Page 76 of Stone
Still, his body hadn’t forgotten his years of training. He tucked into himself, hitting the ground with his shoulder. Using the momentum, he rolled as far as he could, rocks and branches digging into his body through the thin cotton of his T-shirt. When he came to a stop, he looked up to see a forty-foot-tall pine crashing through the trees, spreading sparks and chaos as it fell. As if in slow motion, it toppled, the echoing sound of snapping branches filling the air as it bounced, then settled against the dry ground. The top resting where he’d been walking seconds before.
“Simon!” Juliana’s frantic voice sounded in his ear. Miraculously, his comms system had stayed in place.
“I’m okay,” he answered, rising as he spoke. “I’m well out of the way,” he added, looking for the firefighter who’d warned him. The man was already dousing the fallen tree. Thankfully, much of the old pine appeared untouched by the fire. Maybe its trunk had given out under the stress. Whatever the reason, Stone was grateful it hadn’t been aflame when it fell.
While the firefighter seemed confident they’d get the flames under control, the tree was a reminder of how unpredictable fires could be. Not wasting another second, he jogged to the tender and pulled the driver’s door open.
Juliana tumbled into his arms. He held her tight, allowing himself the comfort of her presence, then he reached into the cab, grabbed the leash, and gestured Sherman out.
The dog hesitated when he caught sight of the flames. Sliding his hand into Juliana’s, Stone picked Sherman up, hefted himover his shoulder like a baby, and started toward home, kicking the tender door shut as they left.
They quickly made their way toward the house. Halfway there, when the fire was little more than a dim glow filtering through the trees, he stopped and set Sherman down. Then proceeded to fall into a coughing fit.
“You need to see a doctor,” Juliana said.
He shook his head and kept walking. She didn’t press him on the issue, although he suspected he’d hear more on the matter when they arrived home.
She didn’t disappoint.
The moment they walked into the house, she snagged his truck keys off the hook and announced she was taking him to the hospital. His protest lost its vigor when he couldn’t even finish a sentence without coughing.
He paused, racking his mind for a reason not to go. Juliana stood, keys in hand, patiently waiting—not pressing him but not giving an inch either.
He opened his mouth to argue, then drew up short. Her eyes glistened with worry she was trying to hide. He’d made her worry. She cared about him enough to worry. He knew she cared. Of course he did. But this felt…different. Juliana did not needlessly fuss. If she was anxious about him, he needed to pay attention—and it was in his power to ease her concern.
Without a word, he locked Sherman in the laundry room, where he had both a bed and water, then followed her out to his truck.
36
“You should have called last night,” Mantis said to Simon when they walked into the clubhouse the next morning.
“The fire department got it out quickly, and Juliana even made me go to the emergency room,” Simon responded. Mantis raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Charley brought out the tender side of Mantis, but right now, he looked every bit the president of an MC club. Juliana considered defending Simon’s decision not to tell anyone about the fire or the ER visit until the morning but decided that would only make it worse.
Simon and Mantis stared at each other. The silence stretched so thin Juliana had a moment’s thought that this must be what people experienced when hiking at altitude—normal breathing wasn’t cutting it.
Finally, Simon sighed. “You’re right. It won’t happen again.”
Mantis nodded. “See that it doesn’t.” Juliana gulped and nodded when his gaze encompassed her, too.
“Anyone want to tell me why Agent Parks just pulled up?” Monk asked, walking into the clubhouse wiping his greasy hands on a rag.
Mantis’s attention swung to Simon. After a pregnant pause, all three sets of eyes turned to her.
“Juliana,” Simon said.
“Juls?” Mantis asked.
“What did you do, woman?” Monk chimed in. It was such an unlike-Monk thing to say she almost laughed but, again, thought better of it.
An apology hovered on her tongue, but then Dottie walked in, and something shifted inside Juliana. That woman loved each and every Falcon. And she defended them without hesitation. What Juliana had done wasn’t that different. She had no illusions that they wouldn’t see it that way, but shewasn’tsorry for the decision she’d made. She’d done it because she didn’t want anyone else, least of all Simon or his family, getting hurt.
Straightening her shoulders, she met Simon’s piercing gaze. “I called her. When you were with the doctor last night.”
Mantis cocked his head. Dottie approached the group, planting her hand on her waist, her expression more understanding than the other three people staring at her.
“And?” Simon said, his voice infused with a mix of emotions Juliana couldn’t quite parse. She heard dread and resignation as well as fear and anger.
Juliana was 99 percent certain he already knew the answer, but she replied anyway. “And I talked to her about going ahead with Griswold’s suggestion.”
