Page 78 of Fighting for Ella

“Ella?” he yelled, willing her to reply. If he’d lost her while he was mere yards away, he wasn't sure he’d ever be able to get over it. This woman hadn't just wormed her way into his heart, she’d barreled in without even trying or realizing she was doing it. She’d just shown him what real bravery looked like. It didn't matter to Ella that she’d been scared out of her mind and far outside her comfort zone, she’d accepted the risks and put her life on the line to protect her family, while simultaneously protecting her team and their drug.

She made him want to face his own fears and insecurities rather than trying to run and hide from them. She made him want to be a better, stronger person. She made him want to look to the future instead of constantly looking over his shoulder to the past.

Losing her before he even got a chance to tell her how much he admired her, admitted that he was falling for her, and asked her out on a real date, seemed so unfair, and yet he had no one to blame but himself. There had been nothing but himself standing in the way of doing all those things already. He’d ignored everything, his gut, his brother, Ella herself, and cowardly hidden behind his fears he might turn out to be just like his parents.

When he got no response, he called out again. “Ella? Honey, can you hear me? Call out if you can, El, I’m here, I'm coming.”

There were no responses to his pleas.

Nothing.

Just silence.

Mocking silence, reminding him it could already be too late.

No.

He couldn’t accept that.

Ella was there, right behind this wall of rubble and he was going to get to her.

Reaching for a piece of debris, Miguel tossed it aside then immediately reached for another. Cops and firefighters would be on the way, and the guys would be there soon. They’d get through the pile of concrete and wood and steel and through to Ella on the other side.

Seconds blurred into one another, turning into minutes.

“Ella?” Rocco asked, suddenly appearing beside him.

“Not answering.”

“You sure she’s in there?” Gumby asked.

“I heard her tell me to back off right before the explosion went off,” he replied. “She knew Dora had a bomb, she tried to lead her away from us, from the people here for the concert.” As proud as he was of her for caring about everyone else, he was furious that she thought it was okay to endanger herself in the process.

She came first.

Always.

Not him.

Not anyone else.

Just her.

“We’ll get to her, man,” Ace assured him as more men appeared around him and they began to systematically work their way through the piles of debris.

Miguel prayed that was true even as the silence on the other side of the rubble reminded him that when he got to her all he might find was a lifeless body.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

February 14th

10:47 P.M.

Her head feltlike it was going to explode.

It was like someone had filled it up with dynamite and set it off.

Again and again.

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