Free Delete: Volume 3 (Shifter Series) by Kim Curran

over. “You know the drill. You follow me closely. You don’t take your eyes off me, you hear? So, stay sharp. Stay focused and you will get out of here.” I helped Hedges to his feet.
    As I turned, there was a grunt and a gunshot. The man I’d shot had used the last of his breath to try to complete his duty. Hedges looked down and patted his body, trying to find the wound. But there was none.
    On the floor, in front of us, lay a body. Cooper had instinctively leapt in front of the bullet.
    I crouched down and pulled his helmet off. His eyes were wide and staring, looking desperately for a way out. Turner knelt down on the other side and took his hand.
    “You’ll be OK, Coops.” She was lying. The boy was dying. But any minute now, the hypnic would kick in and Cooper would find a way to Shift himself back to life. Maybe he’d have pushed Hedges out of the way or have been on the other side of the room when the gun was fired. He sure as hell wouldn’t have sacrificed his life for some mission.
    I couldn’t allow that. We had a job to do. I held Cooper’s face in my hands and stared into his eyes.
    “It’s OK,” I said, Fixing him – stopping him from undoing any of his decisions. “It will all be OK. You did good.”
    He smiled up at me, grateful I was there at his last moment. Not knowing that I was the one killing him.
    He jerked, his limbs twitching, and then went still. I laid him on the floor and closed his eyes.
     

CHAPTER EIGHT
    Turner bent over Cooper’s body, rocking.
    “On your feet, Private,” I said. We didn’t have time for this. “On your feet.” I yanked her to standing. When I saw the look of pain on her face, something in me softened. “Come on,” I said, patting her on the shoulder. “There’s nothing we can do now.”
    She sniffed back the tears, repositioned her gun strap and followed me out the door.
    I helped Hedges down the stairs, as he was struggling to stand. There were raw, red marks on his arms and legs and bloodstains on his shirt. How much had the Red Hand put him through? How close had he been to breaking?
    When we got to the third floor, Zac fell back into position without saying a word. And without explaining the three new bodies lying dead in the corridor. He’d clearly had some action of his own.
    We slipped out of the window; Zac and Turner helping Hedges make the leap down to the ground.
    It was silent outside now. Not a single gunshot. We crept around to the front of the building as Unwin staggered around the corner, groaning and swearing. Williamson came after him, a steady stream of blood pouring down the side of his face. Between them they were carrying the limp body of Ward. Her grey eyes stared straight up at the sky.
    They laid her on the floor, and Unwin let out a steady stream of angry swears.
    “They had a rocket launcher,” Williamson said, using the cuff of his sleeve to wipe away some of the blood.
    This had not been the in-and-out extraction we had planned. I checked my watch: less than fifteen minutes to get out before the air strike. “Where’s Ladoux?”
    “Speak of the devil,” Unwin said, nodding behind me.
    I turned to see Ladoux jogging across a patch of grass. She ran straight past us and stopped in front of Hedges. She pulled him into a quick hug.
    Hedges winced. Embarrassed at this public show of affection or because her embrace had caused him pain, I wasn’t sure.
    Ladoux let him go and then smoothed down the front of her shirt. “They didn’t hurt you too much?”
    Hedges shook his head.
    “Unwin and I are fine too, by the way,” Williamson said. “Just in case you were wondering. Ward and Cooper not so much.”
    Ladoux looked down at Ward’s body, her smile vanishing in an instant. “Where’s Coops? What happened?”
    “We almost got our arses handed to us is what happened. They knew we were coming,” Unwin said, throwing a fresh piece of gum into his mouth.
    “How is that possible?” Zac said.
    “I don’t know. But