Chapter 23 · The Other Wrap

"Two," Levi said. Not a question. His jaw worked like he was doing math he hated the answer to.

I still had his wrist locked against the door, my forearm braced across his chest, both of us breathing like we'd gone three rounds instead of thirty seconds. His pulse hammered under my thumb, too fast for a man just standing still.

"Two subjects," the intercom said again, flat, bored, like it wasn't detonating anything. "Corridor B. Confirmed."

"Who's the second one." Levi's voice cracked on second. He tried to twist free and I leaned my whole weight into him, bone against bone, until his shoulder blades hit steel and he stopped fighting the door and started fighting me instead.

"You tear that wound open again," I said, "you're not walking into that hearing. You're walking into an ER."

"I don't care about the wound, Ortega."

"I do. I stitched it."

That got him to stop for half a second. Just half.