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.“Be careful,” Zimmerman shouted.“Don’t hurt them.”“They’ll be fine,” Trey assured him.“Just roll the blanket under them and we’ll bundle them in it.”Lydia watched, unable to restrain her laughter.What she wouldn’t give for a camera—better yet, a TV crew from one of those nature reality shows.The two men were down on their knees, butts aimed up in the air as they reached their arms out, trying to corral the penguins.The penguins obviously weren’t too thrilled with the idea—disapproving honking filled the air as they hopped around under the blanket.One bird got his head out and flapped his beak as if affronted by Trey’s lack of civilized manners.As Trey scrambled to push the bird back under the blanket, two more escaped.Lydia followed them, slipping and sliding across the snow in a mad scramble to keep them in sight.She cornered the two wayward birds against the snowbank on the opposite side of the road.“I’ve got them,” she called to the men, who were hoisting the blanket and hauling its squirming contents toward Bessie.One of the birds was larger than the other and decided to attack.It stopped squawking and instead opened its beak and bit her on the shin.She didn’t feel anything puncture her skin; it was more like getting her leg caught in a vise—but the damn thing wouldn’t let go.She shook her leg gently, trying to dislodge the penguin without hurting it.No good.The two birds had obviously been plotting their escape together because while the first kept her busy, the second made a run for it.Lydia lunged for it, but it was too fast and it skidded right past her outstretched hand.She concentrated on the big one—the one clamped onto her leg—instead.As soon as its mate escaped, it let go and tried to waddle off as well.She caught it from behind, scooping it up with her good arm and trapping it against her chest, beak pointing out.It banged its beak against her arm in the cast, which hurt a bit, but not half as much as her leg did.Trey joined her.“I got the little one.You okay?”“I’m fine,” she muttered.“The zoo owes me a new parka.” The bird in her arms had succeeded in tearing her sleeve, releasing down feathers into the wind.“Told you I don’t like birds.”Trey just laughed as he opened Bessie’s driver’s door.Zimmerman had the other birds trapped in the passenger-side wheel well.Lydia handed him her bird, as did Trey, and then she climbed up and slid across the bench seat.She had to pull her legs up to her chest because the center console was filled with equipment charging and the radio.“Can you turn the heat up?” Zimmerman asked as Trey steered the rescue truck past his overturned van.“I don’t want them to catch cold.”It was a good thing the cab was dark enough that Zimmerman couldn’t see the glare Lydia aimed at him.Trey knew without looking.He chuckled and squeezed her leg.“What do you think of our winters now?”“I think we need to talk about a trip to California,” she muttered, bracing herself against the dash as the truck bounced over a mound of ice and snow.“Soon.Real soon.”NORA LISTENED WITH HORROR TO HARRIS’S THREATS over the intercom.He was speaking into his radio, but one of his men outside must have been broadcasting his words all over the hospital.Even more horrifying was that he never lost the neutral expression he aimed at each of them—her, Tillman, and Jim, in turn—playing eeny-meeny-minie-moe with their lives.The crowd behind them became more agitated, but the South African held his machine gun on the rest of them, keeping the others at bay.Harris eyed his watch.A wry smile tugged at his lips.“Time’s up.”He pivoted and shot Jim in the chest at point-blank range.Screams echoed through the cavernous room.Then the lights went out.AMANDA REALIZED HER ONLY HOPE WAS MOMENTUM, so instead of trying to slow down, she sped up into the path of the guard she’d surprised in the cafeteria.The bad guy was dressed like a hospital security guard, his arms full of snack food, gun in a holster at his hip, and obviously stunned by the sight of a woman wearing a tattered designer gown and brandishing a large pair of scissors appearing from nowhere.He arched back, weight on his heels, coming to a stop just as Amanda rammed him, using her shoulder and left arm to clothes-hook him, just like her big brothers used to do when they were fighting dirty.His feet skidded out from under him.Packages of muffins and doughnuts flew around them.Before he could catch his breath or reach for his gun, Amanda jumped on him, straddling his chest, and pressed the point of her shears against his throat, tight enough to feel his heartbeat vibrate through the blades.“Don’t say a word,” she whispered.“Don’t make a move.”Lucas and Jerry came up on either side of her, Jerry fumbling for the man’s gun, while Lucas knelt beside Amanda.“Are you all right?”“Fine.Tie him up and find something to gag him with.”Lucas might not have looked like a typical action hero, but he made quick work of binding the man’s hands and feet with the strapping tape they’d taken from rehab.He taped the man’s mouth as well while Jerry held the gun on him [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]