a sigh. “I think she’s fixing to leave, Jackson.”
I shook my head. “No, she isn’t.”
“If she does, it’s your damn fault!” He slammed his hand on the hard wood in front of him. “Why can’t the two of you get on?”
“Hank—”
He interrupted me. “She’s my daughter, Jackson! You’re my right-hand and my goddamn friend! Why can’t you get along? You came to her defense the other day, so you must like her a little.”
I took in a deep breath. “Are we friends, Hank?”
“What kind of fucking question is that? Of course we are. I’m as close to you as anyone—you know that.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
Resting my arms on my thighs, I studied Hank’s irate face, an idea forming. “Why are we friends?”
“Again, I ask… What kind of question is that? What are you on about this morning?”
“A fair one. Aside from the fact that you’re my boss, you’re fourteen years older than I am. What could we possibly have in common?”
He looked at me as if I were crazy. “What the fuck does age have to do with friendship? We have lots in common, we enjoy the same things, we get on well… I don’t care if you’re four years or fourteen years younger than I am.”
“What about other relationships?” I asked quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“Does age have to play a role in any relationship as long as it’s a good one for both parties? Despite what other people may think?”
He frowned and had just begun to speak when all hell broke loose outside. Shouting, yelling, and the sound of some catastrophe happening, had me leaping to my feet and racing to the door, flinging it open.
My eyes flew open in horror at what I saw, my blood freezing in my veins into icy shards of glass that pricked and stabbed at my flesh.
The large crane that was lifting equipment had clearly malfunctioned, the load now swinging freely, pieces of building supplies flying like debris in a windstorm. The crew was scrambling, yelling and trying to clear the area.
And knocked off her feet, frozen, in the middle of the chaos, her hard hat lying on the ground beside her, was Laura.
Behind me, Hank cursed and yelled for Laura to move. The only words in my head, though, echoing time and again: not her—dear God, not her.
There was no thought. In seconds, I was off the steps, moving faster than I thought I was capable of, screaming her name.
“Laura! Baby—get back! Move, Laura—move!”
I reached her before she had even turned her head, scooping her up in my arms and propelling her back into the safety of the overhang. The force of my lunge knocked us both back to the ground. I rolled so I landed on my back, Laura on top of me. My breath left my chest with a large oomph, my embrace like a steel cage around her. Gasping for air, I stared at her. “Baby—are you okay?”
Before she could answer, I saw it. A piece of broken scaffolding flying through the air, aiming directly toward us. With a loud curse, I rolled again, ignoring her grunt of discomfort as my body covered hers.
Heavy pain lanced across my foot, causing me to shout in distress. My eyes met Laura’s fearful ones. Her gaze widened and her mouth opened in warning, my name a terrified gasp on her lips. “Jackson!”
There was more pain—searing agony that buried into the back of my head, exploding with a fiery, burning eruption.
Then the world went black.
There were voices, distant and muted. I tried to open my eyes, but the pain was too much. I attempted to turn my head to the sounds, but it was as if I were locked down, unable to move.
The voices droned on…
“Too early to tell… He needs time… Swelling…”
A different voice, angry and low. “You could have been killed… Why didn’t you tell me…”
A tender voice, one I knew, whispered, “Come back to me, Jackson—please. I need you. I love you.”
My own voice pleading, “Laura.”
The darkness claimed me again.
The world was clearer the next time I came to—the pain barely having changed. I forced my eyes open, blinking in the dim light. The room around me was stark, machines beeping a low, steady rhythm. My eyes moved and fell on the figure beside me, meeting the stoic gaze of Hank. His expression was serious, his stare inscrutable.
Panic fluttered as memories seeped into my addled brain. Despite the pain, I struggled to lift my head, rasping out the only word that mattered.
“Laura?”
He