Ezekiel and Mordichai exited the boat first, and the two men greeting them saluted instantly, going ramrod stiff when they were introduced. Zeke was no one to mess around with, and it showed when he wanted it to. He was making them aware of his rank in order to take any attention off Rubin, which Rubin detested. Still, he sat quietly, waiting for his turn to get off, watching Malichai manage to step from the boat to the pier with an easy, practiced grace. Rubin knew what that cost him. He knew how hard Malichai worked to make that transition happen.
Diego stood, his body blocking both Jonquille’s and Rubin’s from the line of the sniper in the cypress tree as well as forcing the one on the roof to switch to a different angle if he was trying for either of them. Rubin cursed under his breath, something he rarely did. Jonquille’s hand moved in his.
You have to let him have this, Rubin. Gift it to him. He needs it.
Her voice blew through the fierce anger building in his mind like a breath of fresh air. He pressed her hand to his chest over his heart. I need him to be safe.
You have to look at him. Really look at him without seeing yourself. He’s barely holding on. You’re seeing what you want to see in him, not what he actually is. You see charming and easygoing. You see that he’s fine. Look at him, Rubin, with your eyes and mind open. Don’t be afraid to—I’m right here with you.
Rubin almost pulled away from Jonquille. He didn’t like what she’d said and wanted to deny every word. Her voice was very matter-of-fact, very calm. Her hand was steady in his, just the way her mind remained. Taking a breath, he forced himself to really go over what she asked of him. Had he been afraid to really look deeply at his brother? Was she right about that? He had never been afraid to confront anything in his life. He’d met every problem without flinching. But his brother … Diego …
What had Jonquille asked of him? You have to let him have this, Rubin. Gift it to him. He needs it. She had seen a terrible need in his brother that he had refused to see. She had seen something in his brother he had known all along but had been so terrified of that he had deliberately turned away from it, finding every excuse not to examine it too closely.
Rubin knew Jonquille was right. Diego needed to protect him. Now he had to protect Jonquille as well. He needed her almost as much as Rubin did.
“Let’s go,” Diego said. “I’ll lead to the pier and then step aside. Gino will help you out of the boat on that side, Jonquille. Rubin on this side. Let them. Don’t give them any guff about your abilities.”
“I don’t suppose Bellisia needed …” She broke off and looked around. Bellisia was nowhere to be seen. She wasn’t in the boat, and she wasn’t on the pier.
She’s in the water. She’ll guard the boat. Nothing will get by her in the water, Rubin advised.
“Stay close to me,” Rubin said aloud. “If they test the draw of your electromagnetic energy, I can pull it away from you.”
“I planned to do that anyway,” Jonquille said. “Diego? You’ll be right behind us?”
“Yes. I don’t like any of us out in the open like this, although Shylah has the one on the roof in her sights and can take him out if he blinks wrong. Cayenne is hovering above the squirrel man in the tree and he doesn’t even notice the spiderwebs, not to mention Joe has him lined up in his scope as well. Draden and Trap have combed the area for guards and found and sent the location to our men. I’m going with you into the barracks to watch your backs as you try to heal the worst of them.”
“I thought Joe and Wyatt would be helping us,” Jonquille said.
Rubin kept his hand on Jonquille’s elbow, pretending to steady her as they walked along the boat to the very side of it where Gino waited. “They’ll come in if you indicate they’re needed, and Mordichai and Gino will take their places,” he explained. “Remember, they’ve been here earlier, while we were convalescing.”
Ha! Is that what you call it? Diego sneered.
Jonquille started to turn, but Gino had a firm grasp on one arm while Rubin had the other. She was nearly lifted off the boat. Rubin stepped in close behind Jonquille, crowding her little body, her back to his front, Gino solidly in front of her while Diego stepped off the boat and casually filed in after Rubin. They followed the two men, who led them all to the barracks where Sean and his men waited for them.
Just as they got to the barracks and the guard at the door opened it and stepped aside for them, Mordichai moved up in front of Ezekiel and stepped inside while the others waited. He stood still, his gaze moving through the extremely neat, spacious room with the bunks, inspecting the area carefully. He took his time, scanning the ceiling, the walls, the beds and every possible space for potential threats before he stepped aside and allowed the others into the barracks.
Rubin inhaled the smell of death. He glanced at Jonquille. She was frowning. She smelled it too. He pushed right past his guards without thinking, not paying any attention to what Sean was saying in greeting, and walked straight to the bed where a young soldier lay looking up at the bunk above him. He turned his head slightly toward Rubin and gave him a faint smile. His breathing was erratic. Wheezing.
“Little.” Gasp. “Too.” Gurgle. “Late, Doc.”
“You think so?” Rubin didn’t ask permission, he simply yanked back the thin cover and put his hands over the bare chest, an inch from the man’s skin. “Jonquille. Get on the other side.” He snapped the order without thinking.
This man was in a bad way. Really bad. Wyatt had told him to be prepared to lose one or two. Rubin wasn’t going to lose this one, not if he could help it. Jonquille moved into position on the other side of the bunk and did the same, lowering her palms over his chest.
“His name is Leon,” Sean said, coming up behind them. “A good man. A good soldier.”
Rubin ignored him. “Do you see that, Jonquille?” Those idiots act like they know what they’re doing and they don’t. They mess with the human body and then walk away saying it’s all for science.
How do we fix this? Can we fix this?
The heart was struggling because everything going to it was a mess. Leon’s insides were a mixture of animal and human parts, most not fitting together properly. Rubin had no idea how he had managed to live this long. He glanced around the room and saw the others were all watching closely. The others had taken care of him. This was one Joe and Wyatt had said was impossible to save medically.
“Tell us what you need to help him,” Sean said. “Anything.”
“Zeke, have the men set up for an operation immediately. I’ll need Bellisia. Call her back for me. I need a line into him now, Malichai,” Rubin ordered. He looked at Sean. “The other one you said was in bad shape. Where is he?”
Sean indicated across the room toward another lower bunk. “His name is Milo. We’ve been giving him oxygen, but …” He trailed off.
Rubin removed the thin sheet without preamble, opened the shirt covering the man’s chest. He was dotted in sweat, just as Leon was, only more so. Had Sean not been providing oxygen, Rubin doubted if he would have survived another hour. Milo was well aware of it too. He looked at Rubin in despair, shaking his head slightly and lifting his hand barely off the mattress to flutter his fingers toward Leon, indicating for Rubin to help his friend.