The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 858

"If you really have to go, wake me up and I'll go with you. It's too damn dangerous out there by yourself."

Knowing she had been reckless, Leilani didn't argue. She nodded obediently and promised Callahan it wouldn't happen again, which managed to soothe his frayed nerves.

The team quickly packed up, ate a hurried breakfast, and prepared to move out.

Before they hit the trail, Leilani ducked back into Konrad's tent for one last check. Lacking a stethoscope, she resorted to the oldest method in the book, pressing her ear directly against his chest, closing her eyes, and silently counting his heartbeats.

Once she was satisfied that his vitals were stable and the venom wasn't spreading, she turned to Tate, who had been hovering anxiously like a bodyguard ever since she gave him his orders.

"He's officially out of the woods," Leilani confirmed, handing Tate a pre-packed medical kit. "Callahan got a hold of a medevac team on the sat phone. The chopper should be here by noon tomorrow at the latest."

"Inside this box is the fresh dressing you'll need to apply tomorrow morning, along with enough rations and ammo to hold you over," she instructed. "You watched me change his bandages today; you can handle it. The most important thing right now is keeping him hydrated while he's unconscious. Just dab his lips with a wet cotton swab every few hours."

She gave him a thorough, step-by-step breakdown of exactly what to expect.

Though Konrad was stable, hauling a comatose man through the lethal terrain would slow the team to a crawl, turning a rescue mission into a suicide march. They were barely halfway to the Benefactor's compound, and dragging dead weight wasn't an option.

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