Rage (Benson Security 3)

“Elle, you’re up,” Callum said. “The rest of you have better combat skills. Megan, come over here and put pressure on this wound.”

She hurried to his side and took over applying pressure. Callum raked through the medical kit, grateful that his military training meant he kept more on hand than most people.

“Ryan, can you put a line in Elle, while I insert an IV in Jake?”

“No problem.” Ryan grabbed what he needed and turned to Elle.

Callum ripped open the pack of sterile needles and started searching Jack’s arm for an suitable vein.

“Did you mean it?” Jack’s voice was a weakened rasp.

Callum didn’t even need to ask what he meant. “Every. Single. Word.”

“Never had a dad,” Jack whispered.

Callum found the vein and inserted the needle. He looked at Jack, making sure he met his eyes. “You have one now, if you want me.”

With a smile on his face, Jack lost consciousness. Isobel sobbed, bringing Callum’s attention to her. There were tear tracks on her face, her hair was tangled and there was blood all over her. She held Sophie against her with one arm. The other hand held Jack’s. Sophie had stopped crying, but was still whimpering. There was nothing Callum could do about that right now.

“He’s going to be okay,” Callum said to Isobel. “I promise you. We’ll keep him alive until we can get to a hospital. I’ve dealt with a lot worse than this during combat.”

She sniffed and nodded, but her eyes stayed on Jack.

“The door to the kitchen is barricaded,” Dimitri said. “I’m going to do the tunnel now.”

“Take these bodies and dump them in the tunnel first.” Callum didn’t want them lying there for Sophie and Isobel to look at. Plus, it would make whoever came down the tunnel after these guys think twice.

Dimitri picked up the nearest body, slung it over his shoulder and headed for the tunnel entrance.

They heard a massive crash and the sound of cracking wood.

“That will be the door to the kitchen,” Ryan said as he finished with Elle. “Sit on the bed.”

They were going the old-fashioned route and using gravity to get the blood from Elle into Jack. It wasn’t perfect, but it might keep him alive. No. It will keep him alive. There were no other options.

There was a loud bang that made Isobel jump and hold Sophie closer.

“They’re trying to get through the downstairs door, but they won’t.” Callum kept his tone matter-of-fact, hoping to ease her worry. “It’s steel-plated. I put it in myself.” He’d been having what passed as fun for him at the time, keeping his hands and brain busy while fortifying his grandfather’s bunker. Now he wished he’d finished the job instead of messing with his grandfather’s woodturning equipment.

Dimitri came back and carted away another body. There was another thud at the door.

Callum took a pressure dressing out of the med kit and moved Megan aside to fix it to Jack. There was internal damage and he needed a surgeon. The best Callum could do was stem the blood flow until they got to one.

“I don’t think the knife hit anything important,” he told Isobel. “The biggest problem is the loss of blood. Megan, get Elle orange juice from the fridge. She needs to stay hydrated.”

Megan rushed away. She came back a few seconds later with clean hands and a bottle of juice. Ryan hauled the last body out of the room, and Callum heard Dimitri telling Ryan to barricade the door to the tunnel.

Another thud shook the steel-plated door, but it didn’t give. It wouldn’t give.

“Megan, keep pressure on here while I talk to Ryan and Dimitri.” For once, his trainee didn’t object to being left out of the loop. She knelt beside Jack and took over applying pressure to his gut.

Callum crouched in front of Isobel, reluctant to touch her because his hands were covered in Jack’s blood.

“Isobel, sweetheart?”

She looked up at him, but she was struggling to fight the effects of shock. Callum stood, pulled the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her and Sophie.

“We’re going to get out of this,” Callum said as he crouched in front of them again.