My Deadly Valentine - By Valerie Hansen & Lynette Eason Page 0,72
help me.
Her legs gave out and she went down on one knee. The current tugged at her.
She let it swing her around to see Alex standing on a rock in the middle of the river, his gun aimed in her direction. Stupidly, she wondered if it would work after being submerged in the water.
Then she heard the crack.
Waited for the slam of the bullet.
Only it never came.
As though in slow motion, she watched Alex tumble from his rock and hit the water.
Then someone had her by the arms and her head bounced against a hard chest.
Nearly numb, she just wanted to sleep. Vaguely she wondered why she didn’t feel cold anymore.
Just numb. She wanted to ask about her mother, but couldn’t form the words.
Cold lips pressed against her forehead then everything faded to black.
Eli pulled Holly from the water. Worried about hypothermia, he knew they had to get her warmed up. He ignored the fact that he was shivering uncontrollably.
“Eli!”
Joel. The one who’d shot Alex. Keeping Holly next to him, he shouted, “I’m coming.”
“Ambulance is here. I called it for Holly’s mom, but managed to drag Alex’s hide out of the water and they’ve got him, too. I’ve got another one on the way. By the time we get her back to the house, it should be here.”
“We’ve got to get her warmed up. She’s not even shivering anymore and her breathing seems shallow.”
Eli felt his own legs tremble as he carried her, her beautiful black and red outfit now weighted down, dripping.
But he’d get her to the ambulance.
Fighting the fatigue and ignoring the chills racking him, he finally made it to the cabin.
Joel met him outside and said, “Mr. Parker made a full confession in hopes for a lighter sentence. Harlan took him on in. How’s Holly?”
“Cold.”
Mrs. Maddox, looking groggy but aware, got one look at her daughter and gave a small cry. “Holly.”
“Can you get her in a warm shower?” he asked her mother.
She nodded, but before they could act, the third ambulance pulled in and Eli let the emergency personnel take over. Soon, they had Holly in the back of the vehicle wrapped in warm blankets, doing their best to get her body temperature up. Eli climbed in after her. Mrs. Maddox said she felt well enough to ride up front.
A paramedic started an IV of warm fluids. At Eli’s raised brow, the female technician smiled. “When Joel called for another ambulance, he said something about being near the waterfall. We came prepared.”
“Good job.”
“Here.” She opened a bin behind her and pulled out another blanket. “It’s warm.”
Eli took it and wrapped it around himself, but didn’t think it was going to do much good. He was soaking wet and cold but much more concerned about the unconscious woman in front of him.
“How’s her heart rate?”
Often people suffering from hypothermia went into cardiac arrest.
The paramedic listened. “Strong and steady. She’s breathing better, too. Temp’s creeping back up.”
Eli felt relief flood him.
Thirty minutes later, they pulled into the hospital. Holly opened her eyes when the ambulance came to a stop.
“Eli? Mom?” Terror shot across her face. “Alex?”
He grabbed her hand. “Hey, your mom’s fine. Alex is…in custody. And everything’s going to be all right.”
There was no more time to say anything as Holly was lowered from the ambulance and rushed into the emergency room.
Eli watched the door shut behind her, then he closed his eyes and breathed a prayer of thanks.
When Holly opened her eyes, she squinted against the brightness. “Turn the light off,” she mumbled.
The bed shifted. Someone sat beside her. She sniffed. Eli. Her stomach flipped at his familiar scent. A scent she’d come to love.
“How’s my mom?” she whispered.
Eli’s deep voice rumbled to her. “The doctor said she was okay. You can see her a little later.”
“And Alex?” She opened her eyes and looked up at him.
Eli dropped his gaze. “He died in the ambulance.”
She sucked in a deep breath, feeling sadness for such a wasted life. “Oh.”
Her eyelids felt so heavy. She closed them.
Eli spoke again. “Are you still with me?”
“Yeah. Just tired.”
“Alex’s dad was behind the whole mess involving you.”
“The break-in at my store?”
He nodded. “Alex hired some punk from a neighboring town to throw a scare into you. Joel tracked him down. The kid didn’t know who told him to do it, but phone records trace back to the pay phone near the sheriff’s office so it’s a pretty good bet it was Alex that made the call.”