Gales of November: A Ray Elkins Thriller (Ray Elkins Thrillers Book 9) by Aaron Stander

Author:Aaron Stander [Stander, Aaron]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Writers & Editors
Published: 2016-12-12T23:00:00+00:00

15

Ray opened his eyes to the dimly lit surroundings. He pulled himself up a bit and looked toward his legs and feet. He could feel the weight of several thick wool blankets.

He rolled his head back and rotated it from one side to the other, trying to work out the pain and stiffness in his neck. Then he freed his arms from the blankets and stretched them slowly above his head, pushing one out, then the other, filling his lungs, pushing back at the stiff, sore muscles. He felt sleep pull at him again and struggled to wake up.

“Any interest in some coffee?” Sue asked.

Ray swung his feet off the bed and sat up. “What time is it?” he asked as he accepted the Thermos mug from Sue.

“It’s getting close to noon,” she said. “I’ve been checking in on you for several hours. You were out cold. Dr. Bishop was here about an hour ago. She said you seemed slightly feverish. She wants to check you over when you’re awake.”

Ray sat and sipped his coffee. “That was a bad dream, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“You OK?”

“Yeah. Sore and tired.”

“What about Messina? Is he all right? Who’s taking care of him?”

“A constantly expanding cast of characters. Gordon’s air crew—a pilot, first officer, and steward. Seems they all double as members of the security team. The steward, Conrad, is also an EMT. They’re all ex-military.”

“Where the hell were they?”

“Probably sleeping soundly in the staff quarters. I imagine Jennings Bidder would have used her own people if she had been in control of the situation, but Gary Zatanski decided to rouse us.

“Anyway, those were the people who took charge when we got back. They were just on their way out to search for us. Conrad got on the phone, maybe it was a sat phone, getting expert advice on how to care for Messina. They ended up warming him in the bathtub with people supporting his body. When they got his core temperature high enough, they put him to bed in the staff cottage.”

“I have no memory after getting back other than just sort of collapsing.”

“Yeah, it looked like you passed out. You got a lot of attention initially from Conrad, the EMT. You don’t remember any of that?”

“Was there a hot toddy involved?”

“Yes, hot and strong. I’m not sure that’s what Conrad meant when he asked someone to get you a hot drink. But you stopped shivering and went to sleep. It took four of us to drag you back here.”

“What did you do then?”

“I went back to the main building. I was wired. Matt made me a toddy, or maybe two. Then I came back here, wrapped myself in some blankets and slept on the couch. I woke up a couple of hours ago and wandered back over looking for coffee and something to eat. Other than Jennings and members of the kitchen staff, no one was stirring. I got some coffee and a croissant and lingered a bit as people had started to traipse in.

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