Page 26 of King of Pain

I want to lose myself in this man. I close my eyes, trying to be strong. “We should keep our conversations about escape. The plan.”

He snorts. “Too late for that.”

“Listen,” I don’t know what I’m building to, but I know I need to pump the breaks. I’m breaking every rule I ever made for myself.

“Shit,” I hear him rumble, his voice vibrating through me.

I open my eyes, wondering what’s wrong when I see a minivan pulled over to the side in front of us. My eyebrows furrow. “It’s so hot. Why would anyone stop on a day like this?”

“Not by choice.” He lets out a long, frustrated breath. I look at him, trying to figure out what he’s thinking.

He glances down at me. “We need to make time but…”

“You want to pull over.”

“There are probably kids in there,” he rumbles, putting on the blinker of the truck. I want to respond, but I can hardly catch my breath, and once again, I swear, my ovaries explode. Saves women in need. Protects kids.

Who cares if he steals a car or two…

We pull over and he opens the door. “You should come just in case they need medical help.”

I slide out too, taking his hand as we approach the car.

The door immediately opens and frantic and sweaty man steps out. “Thank you for stopping,” he stumbles, and I curse under my breath. How long have they been sitting in the sun?

The other door opens, and a woman gets out, looking even worse than her husband. She seems disoriented as she tries to focus on me. “Kids?” I ask.

“Two,” the dad hoarsely answers.

“Get them out. I’ve got water.” But I’m already going around him and pulling on the minivan’s sliding door. Both parents’ reaction time is slow and I don’t want to wait.

Two red-faced kids meet my gaze and I’m pulling the buckles open in the first kid’s car seat.

“Should I have taken them out of the car?” the man asks, his voice filled with fear.

“No.” I quickly smile back at him. “The direct sun is worse than the shaded car.” I look at Luke. “Get the other boy.”

He immediately starts around the car as I crack open the water, giving the little boy, who must be about four, a big swig. Then I pull him from the car. Two fingers on his throat, I check his pulse to see if it’s elevated.

His eyes dilate as the sun hits them, a good sign, and I position him onto my hip as I carry the water to his mother.

“How long have you been here?”

“An hour and a half,” the dad answers. “A few cars went by…” I grimace, then give the boy another drink and then hand the bottle to the mother. I turn to the dad. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“What?”

“She’s a doctor,” Luke rumbles. “Answer.” He’s got the other boy, who looks six or seven, on his hip. My eyes linger for a second because… I’ve never seen anything more gorgeous than this man holding a kid.

The dad looks at me. “Three.”

“Good.” I turn back to Luke. “Get more water. I’m going to check everyone, but this little guy doesn’t have heatstroke. Dehydration, however, is a real concern.”

He nods and goes get two more bottles. We’ll have to buy more when we get to the next town.

“What happened?”

“It overheated, I think?” the dad answers.

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