Page 31 of Saving Mr. Norcross
“Shit.” He ripped a bottle of water off his belt. “Did you take a blow to the stomach?”
Taking the bottle, she took a big step away from the vomit, then rinsed out her mouth. “No.” She met his gaze.
Color drained from his face. “You’re pregnant.”
She nodded.
He groaned. “Oh fuck, I’m a dead man. When Vander finds out I brought you here, he’ll kill me. Slowly and painfully.”
She handed the water bottle back to him. “You done with the drama?”
“I’m a dead man walking. He’ll leave my rotting corpse out for everyone to see.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. If he killed you, no one would ever find your body.”
Justin pulled a face.
“Don’t worry, princess,” she said. “I’ll protect you. Now, let’s?—”
Boom.
The walls shook. Justin moved, curling his big body over hers. They crouched close to the floor, dust raining down from the ceiling.
When the shaking stopped, they both peered down the corridor. A huge gust of billowing smoke filled the hall.
“I think we found Vander,” Justin said, dryly.
Oh, God.Brynn pushed away from him, and broke into a sprint.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Vander coughed. The smoke made his eyes water and his ears were ringing.
The explosion had been a little bigger than he’d intended.
He rode through the adrenaline rush, trying to focus. It was like everything was moving slowly, a little out of focus.
He staggered to his feet. Through the smoke, he saw the door had blown out. He also spotted several bodies littering the floor in the corridor, some of them moving weakly.
In the lab, stuff had blown everywhere. He coughed again. A layer of dust coated everything, including himself. His clothes and hair were thoroughly dusted. Nearby, the roof had partially collapsed.
Fuck. Rhys.
He started searching the debris. “Rhys!Rhys.”
Fighting back a coughing fit, he shoved broken furniture and rubble aside.
Then he heard a groan.
Vander swiveled and zeroed in on the sound. He moved some rubble out of the way and saw an arm reaching up.
“I’ve got you. Hang on.” He shifted more of the debris and a cloud of dust wafted into his face. Ignoring it, he leaned over, wracked by another coughing fit. “Rhys.”
He heaved some broken furniture off his brother.
“I’m…okay.” Rhys sat up, blood and dust coating his hair and face. His black hair looked gray. He coughed.
Watching him, dizziness hit Vander, and he fought to stay upright. “We need to go. There’ll be more guards incoming.”
