“It’s bad . . . isn’t it?” he asked, his voice a whisper. A week ago he didn’t want the guy on his team; now the thought of losing Johnny was more than Jed could bear.

“It was,” Ben confirmed, but his eyes conveyed something more, and in the weary fatigue of them, Jed knew what he had done.

Thank you, Ben.

Thank God, Ben answered in his head. It wasn’t his time.

“I think I need to sit down,” Jed said, suddenly dizzy.

“Yeah, do that,” Ben said and helped Jed to a sitting position on the pavement.

Jed felt a strange, out-of-body sensation and realized Ben’s voice sounded far away. He watched Ben wave at the helicopters, signaling for medics, he guessed. Sitting was difficult suddenly, and Jed allowed Ben to pry the rifle from his hands and help him recline until he was staring up at the night sky. He felt strong hands on his chest. A warm gush went through him. He blinked and his mind cleared.

“What did you do?” he asked, looking up at Ben, whose face came into sharper focus.

“What needed to be done,” his boss said, looking down at him with an exhausted smile. “Like we always do.”

“Uncle Jed!”

He turned toward the sound of Sarah Beth’s voice, saw her tear-streaked face, arm wrapped around her dad and free hand clutching Rachel’s pale, bloodstained hand. A pair of medics materialized beside him, rolled him on his side, then placed him on a litter of his own. With a grunt, they heaved him onto it and headed for the second helicopter, as the first was dusting off. They loaded him into the Black Hawk and locked the litter into the floor. The Yarnells and Ben climbed in after, quickly finding seats, with Sarah Beth jostling to claim the bench on the forward side of the cabin, beside him.

The doors closed.

The whine of the turbines soared and they lifted off.

“We’re headed to Vandy trauma center,” the medic announced loudly over the noise of the rotors.

Jed nodded and closed his eyes, feeling Sarah Beth’s gaze on him.

“Are you okay, Uncle Jed?” she asked. “You don’t look so good.”

Yeah, I’ll be fine, he answered in their headspace. And so will your mom . . . I think all your friends will be okay, too. Even Corbin.

I know, Sarah Beth said in his head. I just snapchatted with her, and she tried to make a joke that her mom’s going to kill her for getting her chest pierced before her ears. That has to be a good sign, right?

Definitely.

A moment passed or maybe a few.

Victor can’t hurt you anymore, Sarah Beth. It’s over . . . it’s finally over.

Maybe he never really could unless I let him.

Maybe.