Chapter 40
Axel
“Luca? Luca!” I pleaded. He wasn’t answering anymore. My heart was breaking into a million pieces while the love of my life was trapped underneath a heap of bricks and rubble. And there was nothing I could do.
“Drive faster,” I pleaded with Decker as I cried. “I have to get to him. He’s claustrophobic. I can’t lose him.”
Rocking in my seat with my phone held to my head, I sobbed uncontrollably.
“Keep talking to him,” Decker said. “He needs you.”
He was right. “Love, I’m here. I’m coming to get you.
You’re gonna be okay. You can not leave me, Luca.
Do you understand? I just found you. Hang on.
Don’t let go.” I sobbed and wiped the snot from my face.
Decker’s hand found my shoulder and squeezed, letting me know I wasn’t alone.
“I don’t want to do this life without you. ”
“We’re almost there,” Decker said.
“I’m almost there, love.” The streets were lined with emergency vehicles, police cars, and ambulances so thick that we couldn’t get through. I got out and ran the rest of the way.
A policeman tried to stop me as I got closer. “Sir, you can’t go any closer.”
“I must. My boyfriend is trapped in the basement.” I shook my phone at him. “He’s buried under there. I have to get him out. He can’t breathe. I’ve got to get him out. I promised him.”
He took me by the arm and led me over to the fire chief. “Chief, he says that there’s somebody trapped in the basement. He’s on the phone.”
The fire chief looked at me. “You’re positive?”
“Yes. I was talking to him. I’ve got to get him out. You do whatever it takes to get him out of there. I will pay for whatever needs to happen. You get a crew here. Just get him out.”
The fire chief looked at me, obviously recognizing me. “Mr. Hughes, we are working on it as fast as we can. I have a team over there moving things by hand until we can get the machinery here.”
“Let me help. I have to do something.”
Sympathy poured from his eyes. “You can’t. Let us do our job. Please, just stay out of the way.”
Every muscle in my body was tense as I fisted my hand and held my phone in the other.
When I brought it to my ear, my heart broke all over again.
The call had been disconnected, and he’d lost his lifeline.
I called over and over, but he never picked up.
I’d let him down. I’d promised to be with him.
“Axel!” Edith cried. “He’s down there. It’s my fault.
It’s all my fault. I asked him to go.” She buried her face in her hands and dropped to her knees in agony.
Anger surged inside me at her for sending after what?
Trinkets that could be replaced. He couldn’t.
And if I lost him, I’d never forgive her.
The urge to scream to the heavens as the pain of losing him overtook me.
I was horrible for thinking it. He wouldn’t want me to be angry at her. There was no way she could know. She’d never hurt him. She loved him as much as I did. Dropping to my knees, I held her close. “It’s not your fault. They’ll get him out. I’ve talked to him.”
She continued to sob, but when Decker approached, I passed her off to him. “Can you keep an eye on her? I need to make a call.”
“Sure, buddy. I got her. Karlsson is talking to Coach.”
All I could do was nod. My control was waning. But for the first time in my life, I dialed my father’s number. He answered on the second ring. “Axel, I’m so glad you…”
“He’s…he’s trapped, Dad.” I sobbed, saying the words aloud. “I need you to help me get people here to move this shit out of the way and get Luca out of this building.”
“Slow down, what are you talking about?”
Fighting back tears, I told him what happened and how I’d spoken to Luca. “He stopped talking,” I said, ready to break. “And the call ended.” I covered my mouth to try to regain control. “I can’t get him back.”
“Share your location. I’m on the way.” I did as he asked and paced, waited, and tried to help until they threatened to arrest me. “Mr. Hughes, I understand how you’re feeling. But you’ve got to get out of the way and let us do our job. We’re almost there.”
Their sense of time and mine were completely different. I needed him out now. I needed to see him breathing in my arms. I couldn’t stand here and do nothing. I had to do something.
With my hands in my hair, I watched as they moved debris out of the way, trying to clear the path to the basement. I paced, analyzed, trying to figure out how I was gonna deal with this bullshit.
If Luca were dead, I would never recover.
I tried calling his number again, but it didn’t work. The call had gone to voicemail, and the sound of his voice tore me apart again, telling me he would return my call. If he were gone, I wanted to go with him. I couldn’t live without him now.
I lost track of time until a hand settled on my shoulder. Turning, I looked into the eyes that matched mine. They were full of sadness that I felt, but he didn’t hesitate. He pulled me into his arms, while I broke down and cried. “What am I gonna do if he doesn’t make it?”
He held me tightly and spoke into my ear. “Don’t think that way, son. Be positive. They’ll get him out.”
Time crawled by at a snail’s pace. It took everything I had not to help, but I stood by, like a sentinel watching. Waiting. Praying.
I called his number every few minutes, but eventually it went directly to voicemail.
As I stared at my phone, I knew I had to face the possibility that Luca might be gone.
That I might need to brace myself for what happened after this.
I wouldn’t be able to stay here. I would need to go back to Europe.
For two hours, I paced and watched them bring in excavators and hydraulic equipment to move the debris. Pacing, pacing, pulling at my hair, and praying until they called for the paramedics. I took off running to the doorway until the fire chief and my father stopped me yet again.
“Mr. Hughes. Let them get him out. They need to assess him. Please don’t make me handcuff you.”
“Son, come on,” Dad said. “Let them do their jobs.”
“Just tell me he’s alive. Please. Just tell me he’s alive.”
The fire chief spoke into his radio, but the asshole walked away out of earshot. I watched as the world slowed down while he lifted it to his ear to get the response. I held my breath as he turned to look at me. “He’s alive.”
Tears filled my eyes as I dropped to my knees again. My body released all the anxiety I’d been holding. I’d never cried so much in my life until they wheeled him out, strapped onto a gurney. Covered in dust, his color wasn’t good, but the oxygen mask was giving him what he needed.
I ran to his side and took his hand. “Luca, love. I’m here.” I said, running beside the gurney to the waiting ambulance.
The paramedic tried to shoo me away. “Sir, we need to get him to the hospital.”
“I know that. I’m going with him,” I snapped.
“Sir, you can’t…”
“You will have to fucking arrest me to keep me from going.”
He looked over his shoulder at the chief, who gave him the okay. “Okay, you ride up front.”
“Why can’t I go in the back?” I knew I was pushing it.
He shook his head. “We need to be able to get an IV started. It’s a little cramped.”
“Axel,” my father said, “get in the front. I’ll meet you there.”
I whirled on him. “Find Decker and check on Edith. He’s going to want to know,” I said, before climbing into the front.
My father squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll find him. It’s going to be okay.”
When the driver climbed in, I turned and kept my eyes on Luca. For the first time in hours, I felt like I could breathe until alarms sounded from the back.