Damaged (Boys of Winter #2) - Sheridan Anne Page 0,145
King is racing back toward us.
He drops to his knees in front of his little sister, his eyes scanning over her in a panic. “Fuck, Caitie,” he says with a raw emotion hitting his voice as he takes in just how bad her injuries are. He leans forward and presses a lingering kiss to her forehead, the pain in his eyes shining so brightly that I wish I could do anything to take it away. “You’re going to be okay, I swear. Just stay with Winter and we’ll find a way to get us out of here. I promise. Have I ever broken a promise?”
She shakes her head, her tears only running faster.
“Exactly,” King says, straightening and taking my hand. He gives it a tight squeeze before looking back at me and letting me see the true pain in his eyes, a pain that nearly cripples me. He looks over me. “Are you alright?”
All I can do is nod.
“Good,” he murmurs, looking back to his little sister. “I have to go and help. Winter is going to stay right here with you. You’re safe with her. I promise, Caitie. We’ll find Mom and Dad soon, and the pain will go away.”
Without waiting for her answer, King rushes back to the guys, and as I glance up, I see Cruz stepping in beside Carver to help. “Did you find Winter?” Carver roars over the sound of the flames.
“She’s good,” Cruz yells back. “A little banged up, but fine. She’s just over there.”
As if on cue, both Grayson and Carver look back toward the table, and I meet their panicked stares, watching as the burning relief pulses through them like a wave. Carver nods as Grayson’s stormy gaze sails over my body, and just like that, their stares fall away and they get back to saving all of our lives, along with the other courageous men and women in the room.
Not wanting to do nothing, I turn toward the injured children and instantly start tearing more long strips off my dress and grab bleeding arms and legs, wrapping them up as best as I can as each of them cry for their parents.
“Elodie,” a high-pitched wailing tone cuts through as a hand pulls at my arm. I spin around to find Cruz’s mom looking at me in desperation. “My son,” she begs with dirt and grime smudged across her pretty face. “Please, tell me you’ve seen him.”
“Cruz?” I ask, knowing that she has three sons. I point around her, showing her exactly where he is. “He’s fine. He’s a hero, but I need help. These kids are all hurt.”
She lets out a shaky breath and now knowing that her son is safe, she nods. “Okay,” she says, swallowing back the same fear that’s been threatening to overtake me since the second the explosion went off. “How can I help?”
We get into it, mending up the children as best we can while the fire still flourishes around us. I start to sweat, the heat beginning to burn my skin as the people in the corners of the room are forced to start moving in.
Burned pieces of wood are falling, but I try to hold it together, knowing we don’t have much time.
People are collapsing, the smoke becoming too much as others are having asthma attacks, finding it impossible to breathe. I hold my dress to my face, desperately trying to keep the smoke out of my lungs, but they’re starting to ache.
More children get dumped at the table as the other adults work tirelessly to try and contain the fire. I see Tobias King cutting through the people, shoving desperately as he runs toward the edge of the room with a large piece of paper in his hands, papers that kind of look like blueprints.
He looks up at the wall, coughing from the smoke and then double checking the papers. “HERE,” he yells to anyone who will listen. “THE OLD TUNNELS ARE HERE. HELP ME KNOCK THIS WALL OUT.”
Grayson is the first to run with the other men hot on his heels. He uses the back of the fire extinguisher to break through the wall, but it’s not fucking easy. These underground buildings were built to last.
I see Cruz’s father, Matthew Montgomery, even Earnest Brooks in there, all of them getting in and doing their part to save their families and what’s left of Dynasty. If we all perish here tonight, that will be the end of Dynasty, but right now I’m wondering