“I’d sooner forfeit my life than let anyone lay a finger on you.”

“Sooner or later, the cigarettes would have killed him. Sooner worked better for me.”

“So, this is what you meant when you said you’d come up with something,” she glimpsed the front of his undies, “on the fly.”

“You mean a lot to me, and I want you to fight back…fight to live.”

“My sister’s missing. And every second I spend here is a second I lose in picking up her trail.”

She squeezed his hand and flashed a smile. “God was definitely looking out for me. That’s for sure.”

Stone’s eyes went lower, and he saw black steel in the man’s hand. Congratulations. You just won a bullet. He thrust out the FNX and sent three one-handed rounds downrange.

“You are my problem. And as long as I have breath in these lungs, I’ll protect you.”

“And they won’t care that you’re an FBI agent. After I’m dead, they’ll put a bullet in you, too.”

“So my original question still stands…who the hell are you, Mr. Simon Patton?”

Hardy went to both knees and applied more pressure to the mortal wound. He hugged her tighter and put his lips to her ear. “I’m here. You’re not alone. I’m right here with you, dear. Just listen to the sound of my voice.”