-open eyes, which probably were glazed over with lust.
With love.
“I’ll let you decide if you want to stay up on this cold mountain tonight—or sleep in my warm arms.”
* * *
Shit, Marc thought, his woman was a fast learner. Not only had she trussed the pig, she’d rebroken the asshole bastard’s nose, as well. If the wilderness thought it could get the best of her, it had another think coming.
“If you fucking let this one get away, you’re a damned fool.”
Marc grinned. He knew Adam wasn’t referring to the man suspended from the makeshift pole between them as they made their way back up the mountain. “Don’t worry, sir. If I have to hogtie her, I won’t be letting her get away anytime soon.”
“Karla! Watch out!” Angelina’s shout brought them to a halt, then they heard the growl of a cougar split the night air. Women’s screams followed and Luke shouted, “Don’t move, Karla.”
Adam and Marc dropped Martin unceremoniously to the ground, ignoring his scream of pain as he probably landed on his broken nose, and ran up the trailhead until they came around a bend to find Karla pinned with her back against a boulder. An adult cougar stood mere yards away from her, poised to strike.
Angelina stood frozen in the middle of the trail. Luke held onto Cassie, who kept trying to lunge at the cat, or escape Luke’s grasp, he wasn’t sure which. Adam didn’t pause, but ran down the trail trying to get the attention of the cougar.
“No, Adam!” Karla seemed more worried about him than herself.
Marc cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled: “Damián! Can you make it down here! We’ve got big-cat trouble!”
“I heard! I’m on my way!”
If Damián could get a clean shot, the cougar would be neutralized. He hated to have to destroy something so beautiful, but knew the park service would come after and kill any cat that attacked humans. If they could take care of it before Karla or Adam got hurt, that’s just the way it would have to be.
“I’m scared, Adam.” Karla kept her gaze on the cat that growled again.
“I know, hon. Just keep your wits about you while I try to distract it.”
Adam turned to run up the trail. Much more interested in a moving target, the cougar took off after him.
“Adam! No!” Karla scrambled off the rocks and ran after them. Marc and Luke followed, after telling Angelina and Cassie to stay put.
Marc shouted, “Karla, stay back!” She ignored him. The cougar sprang into the air, then landed on Adam’s back, sending him sprawling to the ground. Shit. It tore at his bare neck, immobilizing him immediately. In a flash of speed, Karla latched onto the cat’s tail and singlehandedly tried to pull it off Adam. Gesu. Didn’t she know how powerful that creature was?
But the cougar hardly noticed her, so intent was it on tearing the jacket and shirt off Adam’s back and biting into his neck. Adam struggled under the weight of the cat.
Damián shouted, “I can’t get a clean shot! Get Karla away from there!”
Marc looked down the trail and saw Damián poised to shoot, his eye on the rifle’s scope, waiting. Marc caught up to them and grabbed Karla around the waist, dragging her away. She screamed. “Adam! Don’t die, Adam! Please! I need you!”
Marc carried her behind a boulder, out of range. He knew Damián wouldn’t miss. There would be no ricochet. One shot, one kill, just the way he’d done with insurgents in Fallujah. When the rifle blast rent the air with its report, Karla jumped. The cougar fell silent. Karla slumped against him for a moment, then recovered quickly and pushed away from him to stumble back up the trail. Marc followed. The cat had to weigh nearly as much as she did, but before he could catch up to her, she’d half dragged the animal by its bloody head off of Adam’s back. Adrenaline surge.
Luke called out, “The EMTs are coming; ETA twenty minutes.”
Karla stretched out on the ground beside Adam, touching his face, which didn’t have a scratch from what Marc could see. “Adam. Don’t you dare leave me. I need you.” She continued talking to him, trying to keep him from drifting away. Sometimes Marc had seen it help with cases he’d have thought were goners for sure.
Adam groaned, a pool of blood forming near his neck. Marc’s training kicked in and he unstrapped the medical pack he kept in his car. He’d strapped it on earlier in case Angelina had been hurt. He quickly put on gloves and searched for the puncture wound or wounds causing the blood loss. If it was an artery, Adam could bleed out in no time.
There it was!
“What can I do to help?” He looked up to see Angelina kneeling down beside him.
“Put on a pair of gloves and take a four-by-four—gauze—and fold it into quarters. Then I need you to put pressure against this neck wound. You aren’t afraid of blood, are you?”
“No. I have four brothers. Remember?”
