Page 16 of Deadly Rescue
Leo grinned. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Polly Ana. Stick with me and I might just surprise you.”
Cooper stifled a laugh at Polly’s astonished glare. The good doc was in for an ass chewing later, of that he was certain. If they lived through this. The sobering thought brought him back to reality, and he braced his feet on the doorjamb, peering down at Leo. “You ready, doc?”
Leo gave a thumbs up. “Let’s do this.”
With an expertise that came from years of experience, Leo skillfully weaved his way up and over the debris, carefully scaling the fallen staircase until Cooper was finally able to firmly clamp the man’s hand in his and hoist him into the hallway beside him.
“That was impressive,” Cooper admitted, still somewhat amazed by the large man’s agility. Cooper was in pretty good shape, but even he had to admit that scaling that staircase with the ease Leo had just pulled off was impressive.
“It’s all about where you step.” Leo shrugged. An easy grin curved his mouth for a brief second. “The women won’t be able to follow the same route, but we should be able to pull them up without problem.”
Anxious to have Celina safe and back at his side, Cooper was more than ready to make that happen. “Then let’s get to it.”
At Celina’s insistence, Polly came up next, and Cooper didn’t breathe again until Celina’s feet finally touched the floor next to him. With everyone on stable ground, he wrapped her in his arms and simply held her close.
“I’m fine.”
The smile in her voice warmed his heart, and he swiftly captured her mouth firmly with his, the need to devour her outweighing the need for anything else. He needed to hold her, to taste her, and reassure himself that she was really all right. If anything had happened to her, he would have lost his mind.
She tasted of fire and spice with a hint of sweet Celina. Perfectly his. God how he loved her.
“When you guys get done making out, maybe we can go check on Sophie?” Polly’s amused voice broke the fog in his stress-riddled brain. Reluctantly, he withdrew to stare down into his wife’s amused face.
“Come on, big boy,” she teased with a wink, “we can play later.”
In this horrible situation, she still knew how to make him smile. That was the best idea he’d heard all damn day.
5
Still reelingfrom Cooper’s kiss, Celina rapped her knuckles on the door to Sophie and Nelson’s room. “Sophie? It’s Celina. Are you in there?”
“Coming.” A minute later, a weary-faced Sophie answered. The only light in the room came through the balcony window. “About time you guys got here.”
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Cooper drawled as Celina gave her friend a careful hug. “The elevators are out of commission and we had a few problems with the stairs.”
“Problems?” Sophie arched an eyebrow.
Polly shut the door behind them. “As in the staircase is pretty much gone.” She gestured to Leo. “Thanks to the doctor, we made it in one piece.”
“Hey, I helped,” Cooper interjected.
“Dr. Garand, I presume?” Sophie held a hand out. “Thank you for getting my friends here.” To the rest, she said, “You guys look like hell. Will someone tell me what the effing hell is going on? I was in the bathroom whenboom! The whole damn building shook, the lights went out, people started panicking. I tried calling the front desk, but the landlines are down. When Nelson finally called, he said something about a bomb—a real one—and to stay put until you guys showed up.”
“He got through to you?” Celina asked.
“I didn’t have cell service at first, but eventually it came back.”
Cooper blew out a relieved sigh. “Nothing’s confirmed, but every indication suggests someone detonated a car bomb in the alley between the arena and the hotel.”
Leo’s eyebrows slanted downward as he shook Sophie’s hand, still extended. “I’m sorry, have we met?” The look on his face said he was sure he would have remembered, given Sophie’s very pregnant state.
“Officially, no.” Sophie smiled patiently, throwing a wink at Polly. “But I’ve heard a lot about you.” To Cooper, she said, “A terrorist act at the training session? Ballsy, aren’t they? Any idea who’s behind it?”
“Too early.” Cooper asked, and Sophie nodded. “It’s chaos down there right now.”
“That’s what Nelson said, and he’s out of his mind with worry about me, of all things. I told him the babies and I are fine, but you know how he gets.” Sophie began to laugh, then grabbed her stomach, pain etched in her features. “Phew, these kiddos sure are giving me fits today.”
“Kiddos?” Leo’s eyes grew round as he gave her a closer look. “You’re having multiples?”
