Saxon's Savior (Protect and Serve #3) - Pandora Pine Page 0,81
and argue, or do you want to rescue Gwen?” I didn’t wait for an answer. Turning from Dallas, I pressed forward. As the water rose to my waist, it got harder to walk. Debris bumped up against my left hip. I thought it was a shutter. “Your house looks okay!” I shouted back to Dallas. By okay, I meant that the plywood seemed to be holding. God only knew how much water had gathered in the basement.
“I don’t care about my house. You should fucking know that. It’s wood and nails. All that matters now is Gwen. I knew we should have driven out here this morning. I’m so stupid.”
I stopped in my tracks. “You’re not stupid. To be honest, I thought about suggesting it too, but assumed Gwen would evacuate when the call came. Let’s go, the last thing we need right now is a pity party. The tide is still coming in. The water is only going to rise higher.”
We moved ahead. I was focused on Gwen’s house, which was only about fifty feet away, when Dallas grabbed my arm and yanked me backward. When I turned to see why he’d done it, a red compact car floated past me. It looked like one of those electric tuna cans that could seat four toddlers and a bag of groceries. “Aren’t you glad we didn’t take the ambulance up here?”
Dallas grunted and pushed past me. “Oh no,” he muttered.
The water was up to the front porch of Gwen’s house. I could only imagine the house itself was flooding too. He pulled himself up the stairs, stopping when he lost his footing and almost got swept away. I grabbed Dallas just in time.
“Thanks.” He set his feet and hauled himself up to the front door. I was right behind him when he started pounding. “Gwen? It’s Dallas and Saxon!” No answer.
“Try the door. She called 911, and knew we were coming. Maybe she left the door unlocked for us.” I prayed it was true.
The cut glass knob wouldn’t budge in Dallas’s hand. “Stand back,” he warned. “When the door opens, the water inside is going to rush out. Get behind me and hold on to the porch rail.”
Instead of being mad at Dallas, my cold, dead heart warmed a bit at his thoughtfulness. I knew exactly what was going to happen when he broke through that door, but it meant a lot that he would get me out of harm’s way. At least for the moment.
Dallas rammed his shoulder against the door. It didn’t budge. “I can see the water flooded up against it. I’m going to need your help. On three.” He turned to look back at me, his face a mask of concentration. “One. Two. Three.”
We both threw our shoulders into the door. Dallas burst through, falling face-first into the water. He’d been right on the money when he said the water was going to rush out. It reminded me of Niagara Falls in its strength as it pushed both of us back and out the door onto the front porch. Regaining my feet, I grabbed the back of Dallas’s fallout jacket and yanked him back to his feet. “You okay?”
His eyes were wide but filled with determination. “Yeah. I’m fine.” Dallas turned back to the front door. “Gwen?” he bellowed.
I thought I heard a faint sound but couldn’t be sure. The wind was howling. The sound could have been any number of things. I followed behind Dallas as he walked into the living room. A large log, more like a whole tree actually, was sticking through what remained of the sliding glass door and the plywood we’d secured it with last night. “Jesus Christ. No wonder the house is flooded. Gwen?”
“Here. Kitchen,” a tiny voice replied.
Dallas climbed over the curio cabinet, which had been filled with silver picture frames and Gwen’s best china last night. As I stepped over it, I could hear the shards of broken pieces grating against each other as a wave swept through the living room.
“Jesus, Gwen!” Dallas rushed forward to where the older woman was crushed up against the sink by her kitchen table. The curio cabinet was braced against the table legs. She was sprawled over the top of it.
“Dallas, thank God it’s you.” Her lips were blue with the cold. A pink checked housecoat billowed out behind her in the water and her hair was plastered to the side of her face. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. I’m here.”