Darkest Hour Before Dawn

  Carefully, Hudson moved. He was banged up but okay. Miraculously nothing felt broken. Bruised certainly, and he tasted blood on his lip, but he was in one piece. There were groans around him, and he pushed to his feet. Debris surrounded him, and when he threw out a hand, he hit a wall. What the hell? Taking a step back, he came up against another wall. Raising his head, his heart nearly stopped. He'd landed in the lift shaft, and several floors up, the lift made frightful noises. He turned and found the basement's lift doors wedged shut. There had to be a way to get them open.

  Another groan caught his attention, and he inspected the small space. Bill lay on his side, his sleeve torn and his arm hanging limply. Hudson's biggest concern was the reinforcement steel rod impaled through Bill's right leg, and the fact it was still attached to a large chunk of concrete that appeared to be pinning his left leg to the floor. Hudson quickly checked his pulse. At least the man was alive.

  "Bill, can you hear me?"

  Bill's lashes fluttered open, and he blinked up at Hudson. "Dr. Colbourn?"

  Hudson smiled warmly. "That's right."

  Bill tried to get up, and Hudson put a hand to his shoulder just as Bill cried out. His eyes widened when he saw his leg, and Hudson could see the looming panic.

  "Bill, look at me. It's going to be all right. The rod is keeping you from bleeding out, but we're going to need to get you out of here as soon as possible. Until then, I need you to be still, and try to steady your breathing. Can you do that for me?"

  Bill nodded, and Hudson turned toward the second groan he'd heard. Beneath a smaller slab of concrete, Hudson discovered a young girl.

  "Hi there, I'm Dr. Colbourn. I'm with the THIRDS. I'm going to get this off you, okay?" Hudson kneeled beside the sobbing girl. He gripped the edges of the slab and lifted, able to move it without hurting her. He propped it against the wall and smiled. "It's going to be okay."

  Her big brown eyes overflowed with tears. She was covered in scrapes and bruises. The position of her leg told him it was broken. The poor thing. She was fourteen or fifteen years old at most. A slip of a girl, trembling as she sucked in huge gulps of air. He had to calm her. Hudson wrapped an arm around her and ran a hand over her dust-covered curls, subtly checking for any gashes or bumps. Besides her leg, she looked okay. He needed to get them out of here.

  Bill groaned as he moved, and Hudson pleaded with him. "Bill, I said don't move."

  "I'm sorry," Bill whimpered, holding on to his leg. "It hurts so much."

  "I know it does, but it's very important you remain still." Heaven knew what other internal injuries there might be. The girl in Hudson's arm clung to him for dear life. "We're going to get out of here very soon, darling." His phone went off, and Hudson thanked his lucky stars. He quickly answered. "Hello?"

  Seb's rough voice came over the line. "Oh thank God. Where are you? Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine. I'm down the lift shaft. I'm not sure which. Most likely whichever one was closest to the vault." There was silence. "Seb?"

  "Baby, I'm coming to get you. Just stay safe."

  "Seb, bring help. I have two civilians with injuries. Hold on." Hudson turned to smile at the young girl clinging to him. "Darling, what's your name?"

  "M-Melissa Willis," she said through her tears.

  "Well, Melissa, everything's going to be all right. Help is on the way." Hudson turned his attention back to Seb. "Seb, I have Bill, the head of security, down here with me, who has a leg injury I'm going to need a tourniquet for, and Melissa's also going to need medical attention."

  "Can they be moved?"

  Hudson stood and walked to the farthest end of the shaft so he could speak quietly away from the others. "Melissa can be moved, but Bill's leg was impaled by an exposed steel rod from a piece of concrete wall. I don't know that I'll be able to lift it on my own. There's also the problem of getting the rod out of his leg." A shriek of metal, and a pinging sound caught Hudson's ear, and his head shot up, his eyes going wide. "Seb, you need to hurry."

  "What's wrong?"

  Hudson didn't want to scare Bill or Melissa any further. "I'm texting you the details and pictures." He hung up and took some quick snapshots of the area around him, managing to get in a shot of Bill's leg without aiming his phone at Bill so as not to upset him. He snapped a picture of the lift hanging above their heads. As soon as he was done, he sent them off to Seb, explaining the state of Bill's leg, his possible injuries, as well as Melissa's injuries, and the noises the lift was making. This whole situation suddenly became so much worse. He returned his phone to his pocket, and looked around. They couldn't simply wait here and do nothing. He spotted a steel rod, but when he tried to move, Melissa cried out.

