Chase the Pain (Amatucci Family #1) - Sadie Jacks Page 0,16

watch. PRIVATE NUMBER glared on the small screen.

As I leaned down to give her another breath, I hit the watch’s face with my hand to open the call. “Speak.” I gave her a breath. Watched her chest.

“I need the code,” a different male voice said.

“Name?” I said before I gave her another breath.

“Amatucci, Rafael.”

I gave him the code as I shifted back to chest compressions. The line disconnected as the elevator dinged quietly in the background.

“Hold on for me, Willow. Just a little bit longer. Hold on for me.” I said, singing the BeeGee’s song in my head. Another round of breaths. Another round of compressions.

“Where are you?” Rafael called after a couple minutes.

“Hallway on the right, first door on the left,” I shouted as I got her ready for another round of rescue breaths.

His running feet sounded down the hall. “How long have you been doing CPR?” he asked as he got his gigantic bag situated. He grabbed her wrist, watched his watch as he listened.

“This is the third cycle. I just checked her on my way to the office. I couldn’t get any breath to puff against my palm. I rolled her up on her side, listened for her heartbeat. It was slow. Too fucking slow.”

He cursed and dropped her wrist. “I’ve got no heartbeat.” He moved to her head, fitted a bag with an attached mask over her nose and mouth. “Clear.”

I lifted my hands away as I tried to get my own heart to go back to some kind of normal rhythm.

He pressed two full squeezes into her airways. “Go.”

I leaned up on my knees, started compressions again. “Staying alive. Staying alive,” I muttered to myself.

Rafael chuckled as he got his defibrillator charged and ready. “One way to stay on tempo.”

“Ready whenever you are,” I said.

He cut her shirt away.

I had to bite my lip at all of her exposed skin. She was fucking gorgeous. The perfect amount of tits that slimmed into the sexiest waist I’d ever seen. Her baggy sweatpants hid her hips and thighs, but I’d held her in my arms. I could imagine exactly what she looked like. Perfection.

“Eyes on the prize or I’ll gut you like a fucking fish,” Rafael said, not looking away from his AED.

“Shock advised. Charging,” the machine said.

“Shit. Clear,” he called.

I got my hands off her body right as he hit the button. I wanted to rage at him, but if she were mine, I wouldn’t fucking care if someone else was touching her while I tried to save her life.

Her body clenched and danced for a moment as the little machine did its thing. Once her body was still again, Rafael leaned down and listened for breath sounds.

He placed the bag back over her mouth. “Get fucking ready.” His voice was hard. I admired his control.

I shook my arms out as he forced air into her lungs. As soon as he had the bag lifted away, I started on compressions again.

“Stand clear. Analyzing. Shock advised. Charging,” it announced.

I cleared my hands as Rafael hit the button. I clenched my hands into fists and fought not to beat at the floor as we waited in silence for the machine’s next prompt.

“Continue CPR,” the AED instructed.

I placed my hands between her breasts and began compressions again. Sent up another prayer. I hadn’t prayed more or harder in any part of my life previously.

She coughed, her chest contracting under my hands. The sound was like angels singing. She groaned and tried to cough again.

Rafael rolled her to her side. “Get me a shirt.” He didn’t look at me, didn’t even bother turning his head.

I pushed to my feet and jogged to my bedroom. Grabbing the first clean shirt I could put my hands on, I was back in the guestroom as fast as possible.

“Rafe?” Her voice was weak and trembled. “Where am I?”

I handed Rafe the shirt. “You’re at my house.”

“Out,” he called. The man ignored me as he tended to his charge.

I bit back the urge to smash his face in and pull her into my arms. What the fuck? She’s not mine. And I don’t need another clingy woman in my life. I pushed the thoughts aside. “You good, sweets?”

“Thor, is that you?”

A fierce smile pulled at my mouth. “Yeah.”

Rafael snorted.

I ignored him. “You good?” I asked her.

“Yes. Thank you.”

I backed out of the room, went back to the kitchen. Got another beer. Downed it. Glared out the windows to the writhing city of New Trenadie in