Page 76 of Trapped with the Covert Ops Soldier

Chapter Sixteen

“I’m already rich, sheriff,” Abby said. “I have friends, family, and an entire community who cares for me. I don’t need anything else.”

The sheriff studied her face for a long second, then nodded. “You sound like one of my self-help books.” He patted her shoulder. “Good for you.”

Abby recoiled, the hot line down her back was devolving into rising pain. Good wasn’t a word she’d be able to use to describe herself for a long time, if ever.

“She’s bleeding all over the dirt,” Smitty said in a growl. “You can question her later.”

“Right,” the sheriff said as he gestured for her to go up the ladder.

Climbing took more effort that it should have, leaving her leg muscles shaking with exhaustion by the time she’d climbed out of the cellar.

Smitty came up behind her and grabbed her arm to steady her, but it was the same spot Virgil had latched on to her and she cried out at the shooting pain that ran down her arm and up into her shoulder.

He released her. “Abby?”

“Virgil grabbed me there.”

Smitty took her hand instead and walked her out of the shed.

Her yard was full of people. Police, paramedics, her parents, several of her neighbors, and even the volunteer firefighters.

As soon as she emerged from the stone shed, her parents rushed over, asking what happened and if she was okay.

She almost laughed. Okay was not an address she’d ever own again.

Smitty took charge, ordering the paramedics to tend to her back.

She said something to her parents, she wasn’t even sure what, but it was enough to calm them down and let the paramedics rinse off the cut on her back and announce that she needed to go to the hospital so it could be properly cleaned and stitched up.

Smitty got into the ambulance with her, insisting that he might as well go too since he’d need his own cuts and bruises assessed too.

It wasn’t until they were rolling down the street in the ambulance that she emerged out of the metal fog covering up all the scary emotions running around her body like assassins. “I can’t believe you managed to keep my mother from riding to the hospital with us.”

“Only because I could ride with you.”

“You’d better watch out,” she said, trying to inject a note of teasing into her voice. “She might be matchmaking.”

Smitty leaned forward and cupped her face. “You’re crying again.” He wiped something off her face with his thumb.

“I’m just really, really tired.” She put her head down on the gurney and closed her eyes. Virgil’s screams echoed through her head along with the crash of falling rocks.

Smitty leaned in until his breath tickled her ear. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Abby.”

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