Page 85 of Beckett
A pause. Then, he said, “Jesus. Okay. Give me thirty seconds. Donotmove.”
I counted the seconds in my head, feeling Audra sag heavier against me with each one. Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty.
“Clear!” Travis’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Come straight up the direction you’re heading. Don’t deviate.”
I started forward, half dragging Audra now. Her feet barely moved, toes catching on every imperfection in the ground. The house grew larger with each agonizing step, warm light spilling from the windows like a promise of salvation.
The front door burst open when we were still twenty feet away. Travis stood silhouetted in the doorway, for once not caring about tactical disadvantage or sight lines.
We made it to the porch steps before Audra’s legs gave out completely.
Chapter 28
Beckett
Travis hovered in his doorway, his entire body rigid with the effort of being that close to outside. His knuckles were white where he gripped the doorframe, but when Audra’s legs gave out completely, he forced himself forward. Just two steps onto his porch, but I could see what it cost him—the way his breathing went shallow, his eyes darting to the gathering darkness beyond his security lights before forcing himself to focus on us.
“What the hell happened?” His voice came out strained as he helped me get Audra through his doorway. The second we crossed the threshold, his shoulders dropped with visible relief, some of the tension bleeding out of him now that he was back inside his walls.
“Someone rammed my truck off the bridge.” My teeth chattered so hard the words came out fractured. “Cut the brakes first. Then waited.”
Travis’s expression darkened, but he didn’t waste time on questions. He guided us through his entry hall, our wet clothesleaving puddles on hardwood floors that gleamed like they’d never seen actual foot traffic. The house opened up around us, nothing like the weathered exterior suggested. High ceilings, clean lines, expensive fixtures trying to hide behind careful normalcy.
“Fuck. That goddamned stalker. Bathroom’s this way.” He steered us down a hallway lined with abstract art that probably cost more than most people’s cars. “You need to get warm. Now.”
He opened the bathroom door to reveal a space bigger than most primary bedrooms. Marble counters, a shower that looked like it belonged in a luxury spa. Dual rainfall heads, body jets, enough room for a small party.
“We’ve got to get these clothes off.” I was already fumbling with the buttons on Audra’s shirt, my fingers useless clubs of frozen meat. “Travis, call Lachlan. Tell him we were rammed off Mill Creek Bridge. Someone needs to check the scene.”
“On it.” Travis disappeared, pulling the door shut behind him.
Audra’s hands shook too violently to help. I managed two buttons before giving up and just pulling the shirt over her head. Her skin had gone past white to a blue-gray that made my chest tight. My jacket hit the floor with a wet slap. Boots were impossible—the laces might as well have been welded shut for all my fingers could manage.
“Forget it.” I grabbed her arm, dragging us both toward the shower fully dressed. “We’ll deal with them after.”
I cranked the water on, starting lukewarm. Anything hotter would be agony on our frozen skin. The spray hit like needles anyway, sharp enough to make us both gasp. I pulled Audra under with me, holding her upright when her knees buckled.
“Cold,” she mumbled against my chest, the word barely audible.
“I know, sweetheart. It’ll get better.”
Water coursed over us, soaking through what remained of our clothes, pooling in our boots. I kept one arm locked around her waist, the other braced against the tile wall. Every drop stung, but it was the right kind of pain. The kind that meant blood flow returning, nerve endings remembering their job.
Five minutes. Ten. My fingers started to unlock, joints creaking back to life. I reached for the temperature control, nudging it warmer. Audra made a sound that might have been relief.
“That’s it.” I bent down and untied our boots then worked at her jeans one-handed, the denim stubborn and swollen with river water. “We’re okay. We made it.”
The button finally gave. Between us, we managed to peel the jeans down her legs. She kicked weakly, trying to help, but mostly, I just dragged them off and tossed them toward the corner where they landed with a splat. My clothes joined hers, and each piece felt like shedding weights.
Steam rose around us now, the water finally hot enough to chase the cold from our bones. Audra’s violent shivering had eased to intermittent tremors. Color crept back into her cheeks, pink replacing blue.
“Better?” I asked.
She nodded against my chest. Her arms came up, wrapping around my waist, holding on like I might disappear if she let go. We stood there under the spray, her in panties and a bra, me in boxers, neither of us caring about how ridiculous we looked.
“Thought we were going to die.” Her voice was small, muffled against my skin.
“Not on my watch.”