Once he’d shown her the amount of pressure to use, Marc searched for other deep wounds. None on his neck. He pressed his fingers against the carotid artery and found a weak pulse. Adam’s now limp body had probably gone into shock. Marc wished he had his corpsman’s pack and could start an IV.
Luke came over and spread a Mylar blanket over Adam to try to maintain body temperature. Marc took out the paramedic shears and, lowering the blanket to Adam’s waist, cut through the shredded and bloodied jacket and shirt. The blood loss was significant. He hoped they’d stanched it in time. But his shirt also was filled with streaks of blood. He wouldn’t have enough bandages to cover all of the cuts on his back, but he could debride, clean, and cover the deepest wounds.
He glanced at Luke. “I need antiseptic and cotton gauze. Lots of gauze.” Luke reached into the medical bag to find the items.
Marc splayed Adam’s shirt and jacket open to expose his back and froze. Old scars marred his upper back. Shrapnel wounds. Christ, was there even an inch of him that hadn’t been ripped apart? The puckered skin ended at the white scar across the back of his neck, the place Adam often touched when anxious. The shrapnel wounds had been laid bare again by the teeth and claws of the cougar.
Further down his back, where the skin hadn’t been damaged by war or cougar, Marc found a tattoo depicting the Fallen Soldier Battle Cross—boots, rifle, and helmet in the traditional battlefield memorial to those who had been killed. Beside the image were tattooed three names—Carlos Garcia. Gino D’Alessio. Thomas Miller. Sergeant Miller’s name had been added later in a slightly different style.
After Fallujah.
Garcia must have been the one who was killed with his brother, Gino. Adam must have been haunted by the deaths of these men every day to have memorialized them on his body like this.
“My God!” Angelina’s gasp brought him back to what he needed to be focused on. “What happened to him?”
“Enduring Freedom.”
Focus, man.
Luke had his gloves on and had removed several packets of gauze from the packaging and handed them to Marc who took the antiseptic and soaked them, then cleaned the deepest wounds. At least there were no rocks or dirt to compound problems, but with a cougar, chances of infection were high.
As Marc worked cleaning the wounds, his mind returned to what he’d seen on Adam’s back. He’d had no fucking clue what this man had been through in Afghanistan. He knew he’d felt guilty for not bringing Gino and Garcia out alive, but that was just his being a Marine. They always tried to bring every Marine out alive—or die trying—but seeing what Adam had gone through trying, Marc thought it insane for him to carry any guilt.
Marc had an occasional hitch in his side from his wound, but his former master sergeant must have had days where he went to hell and back with the pain—and the memories. How did he get through those days without complaining? Why didn’t he have PTSD? Hell, maybe he did, but hid it better than most.
“Adam, you listen to me.” Karla kept up her non-stop litany, trying to get some response. “You’re not meant to leave yet. I waited nine years for you. I came back to you. You will not leave me. Do you hear me?” No response.
Nine years? Where the hell had those two met? She would have been what…sixteen? No wonder Adam treated her more like a daughter. He probably still saw her as a kid.
Marc continued to clean the wounds in the order of severity. Where the hell were the EMTs?
“Is he going to be okay, Doc?”
Marc looked up to see Damián looking like he was about to drop. All the blood had to be triggering PTSD shit for the kid, from that rooftop where he’d lost his foot to a grenade blast and had Sergeant Miller bleed out lying on top of Damián’s chest.
“I hope so. Why don’t you start down the trail and meet the EMTs? You don’t have to return with them. Just let them know where we are. Your stump might be rubbed raw after all this hiking.”
“I’m fine. Don’t let him die, Doc.”
Damián thought of Adam like a father. Despite the fact that Marc and Adam were a little closer in age, emotionally, Adam had been like a father to him, too.
God, don’t let us lose him. Not after all he’s already been through.
Adam had to have one of the strongest constitutions and wills to live to have fought back from Afghanistan. But he had Joni then. Marc glanced over at Karla as he continued to clean and cover the cat scratches.
Tears streaked her face. She closed her eyes. “Ian, don’t you let them take my Adam away from me. It’s not his time. He’s mine. God sent me to watch over him.” She sobbed the last words.
He hoped Adam had the will to keep fighting, because he was going to have to deal with a long recovery from these wounds—the fresh ones, true enough. But more importantly the reopening of old ones—both physical and emotional.
Karla would be up to fighting right alongside him; pushing every step of the way. The two were a good match, if only Adam would get his head out of his ass long enough to realize it.
First, though, Marc had to keep him alive until the EMTs arrived.