Ghostwalker 06 - Predatory Game

on getting Patsy down the stairs. The woman wasn’t walking, so Saber had no choice but to half carry, half drag her. She left Patsy slumped on the floor of the basement and rushed back to see Jess swinging his body from his chair and, using only upper body strength, began to descend the stairs.
    The muscles in his arms and shoulders bulged with the effort, and she found her breath catching in her throat. There was determination on his face, his mouth firm, eyes glittering with menace. Even on the stairs, pulling the lower half of his body, he managed to look more predator than prey. She swallowed her admiration and jumped over him, landing like a cat beside the chair to yank it out of the way so she could close the door.

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    The basement instantly went pitch black. For a moment there was silence, then Jess swore beneath his breath and struck a match. “There’s a light switch near the door, Saber, can you see it?”
    She flicked it and below, back toward the wall, a single bulb lit up.“I take it Patsy doesn’t use this much.”
    “No. Hurry. Get down here. We’ll have to turn off the light again and unscrew the bulb so it won’t work when they try it.”
    She was already carrying the chair down to him, taking the stairs two at a time. Placing the chair beside him, she raced to the back of the room and unscrewed the lightbulb, once more plunging the room into darkness.
    “They’ll be coming, Jesse. They aren’t going to be fooled into thinking we’re gone.”
    She crouched down beside Patsy and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, aware of Jess moving toward them in the dark. Only the energy field allowed her to “see” where everyone was. Although she was listening intently for the sound of the enemy, she automatically picked up the rhythm of Patsy’s heart—and stiffened.
    “Jesse. We’ve got a problem. Can you get over here now? Feel your way to us? You have a clear path.
    Right now.” She turned Patsy’s limp body over so she lay on her back. Pressing her palm over Patsy’s heart, Saber looked toward Jesse in dismay.

CHAPTER 14
    “Patsy’s having a heart attack,” Saber said. “If we don’t help her now, her heart could be damaged beyond repair by the time we make it to a hospital.”
    “What the hell are you saying?” For the first time, Jess’s composure was truly shaken. “She can’t have a heart attack, she’s too young.”
    The wheelchair shot across the basement floor. Jess leaned down to find his sister’s pulse, his fingers searching in the darkness. “Are you certain, Saber? I can’t tell.”
    “Yes, I’m certain.”
    “Do something.”
    Saber shoved back her hair, sitting back on her heels, one hand pressed to her forehead. Patsy needed help fast. The enemy was searching the house and the grounds and eventually would find them. Jess couldn’t run. Neither could Patsy. They were royally screwed unless the GhostWalker team arrived in the next few minutes.
    She took a breath, let it out, and laid her palm over Patsy’s chest. At once she could feel the heart squeezing, clamping, laboring when it should have beat steadily.
    “What are you doing?” Jess demanded, his breath coming in a harsh rasp.
    “The only thing I can think of. I’m going to try to trip her heart back into rhythm.”

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    “Using an electrical charge?”
    “Do you have a better idea?” Fear made her snap at him and she was instantly ashamed. She couldn’t blame him for questioning her. She killed people, she didn’t save them. “I’m sorry. You do what you think will help.”
    Jess swallowed a retort and pushed down the urge to order Saber away from Patsy. “Do you have to sync up your rhythm with hers? Is that how it works?”
    “Yes. And we don’t have time to discuss this.”
    “It’s too big a risk for you to take.” Because he damn well wasn’t losing both of them. “Give her to me and we’ll make a run for it.”
    “She doesn’t have that kind of time.” Saber ignored him, drawing air into her lungs and breathing away her fear of killing Patsy—her fear of losing Jess. The only thing that really mattered in that moment was saving Patsy’s life. And she was Patsy’s only chance. For once, she would try to use what gifts she had to help someone.
    She felt the jolt as her own heart squeezed hard, shifting off rhythm.