Page 55 of Heat Force

His buddy was all business. “Found a bird. Private company out of Rwanda. It’s not cheap—five figures—but they’ll be there in an hour. There’s a paramedic onboard.”

“Thank fuck,” Hawk breathed.

“Send me your coordinates.”

“Will do. Thanks, Pat. I owe you.”

“You just bring them home safe.”

Hawk handed the phone back to Phoenix. “Chopper’s inbound. ETA one hour. Let’s prep for evac.”

Phoenix nodded sharply. “I’ll secure it. Viper, you send the boss the coordinates.”

“Copy that.” Viper slung his rifle over his shoulder and reached for the phone.

Hawk strode back into the clinic. The dim room smelled of sweat, illness, and despair. Lexi sat slumped in the corner, her head resting against the wall, her glassy eyes fixed on Moyo’s fragile frame. Patrick leaned against the wall next to her. They were sharing a canister of water.

“Lexi,” he said gently, crouching in front of her. “The medevac helicopter will be here in an hour. It’s going to take Moyo to a hospital. He’s going to get the help he needs.”

Her eyes flickered with something—hope? disbelief?—but her voice was barely a whisper. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Hawk said, his voice firm. He reached out and cupped her face, his thumb brushing away a smudge of dirt on her cheek. “You did everything you could, sweetheart. Now let me take it from here.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and she gave a shaky nod. “Thank you.”

“Always,” Hawk said, his voice rough with emotion. “I’ll never leave you again, Lexi.” He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms, to shield her from the horrors she’d endured, but there wasn’t time. They had to prepare for the evac.

He stood and moved to the boy’s side. Edmond hovered nearby, his expression grim. Hawk met the ranger’s gaze. “We’re moving him as soon as the chopper gets here. Think you can carry him to the field to the west of the village?”

Edmond gave a tight nod.

“Good.” He turned back to Lexi. “I’ll be right back, baby.”

She nodded, her fingers still curled around Moyo’s small hand.

Outside, the night was pitch-black, the sliver of a moon now hidden behind thick, dark clouds. Hawk joined Phoenix and Viper at the designated landing zone—a flat stretch of grass on the edge of the village. They’d cleared the field of debris and marked the area with fluorescent glow sticks.

“LZ is good to go,” Phoenix reported. “No sign of hostiles.”

“Let’s keep it that way,” Hawk grunted. It was unlikely they’d encounter any more rebels this far up in the hills, but he wasn’t taking any chances, not with Lexi and Moyo’s lives on the line.

Finally, the faint thrum of rotor blades broke the silence. The sound grew louder, cutting through the night air. The helicopter descended in a flurry of wind and dust, its searchlights sweeping the area.

Phoenix signaled to the pilot, guiding the bird down safely, while Hawk sprinted back to the clinic.

“We’re moving!” he barked. “Chopper’s here.”

Edmond, rifle slung over his back, lifted an unconscious Moyo into his arms. Lexi struggled to her feet, but her legs buckled. Hawk caught her before she hit the ground. “I’ve got you,” he said gruffly, cradling her against his chest.

Together, they made their way to the waiting helicopter. Hawk bent over, shielding Lexi from the downdraft of the rotors as Viper and Phoenix helped Edmond load Moyo inside. The paramedic immediately hooked the boy up to an oxygen tank and began assessing his vitals.

Hawk climbed in after them, settling Lexi on one of the bench seats. She looked pale and disoriented, her eyes fluttering shut as the exhaustion overtook her.

“Stay with me, baby.” Hawk gripped her hand. She nodded weakly, her fingers tightening around his. Christ, he loved this woman. Once this was over, he was going to marry her and make her his wife. There was no way in hell he was ever letting her go again. If this experience had taught him anything, it was that life was too short to fuck around.

As the helicopter lifted off, Hawk glanced at Moyo. The boy’s chest rose and fell with the aid of the oxygen mask, his small body dwarfed by the medical equipment. The paramedic worked quickly, stabilizing him and giving him fluids.

“Hold on, kid,” Hawk muttered under his breath. “You’ve got this.”