Page 46 of Her Rugged Guardian

“What if we don’t find him?”

“Then we go to the pound. If he’s not there, I’ll search the entire goddamn town. I promise you.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

I put both my hands together over my mouth before calling out the pup’s name. “Moose!” We both heard noise to the left and she almost bolted in that direction. “Nope. Slow and easy.”

“What if he’s hurt? What if he’s unconscious?”

“Then we’ll deal with it.”

We continued trudging through the muck, calling him every few seconds. I could tell she was getting exasperated.

A hissing sound forced her to yelp. She gripped my arm, digging her nails into my skin. “What was that?”

“That sounds like a snake.”

“You weren’t kidding about the animals and… venomous creatures.”

“No, Cassandra. They’re real.”

“Including in human form,” she said dryly her body shivering as she scanned the murky water.

At least she hadn’t lost her sense of humor, although it was the human vermin that she needed to be the most concerned with.

She kept hold of my arm for a few seconds until she realized what she was doing, glancing at me in a spiteful way before curling her fingers.

The stench was getting worse, as if rotting flesh was buried under the muck. It also reminded me of the goddamn fire, the sprinklers coming on far too late in the process. All they’d done was make the burned furniture and parts of the building reek of death.

I stopped a few seconds later, horrible images popping into my mind.

“Where are you? Call out to me again?”

“Help… me.”

“Okay. I’m coming.” I’d yanked my mask off so she could hear my voice. My heart was racing, thudding to the point echoes were slamming my eardrums. Coughing, I was forced to press the mask over my face, breathing in the clean air. I heard my name being called once again. There was no turning back now.

Crack! Boom!

The explosion sent rubble flying from several directions, a beam from the ceiling crashing down against my shoulders. “Fuck!” As I toppled to the floor, the wind knocked out of me, I could still hear her cry. I had to get to her. Oh, God. I fought my way, kicking out and shifting my body, groaning from the weight of the beam. When I finally managed to pitch it away, I was out of breath.

“Jake! Jake!” The voice was closer. It was the captain.

I yanked off my mask briefly. “Over here.”

“Stay right where you are.”

“No can do, Cap’n. We have a live one.”

“Do not go further into the fire. Don’t do it!”

Boom…

Hearing a yelp dragged me from the wretched vision. After blinking away the fog, I realized that what I’d heard wasn’t coming from my mind. Jesus Christ. Cassandra had bolted.

Where the fuck had she gone? “Cassandra! Where the fuck are you?”

“Here. I’m here. He’s hurt. Help. Please help.”

---