Page 12 of Deadly Rescue
Cooper wiped his mouth on his arm sleeve and blinked at the sweat dripping into his eyes. “What’s the status in there?”
“We’re trapped on the basketball court, the ceiling in the hallway completely collapsed. My leg is busted, so Roman is playing nursemaid.”
A curse rose in the background that Celina assumed belonged to Roman. Somehow she didn’t picture the large man as the nursemaid type.
She unzipped her suit, allowing air inside. It wasn’t much help since the air temperature was so hot. “Any sign of Polly?” she asked, almost afraid to.
“Negative,” Nelson gasped, pausing for a second, “but I saw her and the doctor guy from the bar last night heading to the water containment area shortly before it happened. We’re hoping they got out too.”
She dittoed that hope . As Nelson continued to report on the casualties and the real search and rescue now kicking into gear, Celina’s gaze drifted to the entrance of the alley. A piece of warped, melted metal lay on the pavement.
She released Cooper’s hand, hearing sirens in the distance and people yelling from the sidewalk, as she made her way toward the alley.
The parked ambulance she’d spotted earlier was now completely blown apart, leaving only a smoking hull where the vehicle used to sit.
Car bomb, her mind instantly asserted.
Or, in this case, ambulance bomb.
The side of the arena here was half gone and completely engulfed in flames. That’s how the fire had spread so quickly when they were in the loading area, she realized. It was being fed by the fire outside.
“Looks like a bomb in the loading bay area, must have been brought in with one of the supply trucks,” she heard Cooper say, bringing her back to the conversation. He was making his way toward her, scanning the area.
“No it wasn’t, look.” She pointed. “It was in the back of that ambulance. That’s where our EMT guy was heading when he left the training session.”
Cooper stared at the smoking hull, then glanced at Celina. She could tell he was putting two and two together, so she wasn’t surprised when a curse fell from his lips. “Fuck.”
Goose bumps rose on her still-hot skin as she made out more damage through the flames. “Oh, no. The hotel has damage too.”
“Sophie,” Nelson ground out, agony in his voice. “I’ve got to call her.”
The line disconnected. Celina’s heart sank. Sophie had stayed behind in her and Nelson’s room while they went to the training session, and their room overlooked the sports arena.
Shit.
“We need to get over there, now,” Celina rezipped her suit, heart thumping against her rib cage. A burst of adrenaline took over, the need to get to Sophie outweighing the burning in her lungs.
“Let’s see if Cruz gets—” Cooper’s phone rang. “Nelson? Did you reach her?”
Even without the speaker phone on, she heard his reply. “No! She’s not answering her cell and the hotel phone seems to be down.”
“We’re on it, Cruz,” Cooper reassured his friend, his serious eyes finding Celina’s. Unspoken words drifted between them. There was no need to state the obvious. Sophie was so close to her due date and not feeling all that well. A blast like this could send her into early labor. The sooner they got to her, the better. “I’ll call you when we have something to report. Just take it easy and wait for the rescue crews to do their thing.”
“Harris,” Nelson called, stopping Cooper from pushing end on the phone. “Just don’t tell her about my leg. I don’t want her to worry.”
“Hang tight, we’ve got this.” Cooper hit end and shoved the phone into his pocket.
Getting to the rear entrance of the hotel was impossible, thanks to the flames and debris. They took the opposite direction, heading around the arena’s landscaped grounds to get to the front.
As they ran, silence stretched between them. His face was unreadable, but Celina knew him well enough to know the rigid set of his shoulders meant his emotions were running high. Hers matched, ratcheting up from where they’d already been.
“You shouldn’t have gone without backup.” It wasn’t so much the anger in his voice as the disappointment that made her step falter.
“There wasn’t time,” she defended, weak as it was. She had no leg to stand on. He was right. She should have reported the guy and let someone else handle his disappearance, or at the very least, taken backup with her when she followed him. Things could have been a whole lot worse than what they already were. Her stomach hurt at the possibilities.
“You’re right,” she softly admitted, smiling when he lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “Yes, I do admit it when you’re right from time to time.”
“I never would have thought.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a small smirk.
