Page 7 of Burn Point

Chapter 2

Jordan

One minute I was standing, trying not to notice my feet. The next, I was pitched a cell phone, lifted into a pair of strong arms, and being carried through the destruction that had once been my quaint neighborhood.

He jostled me a bit, securing his grip, and fire shot through my injured leg. I cried out in pain, and he shifted me slightly, then the pressure eased.

“I’m sorry, hon. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just need to get us out of here.”

The pain returned to a manageable throb. I slipped an arm over his broad shoulder. “What’s your name again?”

He wobbled a little as he stepped on something, and I flung my other arm up around his neck.

“Nate.”

Nate, my rescuer. My own personal hero.

Something about his low voice resonated with me. His utter control amid chaos. This man had saved my life. A few minutes later, and I would’ve been in that house when it collapsed. The reality of what had just happened sank in, and I buried my face in his neck to hide my tears.

Everything I had was gone.

My house had crumbled.

My car was probably totaled too.

I had my laptop, thankfully, and the clothes I was wearing. I didn’t even have a pair of shoes. But at least I was safe in the arms of this kind stranger.

Though I couldn’t make sense of the words he was saying, just the tenor of his voice and the strength of his arms soothed me.

At this moment, I wasn’t alone in the world.

I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself. He smelled like clean laundry mixed with the scent of burning wood. Was there a fire? Odd how it smelled like a campfire.

“I’ve got you, but I need you to focus and hold the light for me. Can you do that?” His deep voice cut through to the rational part of me.

I lifted my head and released my hold on him to look around. He’d paused and was looking down at me with concern. I offered him an embarrassed smile. “Sorry about that. I just needed a moment to fall apart.”

I turned the phone so the light shone on the ground ahead of us. At least I could try to be helpful in this situation. He started walking again, picking his way through a massive pile of debris.

“It’s all right to fall apart, but I need you to trust me, and I need you to help me get us out of here.”

“I can do that.” I tried to sound confident as I aimed the light farther ahead.

Nate took a few steps one way, then backtracked and headed another direction, then paused again.

“Shit, there are fucking power lines down everywhere.”

A radio on his shoulder crackled with a transmission, though I couldn’t understand what they said.

“Well, that’s one thing going our way.” Nate’s body relaxed against mine just the slightest.

“What did they say?”

“They shut down the power grid for this area. That’s good news. That means we won’t get electrocuted trying to get out of here.”

“Oh, yes. That’s a good thing,” I replied stupidly.

He chuckled. How could he chuckle at a time like this?

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