Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
No, there was no way. Not when he turned down the side street nearest her. Rafe moved in the wrong direction to get to her. She rose on her tiptoes, but all she could see was the ambulance. No one was there.
“The runner, the one the ambulance just took away, you said it was a man?”
The woman nodded and tried to leave, but Nadia placed her hands on her shoulders and held her there.
“What was he wearing?”
“Oh, I don’t know. There was so much blood it was hard to tell. If I had to guess, something dark.”
“Like navy blue?”
The woman shrugged and stepped out of Nadia’s grasp. Nadia looked back at her phone, and her heart sank as she watched Rafe’s photo move farther and farther away from her.
Nadia spun around, looking in every direction she could for help. She stepped off the curb and made her way toward the woman, the one who sat on the road speaking to the officer.
“Excuse me, but is this the man who helped you?” she asked as she showed a photo of Rafe to her.
“Ma’am, please step back.” Two hands forcibly kept Nadia in place while she held her phone out.
“Look at this, please,” she said to the woman as she fought back the anger and tears threatening to take over. “Please, is this the man?”
“Ma’am, please.” The officer stepped in front of her. “You need to step back.”
She held her phone up. “I’m looking for him, and according to his location, he’s moving faster than he runs. Does he look familiar?” The officer glanced at her phone and frowned. He then motioned for another officer to come over. The two spoke in private.
“Come with me,” the other officer said. “What’s your name?”
“Nadia Karlsson.”
“I’m Officer Luca DeMarco. You can call me Luca.”
“Where are you taking me, Luca?”
“We transported a dozen or so runners to the hospital for treatment,” he said as he opened the passenger side of his cruiser for her. Before he shut it, he said, “I’m taking you to Mass Gen.”
Nadia had never been in a police car. She’d never sped through the streets of Boston with sirens blaring and had never seen cars move so slowly to get out of the way until now. Her phone rang, and without looking, she answered.
“Rafe?”
“No, it’s Otto. Isn’t he with you?”
Her heart sank as she closed her eyes. “No, I’m having trouble locating him. I’m on my way to the hospital now. There was an accident on the course, and some of the runners had to be transported. Go back to our house, and I’ll call you once I find him.”
“Okay, we’re going to go get some lunch. Just give me a call.”
“I will, Otto. Kiss my girls for me.”
“Will do.” They hung up, and she stared out the window at the passing Charles River. A crew team of eight glided down the river. In six months, the largest three-day regatta in the world would come to town, bringing thousands of people with it. The event was fun, and something she and Rafe looked forward to attending every year, and every year, she’d told her husband she wanted to learn how to row. He’d been a rower in college and often joked that he and his best friend, Kiran, were going to put a team together and compete in the “old man” bracket. Maybe this year they would.
Officer DeMarco pulled into the emergency part of the hospital and turned off his siren, but he left his lights flashing. He helped Nadia from the car and guided her into the hospital, where chaos reigned. The waiting room was wall to wall with people, talking over each other, some crying, others pacing. Everyone wanted or needed help.
DeMarco spoke briefly to a woman in flower-printed scrubs, and then the double doors opened. Behind those doors, the bedlam had peaked. Beeping came from all directions, with staff moving and colliding with others. People barked out orders, while some ran with machines toward rooms.
He directed Nadia to the nurses’ lounge. Luca poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her, but she shook her head.
“Where’s my husband?”
“The nurse I spoke with when we came in, she’s locating him.”
Nadia paced in front of the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of Rafe. She looked at his location and noticed he was, in fact, in the hospital. She tried calling him, but his phone went to voicemail again. A doctor walked in, and Nadia froze. Officer DeMarco stood and introduced himself and Nadia.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Costa. May I see a picture of your husband?”
Nadia switched screens on her phone and showed him the most recent photo of Rafe. Dr. Costa looked quickly. Far too quickly for Nadia’s liking.
“Please, come with me.”
She followed him out of the room and looked over her shoulder at Luca. For some odd reason, she wanted him with her. He took up the rear, almost as if he knew he’d have to catch her.