"Baby?"
Hudson met his gaze, his blue eyes filled with so much love, and worry. "I love you, Seb, more than anything. I just.... Will you give me some time to think about it?"
Seb nodded. "Of course. Whenever you're ready, I'll be here." A small part of him was disappointed Hudson hadn't said yes, but he couldn't blame him. Everything that had happened between them, plus the events of the last few days, would have broken a less strong man. Hudson needed time, and Seb would give him all the time he needed. He had his mate back, and for that, Seb was grateful. The rest could wait.
Chapter 10
"EVERYONE OUT!"
Hudson wondered how everything had gone to hell so quickly. What started as a routine callout in the heart of Wall Street to pick up a DB in one of the flashy corporate buildings suddenly turned into a code red with thousands of lives on the line. The initial victim was believed to have suffered a heart attack, collapsing in the lobby of the seventy-one-story, gilded monstrosity. The moment Hudson and Nina unzipped the dead man's heavy jacket, they'd sprung to action. They had twenty minutes to evacuate the building before the device strapped to the man's chest detonated. Defense agents were on the way, but as Hudson sped through the marble lobby, shouting at Humans and Therians alike to get the hell out of the building, he feared his fellow agents wouldn't make it in time.
Hudson enlisted the help of the building's security team, and emergency evacuation procedures were executed. Citizens flooded out from the emergency exits, from offices, from every floor. The lifts were still working, which was fortunate, considering there were seventy-one floors to evacuate. Nina rushed over to Hudson, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed.
"There are too many floors, too many people, and not enough time."
Hudson had no way to gauge how powerful the blast would be. An idea struck him, and after telling Nina to keep an eye out for their teammates, he ran over to the head security guard.
"Bill, this building used to be a bank, right? Is the vault still here?"
Bill nodded fervently. "Yeah, in the basement. It's a restaurant now."
"Okay. Grab two of your men. You're going to help me." Hudson ran back to the body. Since the man had been moving around before he collapsed and the device had yet to go off, Hudson would hazard a guess it wasn't motion sensitive. Bill and two security guards appeared in seconds. "All right, lads. Help me carry him, and whatever you do, don't touch the device or any of the wires," Hudson instructed. Bill and the guards did as told, and Hudson grabbed under the dead man's arms. They lifted and hurriedly moved toward the emergency exit that would take them downstairs to the basement. The lift was out of the question as people were still flooding in and out.
They carried the body downstairs and through the doors of a posh restaurant with red and gold decor, boasting a "unique dining
experience." They had no idea. One side of the restaurant had been a meeting room for the bank's executives and was now an expansive bar, while the other side was the restaurant. It was littered with tables, the exposed steel walls evidence of a time long gone when the room housed the wealth of the city's elite rather than the imported wine and champagne guests now imbibed.
"All the way to the end, fellas," Hudson said. They placed the body at the end of the room and rushed out. "Does this close?" Hudson looked up at the huge steel bank vault door.
Bill shrugged. "It hasn't been moved in years."
"Let's put our backs into it, then." Hudson took position behind the vault door along with the three other men, two of whom were big, strong Felid Therians. "Okay, lads. Push!"
The four of them grunted and groaned as they pushed with all their strength. Since the door was no longer in use, the hinges were a little rusty. There was no electronic switch, but the door had been created with the capability to be shut by hand. Sweat beaded Hudson's brow, and his muscles strained as he gritted his teeth and pushed with all his might. A shrilling squeal resounded before the door inched forward. They continued to push until the blasted thing finally moved. The thunderous bang it made when it closed was terrifying, considering what was on the other side.
"Let's go." They hurried back to the stairs and ran up. "We need to clear the floor over the bank vault," Hudson said and cursed under his breath. The floor in question was in front of the rear exit of the building, toward which dozens of people were running. Hudson took off, waving his arm as he screamed to the panicked citizens. "Get away from the doors! Use the front exit!"
People dispersed, and Hudson turned to Bill and the two security guards just as a deafening boom burst through the floor. Hudson was launched into the smoke-and fire-filled air. He thought he would never land, and when he did, the impact almost knocked him out. His head hit something soft, but his body was in pain, air rushing from his lungs. He gasped for breath, then coughed when his mouth filled with smoke and ash. It was too dark to see, and he tentatively put a hand down, realizing he was touching a body. He blinked, stunned his glasses were still on his face. Beneath him, he found one of Bill's men, his head twisted at an unnatural angle. Poor fellow.
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.