Page 27 of One Last Stand
She closed the sauna door, heard it latch, and crept out of the room.
Just through the basement walkout, and she’d be into the yard and down to her car and?—
“Gotcha!”
The light flickered on and she whirled around.
Axel stood there, holding a cast-iron pan, his eyes wide.
Behind him, Flynn held her Glock, maybe just a little more lethal, but still, the pan in Axel’s grip looked menacing enough.
“It’s just me.” She put up her hands.
Axel stared at her, blinked. Didn’t move.
“Put the pan down, Axel.” London said.
He lowered it, and it dropped out of his hand onto the floor. “London?”
“Hi,” she said.
Silence, then, “Hi?That’s what you’ve got?” His eyes darkened.
Then Flynn, who’d tucked her gun away, shoved past him and threw her arms around London. “Oh my gosh—I can’t believe it. I can’t . . .”
London hugged her back, her gaze on Axel, who still hadn’t moved. Maybe not even breathed.
Flynn pushed away, held London’s arms. Stared at her. “Are you okay? What happened? How are you—oh my gosh, wait until Shep finds out!” Her eyes widened. “Wait—does he know?”
Aw. “It’s a long story. And shoot—maybe you should just . . . turn off the lights and pretend you didn’t see me?—”
“Hearyou,” Axel said, his voice sounding a little strange. “There was this terrible sound, sort of a whine, and we thought it was an animal, and then we heard movement in the sauna, and I thought maybe, I don’t know . . . maybe a bear?”
“You were going to take out a bear with a frying pan?”
Axel’s eyes narrowed. “Okay, so maybe a small bear.”
A moment of silence. And then she laughed. And oh, it felt so terribly, wonderfully whole and right and good—and, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you all—I really am sorry. But it’s a really long story, and if I tell you, then . . . people could get hurt.”
Axel seemed to breathe then. And finally, he reached out and pulled her to himself. They’d never been terribly close, but they were friends, and suddenly, maybe, family.
She hugged him back, wishing he were Shep and that this were over.
Axel pushed her away, met her eyes. “Maybe you haven’t noticed, but we’re a rescue team. We specialize in hurt.”
Oh.
She glanced at Flynn, who put a hand over her mouth as if trying not to laugh at Axel’s statement.
Axel let her go. “Okay, fine, that didn’t come out quite like I hoped, but you get it, right?”
London nodded. “Yeah. I get it. But . . . okay, are you sure? Because if you say yes, then right now, your life changes, or at least, what you know about me changes, and maybe that won’t affect you at all, but . . . it could, and?—”
“Yes,” Flynn said. “We’re sure. Do not go out into the dark and disappear again. No one has been okay since they pulled your body—or not your body, as it turns out—from Jewel Lake. We’re barely breathing, and if you leave again . . . Yes, whatever is going on, London, we’re in.”
London cocked her head.
“At least give us a chance to be in.”