Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
“You ran here?” Valen asks, wriggling out of my grasp until I set her down.
I shrug. “It was faster.”
“With no shoes,” she deadpans.
I suppress a smirk at the attitude in her tone because it means she’s snapping out of her shock. “I forgot.”
“Jesus, Holden, your hand!” Shayne gasps.
I hold it out in front of me, noticing the damage for the first time. “It’s a couple of scrapes. Relax, little sister.”
Shayne rolls her eyes. “Both of you are stubborn assholes.”
The sirens are so loud they drown everything else out as the fire truck comes to a screeching halt a few feet away. Three men hop out before it’s even stopped completely, one of them making his way toward us.
“Everyone okay?”
Valen nods yes at the same time I tell them no. “She was in the water for at least fifteen minutes.”
“Let’s get you checked out and warmed up. The ambulance is en route.”
“I will if he does,” she says, gesturing toward my hand.
I don’t bother arguing if that’s what it takes. We follow him over, Valen leaning on me for support, as if it takes too much strength to hold herself upright.
“I need you to take your clothes off,” the fireman says, pulling out a blanket that looks more like tin foil.
“I’m not doing that here,” Valen says, and I can tell by her stubborn tone that she means it.
“Miss, your privacy is not my priority. Your safety is.”
“Ryan,” I shout. He jogs over quickly. He’s the only one with a dry, long-sleeved shirt. “Your shirt.” He reaches behind his neck, pulling it off with zero hesitation. “Thanks, man.”
I turn my attention to the firefighter. “Hold the blanket up,” I tell him.
He looks impatient, but he nods and does it anyway, shielding Valen from view.
“Put your hands on my shoulders,” I tell her gently, dropping to my knees in front of her, throwing Ryan’s shirt onto the edge of the truck behind her. She acted like modesty was her concern, but I know her well enough to know it was a front. If I had to guess, I’d say she wasn’t confident in her ability to physically remove her clothes and didn’t want to appear weak or vulnerable. As if being involved in a car accident is somehow embarrassing to her. Once she braces her hands on my shoulder and steadies herself, I unbutton her jeans, working the wet denim down her thighs along with her underwear. Her shoes and socks are next, then I stand, pulling her sweatshirt off.
“Thank you,” she whispers as I reach behind her to unclasp her bra. With the bright lights from the inside of the fire truck, I can now see just how pale she is. Her lips hold a blue tint and the relief I felt for a brief moment is replaced with fear once again.
I reach around her for Ryan’s shirt, then pull it down over her head, careful to keep the neck hole stretched away from the cuts on her face as I lower it. She slides her arms into the sleeves that hang past her hands as I bend over, gathering her wet clothes.
Apparently, fresh out of patience, the firefighter drops the blanket, then wraps it around Valen’s shoulders. “Let’s take your temperature,” he tells her, motioning for her to sit on the back of the truck. I look over, finding Shayne studying me with frown.
Somehow, I know that tonight will change everything.
Valen
Eight minutes and forty-eight seconds. That’s how long it took Holden to get to me. He made it before the fire truck, before the ambulance, before Thayer’s car. I needed him, and he was there. He literally ran to my rescue.
Shortly after they took my vitals and determined my temperature indicated possible hypothermia, the police showed up, followed by the ambulance that whisked me away in a rather dramatic fashion. Holden ended up riding in the ambulance with me, stripped down to his boxers, donning a matching silver blanket. Once we got to the hospital, he insisted on staying in my room until they were ready to treat the cuts on his hand. The nurse was nice enough to let him and Shayne both stay, but Ryan and Thayer were relegated to the waiting room.
“You should go home and get some sleep. I don’t even know why I have to stay the night,” I tell Shayne. They finally called for Holden a while ago, so it’s just us now. I can see the questions in her eyes, but she’s letting me off the hook. For now. “We’ve been here for two hours and all they’ve done is give me broth and hot chocolate.”
“I’m staying. And as soon as I know you’re okay, prepare for an interrogation.”
I’m surprised she hasn’t said anything until now. “Don’t hate me.”
She opens her mouth to respond, but a knock on the door interrupts her. We both turn to see two men in uniform standing in the doorway.