  "Please, don't leave!"

  Bill wasn't looking good, and Melissa was on the verge of panicking.

  "My leg hurts so bad," Melissa cried.

  "I know, sweetheart. Just don't move it. Help is on the way, I promise." Hudson grabbed the steel rod off the ground and moved to the doors. Another groan from the lift above them and Melissa shrieked.

  "It's going to fall and crush us!"

  "I need you to be a brave girl for me. Can you do that?"

  Melissa nodded, and Hudson maneuvered the rod in his hand between the rubber of the lift's steel doors. It was no use. Its rounded tip was too thick to force between them. Hudson shot off a quick text to let Seb know the doors to the lift were wedged tight.

  "Hudson?"

  Hudson froze. "Dom?"

  "They're bringing equipment to open this door," Dom shouted from the other side. Above them, a motor rumbled to life followed by hissing and shouting. The steel doors above them screeched as they were forced open. Seb poked his head in.

  "Hudson?"

  "Down here!" Hudson waved his arms. The fear and pain in Seb's eyes were unmistakable, even from this distance.

  "We're sending a harness down. I'm tossing you the tourniquet." Seb flung the small sealed plastic pouch down. Hudson caught it and stuck it in his back pocket.

  Hudson nodded. "I'm sending Melissa up first." The noise increased from the lift doors behind them, and Seb and their fellow agents worked swiftly above them to lower the harness. As soon as it reached Hudson, he helped Melissa strap into it. "It's going to hurt for a little bit as they pull you up, but the paramedics will be waiting for you. You're going to be fine, darling."

  Melissa threw her arms around him, hugging him tight before pulling away. Hudson shouted for them to pull her up. The sound of snapping cables resonated around the narrow shaft. Melissa shrieked, and the agents scrambled, moving as fast as they could to pull her up. The lift dropped several feet, and Hudson's heart leaped into his throat. Thankfully, the lift jerked to a stop, but the creaking sound continued.

  As they pulled Melissa through the doorway, Seb shouted at the agents around him before Hudson heard Seb growling at Dom. The lift was on the verge of falling, and Dom wasn't sure they'd get the basement doors open in time. The harness was flung down again, and Seb poked his head through the doors. His eyes were glassy, and his face a study in heartache.

  "There's a chance we only have enough time to get one of you up here before the elevator falls. The last cable is frayed and about to give way."

  Hudson didn't hesitate. He ran over to Bill.

  "Hudson," Seb's voice cracked, and Hudson looked up, his heart breaking.

  "I love you, Seb." Hudson turned to Bill. "Okay, Bill. There's no way we can get the equipment needed to cut the steel rod out of the concrete fast enough, so we're going to have to pull your leg out. I'll then apply a tourniquet. I won't lie to you. This is going to hurt a hell of a lot. The EMTs are upstairs waiting for you, all right?"

  Bill nodded, and Hudson knelt by his foot and took hold of Bill's leg behind his knee and at the ankle in a secure grip.

  "Look away and try to occupy your thoughts with something else. Inhale deep through your nose, out through your mouth." Hudson noticed Bill's wedding ring. "Where did you go on your honeymoo
n, Bill?"

  Bill did as Hudson asked, looking away and concentrating on his breathing.

  "The Grand Canyon," Bill replied, shutting his eyes tight.

  "Oh? I've heard it's magnificent. Tell me about it."

  As Bill told Hudson about his honeymoon, Hudson slowly and carefully moved Bill's leg. Thankfully, the rod had pierced Bill's calf muscle, but there would still be a hell of a lot of blood. Hudson encouraged Bill to concentrate on his breathing and talk to him. Bill did his best, relaying a sweet story about his wife, who had been his high school sweetheart.

  "You're doing bloody marvelous, Bill," Hudson said, smiling, his pulse racing, and his heart squeezing for the poor man. Bill was in an incredible amount of pain, and in the end, his scream echoed through the shaft. Sweat beaded Hudson's brow. "Just half an inch, Bill. There." The moment he placed Bill's leg on the floor, he tore through Bill's trouser leg all the way up to his thigh. After tearing off a strip, he bandaged the wound as best he could, then swiped the plastic pouch from his back pocket. He unwrapped the tourniquet, then fastened the thick strap around Bill's leg as high up the man's thigh as he could get it.

