Manu (Hell Squad #16) by Anna Hackett

Author:Anna Hackett [Hackett, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Anna Hackett

Chapter Ten

Kate sat outside the infirmary. She forced herself to sit still, even though everything inside her was a mass of whirling emotion. She forced herself to stay there. Waiting. Waiting.

“Kate?”

Doc Emerson’s voice made her glance up and she shot to her feet. “How is she?”

“She’s stabilized. I’ve given her a dose of nanomeds.” The doctor’s voice was tired.

“And her leg?”

Emerson’s smile dissolved. “It was too badly damaged. We amputated just above the knee.”

Kate had known it was coming, but God, it was still a blow.

“She’s alive and her vitals are stable. We’ll work on a prosthetic for her and some therapy. You know Manu and several others here have recovered very well from losing a limb.”

Kate managed to nod. But she was also well aware it was still a hard road to recovery. She’d seen the shadows in Manu. The things he refused to talk about.

“Thanks,” Kate murmured.

Emerson gave her a nod. “Get some rest, Kate.”

Kate turned and headed down the hall, feeling as though a heavy weight had settled on her shoulders. She’d failed Kendra. The kid had been so damn enthusiastic about joining her team. Kate had let her down, and now she’d lost her damn leg.

Kate ran into a hard chest and stumbled to a halt. She lifted her head and focused her gaze. Manu. Of course. She’d thought he’d gone to bed, but she should have known he wouldn’t be far away.

“Kendra okay?” he asked.

“Lost her leg.”

“Shit,” he bit out.

“I’m going to bed.” She pushed past him.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back against his chest. “I know you’re hurting. Talk to me.”

“Like you talk about losing your leg?”

His face hardened and he remained silent.

Emotions churned inside her, far too close to the surface. “Let me go.”

“Never.”

She shoved at him, the anger inside igniting. “It’s my fault. My fault that she’s in that damn bed minus her leg. My fault she almost died. I let her talk me into joining the team. She’s a kid.”

“Not really. She’s a young woman coming-of-age in the middle of an alien invasion. She knew the risks. From what I saw, she was happy to take them. Proud of the work she was doing.”

“She didn’t know that it would almost get her killed.” Kate’s words echoed off the walls.

“Sure, she did. She knew. You know. We all know.” Manu backed Kate up into the wall. “It’s knowing that it’s worth it. Knowing that dying is worth it to keep the young and innocent alive, and to give humans a chance to survive. So you can hold your head up high and know you’re doing something good and right—” his voice lowered, his lips brushing her cheek “—and it’s knowing the people we care about are safe because of the risks we take.”

Her gaze dropped to his lips. He was so close, and as always, her body lit up like a damn neon sign.

“She wanted to be a part of protecting what we have,” Manu said. “Don’t take that away from her.

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