Legacy of Olympus (In the Gods' Secret Service) Read Free

away.
    Panic clawed his insides. How badly was she hurt? Heart pounding in sickening strokes, he crawled to where she lay on her side, her back facing him.
    Supporting her upper torso, he gently eased her off the ground and toward him. Her head lolled, then came to rest against his knee. His stomach cramped, and fear prickled his skin. Eleni’s eyes were closed, and blood trailed from her ears and nose.
    Alec called her name again, barely hearing his own voice. No response. No sign she’d heard him.
    His chest constricted.
    She couldn’t be dead. He placed his hand on the side of her face, relieved to find her skin warm.
    Then he noted the shallow rise and fall of her breasts. He swallowed past the tight knot at the back of his throat. Eleni was alive, but far from all right. He had to get her to a hospital.
    As before, a sudden burst of heat issued from the center of his torso, ran down his arm, and into the palm touching Eleni. He jerked his hand back. Had a piece of debris caught his shirt on fire? The tips of his fingers seemed to burn. They pulsed once, then went suddenly cold. He wiggled his fingers. An icy sensation seemed to flow through his body directly opposite to the path the flash of heat had taken. Damn. Was he going into shock? He couldn’t afford this now. Eleni’s well-being depended on him.
    He lifted her in his arms, and stumbled to his feet. Keeping her safely cradled against his chest, he picked his way through the debris littering the parking lot. The pungent odor of burning plastic and molten metal filled his nostrils, making his gut churn. Flames had spread to neighboring cars, and heat from the burning vehicles licked at his back.
    Thankfully, the ringing in his ears had started to clear, forcing his attention to the sticky warmth trickling down the side of his face. Either a piece of shrapnel had hit him or it was a result of slamming into the asphalt. If he looked half as bad as Eleni...
    Her once snow-white dress was now streaked with grease and dotted with bright red splotches. One strap dangled off her shoulder, just above a jagged tear that slanted across a good portion of her left breast. The area was soaked with blood. Hers or his?
    Eleni’s eyelids fluttered open. “Alec?”
    Relief weakened his knees, causing him to stumble, but he caught himself just before they both fell to the pavement.
    She stirred, then shifted in his arms. “I think I can walk.”
    He tested her theory by carefully lowering her until her feet touched the ground, then held her steady until she stopped wavering.
    Through the hammering in his head, he heard the faint wail of sirens.
    “We have to get out of here.” The frantic, confused look in Eleni’s eyes dimmed, replaced by determination. “We need answers before we go to the police. The people responsible have the police on their payroll.”
    The longer she pinned him with her relentless gaze, the more doubt crept into his thoughts. Was Eleni right? Was there some conspiracy he was unaware of? Maybe he was premature in wanting to involve the authorities.
    He tugged out a Kleenex from the front pocket of his slacks and wiped Eleni’s face, then smoothed back her hair, noting the slick feel of blood in the blond strands. “Can you make it to my car?”
    She didn’t bother answering. Instead, she headed for his GT 500 Mustang, her stride determined. He held open the passenger door and watched as she collapsed against the black leather seat. She straightened when she caught his gaze on her.
    A wave of something unfamiliar washed over him. Eleni was being brave. For him. Unnecessary, but admirable. What they’d been through was enough to test the endurance of a Marine, let alone a couple of ordinary people.
    He exited at the opposite end of the parking lot, away from the billowing black smoke. “I’m taking us to the motel. Think you can hold on until then?”
    “I should ask you the same thing.” She attempted a weak smile. “You look like