  "I apologize for this, Bill." Hudson applied pressure to the wound, making Bill cry out. Moving swiftly, Hudson tightened the strap, turned the small steel rod, and locked it into place. He checked the time, grabbed one of Bill's pens from his front breast pocket--which miraculously hadn't fallen out--and wrote the time down on the white band so the EMTs would know when it had been applied.

  "Hudson?" Seb called down.

  "I'm going to try to move the concrete off him." Hudson widened his stance, minded his posture, and gripped the ragged edge of the slab, careful not to slice his hand open on any jagged pieces. "The moment you can move, you do that, Bill."

  Bill nodded. He was looking paler with every passing minute.

  Hudson gritted his teeth and pulled. Bill screamed, and Hudson quickly stopped.

  "It's digging into my leg," Bill said, his voice shaky.

  Shit. The lift screeched again, and Bill whimpered. He was panicking, and the look of sheer terror wasn't lost on Hudson. Seb's concerned voice echoed through the shaft.

  "Hudson, if you can't--"

  "I'm not leaving him," Hudson growled. He tried again, but it was no use. The only thing he was succeeding at was hurting Bill. He couldn't do this alone. Hudson looked up at Seb. "I can't get this off him on my own. It's too heavy, and all I'm doing is causing him injury."

  Seb didn't waste any time. He hurriedly pulled the harness back up, strapped in, and was lowered down into the shaft. The second his boots hit the ground, he grabbed Hudson's shoulders. "Baby, there's no time for a second trip, and the harness won't hold three of us. We're going to free Bill, and then I'm going to strap you in, and you take him."

  Hudson shook his head. "No, they need you upstairs. Who knows how many more people are trapped. Your team needs you."

  "For fuck's sake, Hudson. I need you."

  Hudson cupped Seb's jaw. "Preserve life, darling. That's our duty, remember?"

  Seb opened his mouth to speak, but Bill moaned. With one last squeeze to Hudson's shoulder, they hurried over to Bill. Seb gave him a warm smile.

  "We're going to get you out of here, Bill." Seb took position on one side of the large slab, and Hudson took position on the other. "The moment you can slide away from under this, you do that, okay? Can you do that?"

  Bill nodded.

  "On three," Seb said as he and Hudson readied themselves.

  The moment Seb said three, Hudson lifted with all his strength. Between him and Seb, they managed to move the chunk of concrete wall enough for Bill to drag himself out from under it. As soon as he was free, they dropped it with a thud, its heft kicking up dirt and dust at their feet.

  Hudson knelt beside Bill. "We're going to lift you up now."

  They tried not to jostle the man too much as they lifted him, then secured him to Seb's harness.

  "Hudson--"

  "Go. Now." Hudson pulled on the line. "Get them out of here," Hudson called up. The harness was lifted, and Seb threw out a hand. Hudson caught it. He kissed Seb's palm seconds before Seb's hand was out of reach.

  "I love you," Hudson said, loud enough for Seb's ears alone.

  "I love you," Seb choked out, doing his best not to give in to his emotions. His jaw clenched, and his eyes never left Hudson's as he was pulled up.

  Hudson backed up against the closed doors as the lift dropped several more feet. Urgent shouts filled the doorway above them and behind Hudson. Seb was just about up when the last cable snapped. Hudson gasped, tears blurring his vision as Seb and Bill were snatched up and pulled through the doorway seconds before the lift sped by. Seb's horrified scream pierced Hudson's heart, and he pressed against the doors behind him, his eyes shut tight. Air whooshed around him, and he lurched back, landing with an "oomph." He was pushed onto his stomach, his body shielded as the horrifying sound of crushed metal and snapping wires met his ears, a cloud of dust and spray of debris bursting around him.

  When the noise and dust settled, the body moved off him, and Hudson lifted his head. Dom lay on his back catching his breath.

  "Fuck."

  Hudson blinked at him. "Dom?"

  "Don't ever... scare me... like that... again," Dom panted.

  Hudson grinned like an idiot before throwing himself at Dom and hugging him tight. Dom laughed, wrapping an arm around him.

  "You're welcome," Dom murmured. "Now get off me before the boss man gets any crazy ideas."

  Hudson couldn't help but laugh through his tears. He stood and helped Dom to his feet. "Is Nina okay?"

