Page 23 of Ranger Bravery

THIRTEEN

The explosion tossed Piper in the air like a rag doll.

Intense heat swept over her like a tidal wave. Pain exploded along her shoulder and hip as she crashed to the unyielding ground and rolled. Her body collided with Jackson’s vehicle and came to a bone-jarring stop. Her chest was tight, her heart pounding. She couldn’t breathe. For several seconds, she lay there stunned, staring at the tire in front of her face. Her handgun, strapped to her waist, dug into her side. Debris fell around her. She barely registered it.

Spots danced across her vision. The explosion had knocked the wind from her lungs and it was a struggle to take in air. Piper drew in a shallow breath. Then another. Finally, her brain kicked into gear and was able to control her body. Ears ringing, she pushed off the cement driveway into a sitting position.

Elena’s house was engulfed in flames. Parts of the roof and the building were scattered everywhere. In the yard. Down the street. Fear reached up and stole the air Piper had worked so hard to pull into her lungs.

Jackson. Where was Jackson?

She screamed his name. Or thought she did. It was hard to hear anything over the ringing in her ears. Piper moved to stand and pain vibrated through her arm. She glanced at her shoulder and realized she was bleeding. Her shirt was ripped, a chunk of flesh missing from her arm. Dizziness hit her. She had no issue with injuries on other people, but the sight of her own blood… it was traumatic. A reminder of the assault.

Shoving aside the pain, Piper used the car for support as she maneuvered into a standing position. White hot agony shot through her left knee. She shifted, immediately taking the pressure off, while scanning for Jackson. Smoke billowed from the house and was carried on the wind, making it impossible to see farther than several inches in front of her face.

Please, God. Please let him be all right.

“Jackson!” The cry was followed by a fit of coughing as the thick smoke entered her lungs. She bent over to drag in a breath and yelled again. Tears filmed her eyes. Another side effect of the smoke. “Jackson.”

He’d been right behind her. Seconds. Only seconds. But in this particular instance, seconds mattered.

Suddenly, the wind shifted. The smoke cleared as it blew away from Piper toward the woods along the back of Elena’s property. A large form appeared. It grew closer, and as Piper wiped the tears from her eyes, Jackson came into view. His face was blackened by soot, his shirt torn along the chest, and blood dripped from a cut on his cheek. But he was alive.

Relief rippled through her with such intensity she had to use the SUV to hold herself up. More tears filmed her eyes, and this time, Piper couldn’t blame them on the smoke. Crying had never been her thing. She’d done it maybe five times in her entire adult life, but the thought of Jackson not being okay… it hit her hard.

He got close enough, and she threw her arms around him. Jackson held her for a long moment, his strong and tender embrace unleashing every buried emotion inside her. She pulled back to look him in the face and had the insane urge to plant a kiss on his lips. The heat from the blaze and the smoke stinging her eyes held her back.

His mouth moved, but she couldn’t make out the words over the ringing in her ears. Piper swallowed. Her mouth tasted like sand. “I can’t hear you.”

It sounded like she was shouting in her head, but she doubted Jackson could hear her any more than she could hear him. His gaze swept over the injury on her shoulder and then he wrapped an arm around her waist and pointed to the end of the driveway. Yes, they needed to get a safer distance away from the fire. Sweat beaded across her skin. The heat from the flames was intense.

Piper took a step and nearly hit the ground as her hurt knee gave out. The next moment, she was lifted off the ground by Jackson. Muscles along his chest rippled as he pulled her closer. Instantly she was sheltered. Cared for. He carried her across the street as if she weighed nothing, and that sent an uncharacteristic wave of femininity through her.

Jackson had always had that effect on her. He had this way of taking care of her without taking advantage. Protecting without being domineering. He was a man confident in his skin. Had always been, even at eighteen. Piper rarely let down her guard, but Jackson was her weakness. Obviously, he still was.

An elderly woman materialized in front of them. She wore a housedress and slippers, her gray hair clipped short to frame a mahogany face. Winnie Wainwright. Worry clouded her dark eyes and created lines between her brows. She waved Jackson forward and held open the screen door to her home. Seconds later, Piper was deposited on a kitchen chair.

Jackson bent down next to her. “How badly are you hurt?”

Finally, she could hear him. The ringing was still there but fading. “It’s not bad. My knee got banged up and this scrape on my arm probably needs stitches, but I’ll live.” She lightly touched the cut on his cheek. “You?”

“I’m fine.” Jackson’s gaze shot to the windows overlooking the street before returning to focus on her. “Elena’s house was searched by investigators on the night she died. Whoever planted that bomb did it after they left.”

A shudder rippled down her spine. “The bomber was nearby. Watching us.”

“Yes. The device was controlled by a remote detonator. This was a targeted attack.”

Horror sank into Piper. This case had gone from murder to bombing. Things were escalating quickly.

Winnie returned with a first aid kit. “I’ve called the police. They’re on the way, along with EMS.” She clicked her tongue as her gaze took in the gash on Piper’s arm. “That needs to be cleaned immediately.”

Winnie had been a school nurse before her retirement. Her husband’s cancer diagnosis had wiped out their savings, leaving her with little after he passed. She’d moved into the trailer park shortly after Piper turned ten. Many nights, when things at home were too much, she’d camped out on Winnie’s couch. She still came by regularly to visit her.

“I’m going to leave you in Mrs. Wainwright’s capable hands.” Jackson rose. “I need to check on the other neighbors. Make sure no one else was injured.”

Piper pushed against the chair. “I’ll help?—”

Jackson stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “You’re hurt and I’ll work faster if I know you’re getting the treatment you need.” His gaze bounced to Winnie before latching onto to hers. “Please.”

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