Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37111 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37111 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Then I saw it just as Goose pointed.
A large limb had fallen from the tree above. It looked like it had been snapped by the lightning, but it was hard to tell in the dark. I shone my light all around until I saw Chloe. My heart nearly stopped.
She lay still as death. The only evidence she was still alive was the gentle puff of fog from her warm breath. She’d taken my jacket but other than that had no protection from the elements. And she was soaked to the skin.
“Sword! Over here!” I waved my light at him to get his attention. The second I saw his light swing in my direction, I turned my attention back to Chloe.
The limb had fallen on her, but I had no way of telling how much damage it had done. She was pinned across her thighs. If the branch had crushed her legs, lifting it could let her bleed out. But there wasn’t really a choice. We had to get her out of the elements.
I knelt beside her, stroking her wet hair out of her face. “Chloe! Chloe, honey, wake up!” I put every ounce of command I had into my voice. It was the voice I used when giving orders in the field. The voice no one disobeyed.
Her eyes fluttered open, and I thought I might pass out with relief. “Sword! Where are the guys with those side-by-sides? We need them now!”
“They’re on their way, but it will take time to get here. And they have only the vague directions I’ve been giving them. Trees and dropoffs aren’t easily maneuvered around.”
“I’ll go bring them to you.” Goose put his hand on my shoulder. “You’ll need them to help get the tree off her. She’s pinned down.”
Sword got to his knees, trying to see the damage done to her legs while I whipped off my coat and covered her with it. “There you go, baby. It’s not much, but it’s warm and will keep the rain off.” I turned back to Goose. “Go. Hurry.” With a nod, Goose turned and sprinted away from us.
“What about you?” Chloe’s voice was small. Thin. Her eyes seemed to struggle to stay open. “I’m not really that cold anymore.”
“I’m fine, baby. But we need to get you out from under this limb. Where do you hurt?”
She shook her head. “Nowhere. Just… sleepy…”
“You stay awake!” I barked my order with every ounce of command in my body. “Under no circumstances will you fall asleep, you hear me?”
“Bossy…”
“Damned straight. And you’ll obey me.” I put emphasis on the word obey in hopes of getting a rise out of her. She desperately needed some adrenaline pumping through her blood. Anything to keep her talking and engaged.
“Obey you? I don’t even like you.”
“No?”
“No. You’re too bossy.” She didn’t turn her head away from me, her gaze clinging to mine.
“Tell you what, baby.” I talked to her as Sword, and I continued to evaluate the situation with the log. It didn’t look like it had actually crushed her legs. The limb had caught on something and gave her just enough room not to injure her but had pinned her securely beneath it. “You do what I tell you to until I get you safely back to the clubhouse, then you can boss me around all you want.”
She was quiet for a moment. I had to glance back at her to make sure she hadn’t closed her eyes. Surprisingly, she looked back at me intently, like she was considering all the embarrassing things she was going to make me do.
“Fine. If you can get me out of here, the least I can do is obey you, I guess.”
“That’s my girl. Now. If we do anything that hurts, you have to tell us immediately. Understand?”
“We?”
“Yeah. Me and Sword are gonna get you outta here.” She whimpered and pulled my coat higher, as if hiding her head would keep Sword from seeing her. “Honey, we just want to help you. I swear, no one’s gonna hurt you.”
“He will,” she whispered. In the howling wind and pouring rain, I nearly missed what she’d said. It made my chest hurt and my jaw clench. I glanced up at Sword. If I thought Sword regretted his outburst when he’d first seen Chloe, I knew it now. He looked like he’d been gutted. Good enough for the bastard.
“He won’t, baby. Because when we get out of here, I’m going to kick his ass. Just for you.”
She gave me a fierce look. “Do you promise?”
“With all my heart, baby. I’ll make it good too.”
“We’ve got to get her out from under this damned log,” Sword bit out. “The others are close, but it’s slow going. Road’s not far from here. Once they get to us and she’s free, it won’t take nearly as long to get her back to the compound.”