"It wasn't the same person who shot you?" Dane asked.
Isaac shook his head. "As I was walking back to the truck, I noticed the driver's side door open and cursed because I'd left the keys in the car. I dropped everything, drew my gun and snuck up on the person. It was obvious it wasn't a professional, and equally obvious she had no idea what the hell she was doing."
"She?" Dane and Beau both demanded, latching on to his wording.
Isaac nodded before continuing. "She never even checked her six. Just as she was about to get in, I stepped around the back and pointed my gun at her and told her to hold it. It was only after she turned around that I even knew it was a woman and not some damn kid. And Jesus. She looked like an angel. Bluest eyes I've ever seen in my life. Pale porcelain-looking skin and long blond hair with crazy curls and twists in it. And she was barefooted. But worse than her not being dressed for the weather and her trying to steal my ride was the fact that some asshole worked her over and did a real number on her."
Dane's and Beau's expressions darkened. A growl rolled from Dane's throat and he gripped the edge of his desk.
"She was bloodied and bruised over most of her face, neck and what skin I could see. Who the hell knows how bad it was in places I couldn't see. She was terrified of me and begged me not to hurt her. And she apologized, for fuck's sake. For trying to steal my vehicle. She said she didn't know what else to do, that she had to get away.
"I was trying to talk her down when someone opened fire on us. Rifle shot and from a good distance away. I was trying to get her down and my gun out when I caught a bullet right in the heart and lungs. Fuck! Never felt anything like it in my life, and I'd just as soon never experience that shit again."
Dane and Beau were staring in bewilderment at his chest covered by a simple T-shirt, no evidence of any injury anywhere.
"This is where it gets weird, but well, you two are certainly accustomed to the weird and unexplained, so you shouldn't even blink an eye over this."
Dane's brow furrowed while Beau just stayed focused, his concentration on Isaac's story absolute.
"I knew I was dying and there was no helping me. I'd already activated the call for backup and knew someone was on their way. I told the woman to take my vehicle and go, to get out of there before whoever was shooting got close enough to either kill her or take her. And now I know they wouldn't have killed her, but they sure as hell would have taken her."
"What happened?" Dane asked calmly, sensing something huge.
"She was hysterical and kept screaming no over and over, and then said she wouldn't let me die. She wouldn't! And then . . . Jesus. I don't even know how to say this, but she put her hands on me. Her entire body tightened and her expression was strained to the point of agony. She looked as though she'd been the one shot and that she was in horrific pain. And she fucking healed me. I felt her warmth from the inside out as it spread throughout my entire body. It was like . . . a miracle. She's a fucking miracle. My miracle. Afterward it was as if it had never happened. And she was devastated, her arms wrapped around her knees, rocking back and forth in complete despair. I realized that she'd given up any chance of escaping by deciding to save me. I was still a little weak, probably from shock more than anything, and I knew backup would be arriving shortly but she might not have that much time, so once again I told her to take my vehicle and go. She finally did, and I regretted telling her to do it when I saw it didn't appear that she even knew how to drive."
Dane's brow crinkled again. "How old is this woman, Isaac?"
Isaac shrugged. "No clue. My guess is early twenties, but who the hell knows? I could see how someone could easily mistake her for a child or a teenager, but her eyes. Jesus, when you look into her eyes, you see someone a hell of a lot older."
"So you lost her? She's gone?" Beau asked incredulously.
Isaac scowled. "Fuck no! I waited until Dex, Zeke and Shadow got there. Explained everything to them because when they saw all the blood, they wanted to take me straight to the hospital. Using the tracking device on my vehicle, we followed her to where she'd pulled off into a wooded area several miles away, and I found her in the backseat, unconscious and crying in her fucking sleep."
"Jesus," Beau muttered.
"Tell me about it."
"So what exactly did you need to talk to us about?" Dane asked in puzzlement.
Isaac sucked in his breath as he stared at the two men he considered not just friends, but family. "She's not a DSS client, but there is no fucking way I'm turning my back on her. I left her with the others so I could come talk to you two, but then I'm going back and I'm going to do whatever's necessary to get her to confide in me, and then I'm going to protect her and figure out a way to take out any threat to her."