  Dom nodded. "Yeah. She was by the front doors when the blast hit."

  Seb called out, and Dom shouted back, "He's okay."

  Seb came to an abrupt halt at the bottom of the stairs, his stunned, tear-filled gaze on Hudson. As if snapping out of it, he broke into a run, reached Hudson, and threw his arms around him in a crushing hug. He lifted Hudson off his feet, squeezing him again before he put him down. Seb pulled back and cupped Hudson's face.

  "I thought I lost you."

  Hudson shook his head, unable to speak. He could see how much Seb wanted to kiss him, but they were surrounded by agents and emergency personnel. There was so much still to do, people needing help. Seb swallowed hard.

  "Go get yourself checked out. I need to get back."

  Hudson nodded, his heart swelling when Seb smiled before running off, shouting orders into his earpiece as he hurried up the stairs.

  As expected, it was chaos upstairs, but the explosion had been smaller than Hudson originally believed. It had destroyed the floor above the vault toward the back exit, but other than that, the rest of the building was intact. When he reached one of the EMTs, he smiled at the tall wolf Therian.

  "Hi, Mikey."

  "Hudson," Mikey greeted, returning his smile. He patted the back of the truck. "Have a seat, and let's get a look at you."

  As Mikey inspected him, Hudson asked about the casualties. Dozens were injured, several in critical condition, but so far only a couple of known fatalities.

  "You're good to go," Mikey proclaimed. "Maybe now I can tell that guy you're okay and he'll stop calling me."

  Hudson frowned. "What guy?"

  Mikey shrugged. "Some guy's been calling me like every ten minutes asking about you. Don't know how he got my number." Mikey smiled wide. "Looks like you got yourself an admirer."

  "Or a stalker," Hudson mumbled. He thanked Mikey and went in search of Sergeant Maddock, whom he found by Destructive Delta's BearCat.

  According to Maddock, Recon agents confirmed that the man who'd collapsed with a bomb strapped to his chest had been trying to send a message. Mr. Pruitt had been arrested previously for vandalism and property damage. The man had a deep loathing for Wall Street and corporate America, which he'd shared with the world through his blog. As of a few months ago, his blog posts had spiraled from rants to unhinged threats. The comme
nts spurred him on, urging someone to do something. Pruitt had decided he'd be that someone.

  "Glad you're okay, son." Maddock patted Hudson's shoulder. "Why don't you go home."

  Hudson blinked at him. "Home?" He looked around. Did their sergeant not see what was happening around them? As if reading his thoughts, Maddock narrowed his eyes at him.

  "Son, what's your badge say?"

  Hudson blinked at him, confused. "Um, Chief Medical Examiner?"

  "Right. And seeing as how the first dead body we had turned to confetti when the explosive went off and the second was crushed under nearly three thousand pounds of elevator, I suggest you go home, take a shower, and rest. Your team can take it from here."

  "But, I can help--"

  Maddock planted his hands on his hips. "Boy, you just got blown up and almost had an elevator land on your head. Get your ass home. I will have your skinny British ass dragged away like I did with your partner." Maddock shook his head. "I got boots that weigh more than that woman, but when she puts her foot down, nothing short of a crane is moving her ass."

  Hudson chuckled. That sounded like Nina all right.

  Maddock's expression softened. "She was worried about you. We called her the second we knew, so she's okay. I imagine she's gonna be giving you an earful soon enough, so good luck with that." Maddock turned and headed toward the building's entrance. "Go home, Colbourn."

  "Yes, sir," Hudson promised. He turned to go, but a woman came running, waving her arm and shouting his name. She looked familiar. He recognized the big brown eyes and head full of tight black curls. Hudson braced himself, expecting a verbal thrashing. Instead the woman flung herself into Hudson's arms and hugged him tight. He held on to her trembling frame.

  "Thank you so much for saving my little girl, Dr. Colbourn." With a sniff, she pulled away, tears spilling from her eyes. "Thank you."

  "It was a team effort, Mrs. Willis."

  She shook her head, her curls swishing with her movement. "You were the one down there with her, keeping her from going into shock. I'm grateful to your teammates, but you were there."

  "How is she?"

  "She's going to be okay, just a few broken bones. I need to go, but I wanted to thank you in person. The city's lucky to have agents like you, Dr. Colbourn." She kissed his cheek before rushing off. Hudson smiled after her. He was glad to hear Melissa would be all right.