The Santinis Collection: Volume 2
Prologue
Prologue
3 YEARS AGO
Madison Baker didn’t know what day it was or where she was, but she knew one thing.
She fucking hurt.
Pain radiated through her entire body. It was as if someone had beaten every centimeter of her flesh. She tried to open her eyes—nothing. Next, she ordered her arms and legs to move. Still nothing. Hell, she wasn’t sure she was even breathing.
Am I dead ?
That thought had her struggling, pushing her hand through something heavy. Dirt? She was buried? Panic surged as she tried to gulp in air and found nothing. Weight settled on her chest as her heart beat a tattoo against it. Then, the beat slowed. It was getting so dark, so cold…she felt a bit of her soul drift away.
Gonna give up, Madison?
Her father’s voice echoed in her mind. How many times had she heard him say that in her lifetime? Thousands.
If you weren’t being a coward right now, I wouldn’t have to scream at you.
Coward?
No. Fucking. Way.
She used what was left of her energy to move her hand. It might have been only inches, but it felt like miles. A renewed sense of survival had her pushing harder, up through the debris. Up, up, then she felt it. Cool air washed over her fingers.
In the next few seconds—even if it felt like hours—she pushed harder and got her hand up and through.
“Over here! I found one over here!”
As feet pounded toward her, the earth seemed to move around her. Madison kept pushing until she felt a hand grab hers. It tugged and she held on with all her strength. The voice kept talking to her, telling her they would get her out of there. Then, she was free, air rushing over her face and she tried to open her eyes. Bright light burned her corneas and she shut them again.
“That’s okay, Lt. Baker, we have you,” her savior said. The whop, whop, whop of the approaching copters almost drowned him out.
“Who…” she broke off, not sure if he could even hear her. Her voice sounded and felt like gravel.
She felt him lean closer as people started to dig around her. “What?”
She licked her lips and tasted blood and dirt. “Who are you?”
“I’m Sgt. Gee Santini of the US Air Force, and we’re here to take you home, Ma’am.”
“Thank you,” was all she could say. Then, her world faded to black again.