shaft to excited and relieved.
“Oh, thank god,” I breathed out, then giggled when we heard cursing from our men.
“That is a new one,” Blake cackled, hearing her husband’s colourful description of the scene from above.
Another engine came closer, this one sounding like one of the dirt bikes Nixx drove on the Triple H.
“Tim is here.” Mallory clapped her hands like an excited teenager.
“Did you think the guys wouldn’t call him? Honestly Mallory, sometimes I think—”
“Blake!” I shouted.
“What?”
“Shut up, you and Mallory have to get over this petty bullshit. From what I have heard from gossip and down here in our temporary jail, I get it and quite frankly, I am over it. You got Drixx, not Mallory. Mal, I understand you were great friends with Hendrixx, but you have your own guy, getting another man to rub your feet and watch shit shows with is in poor form. Neither of you have a reason to fight or prove yourself, now end this dumb grudge, and Mallory be happy that your friend got the one he always wanted. Please, for the love of God and the sanity of everyone in the family. Stop.” By the end of my rant, all the energy that was in me left my body, exhaustion from the pain and terror of dangling from a car suddenly hit me out of nowhere. Choked sobs tore out of my mouth, then turned into wails when I heard Nixx’s frantic voice calling out to me.
“Farron! Baby!”
Dropping my head back I looked up into the car’s headlights, the car blocked most of the shaft so I couldn’t see him, but I could see the beam of a strong torch flickering down the side.
“In here, guys!” Mack shouted, “We are in the shaft.”
“Sweetheart, are you okay?” Noxx yelled down.
“Kind of. The windscreen broke and fell out taking Farron with it, she fell out of the car and hit the bottom. I think her foot may be broken.”
“She fell out! Farron, Jesus baby, I’m coming down.” Fenixx sounded panicked and that was enough to pull me out of my crying jag.
“No honey, the car has to come out first. There is no room for you to climb down.”
“Are you all out of the car?” Hendrixx called out.
“Um … yeah about that,” Blake hedged, “I might have tried to get Farron back in the car by tying a snatch-strap to my waist then climbed out onto the bonnet, but she lost her grip and fell, so I sort of lowered myself down using the front winch. Then Mallory came down, and Mack didn’t want to stay in the car by herself, but she forgot about taking the control with her and—”
“And as usual, your hairbrained idea blew up in your face, cowgirl,” Hendrixx growled, an involuntary giggle escaping between my hiccupping sobs.
“It was a good plan! Mack stuffed it up when she forgot to bring the control with her.”
“Oh, it is my fault, is it? I am sleep deprived thank you, Miss I Don’t Want Kids Yet.”
“Jesus Christ, spare me,” three deep male voices said at the same time.
“We found the money if that makes this calamity somewhat less disastrous,” Mallory announced, “get us out of here so we can look and see what answers we have stumbled upon.”
“Mal?”
“Hey, Tim.”
“Can you please agree to set a wedding date?”
“Get me out of here darlin’, and we can elope to the city next week and get the deed done.” The smile on her face genuine and happy. Reaching out, she grabbed Blake’s hand and held it.
“I am ready to move ahead together.” She was speaking to her fiancée, but I got the impression they were meant for Blake too.
Thank God for that! One miracle down, only a rescue and a trip to the hospital to go.
FENIXX
“Anyone having Déjà vu?” Hendrixx asked, sitting in the far corner of the hospital room, Blake on his knee, his arms securely around her, holding his wife close to him.
“I would rather not remember why we were in this room before,” Noxx grumbled, Mack in the same position on his lap.
My mood sombre, I looked down at Farron who was sleeping. Laying half on me and half on the bed, her leg under an igloo looking contraption to protect it from the weight of the blankets. Her hand was tucked firmly in mine, the ring I put on her finger digging reassuringly into my palm, the heat from her touch soothing me from the terror I experienced when my brothers