Chapter 17
The machine behind Razorback’s head beeped rhythmically, and he hoped it wasn’t representative of his heartbeat, the sound far too fast and irregular to be the pulse of a healthy human being.
But the doctor had already been in to see him, and despite some minor burns, it seemed he was going to be okay.
As long as my heart keeps beating.
That was the trickier part, excessive smoke inhalation placing great strain on respiration and hence his heart. But he’d already made it this far, so he chose to believe he would come back from this, colors flying.
The moment the bathroom floor collapsed beneath his feet, his greatest fears had been realized.
It was fire that had taken away his life as he knew it, and fire he was sure had the power to do it again.
What he discovered was an inner strength and determination to fight back against the flames for the parts of his life that had become good again.
He hadn’t even noticed those good parts until he was damn sure death was a high statistical probability, and odds like that needed to be crushed back down to an acceptable level. Searing heat had licked at his scalp and neck, all too familiar in its engulfing attack on his very existence.
But it was the image of Jackie in that moment that filled the forefront of his mind. The look they shared that said more to him than any words that had crossed her full, pink lips.
So he’d found his footing on flaming debris, bits of Jackie’s home now unrecognizable and strange. It wasn’t just a fire, it was a choice. An eight-hundred-degree choice decorated in high style for the occasion.
The irony of it didn’t escape him as he climbed over a beam that glowed orange like embers, and made his way toward the den. It was a fire that had taken his life away, and a fire that would give it back.
Only better this time.
Life was giving him a second chance and making damn sure he recognized it.
The den was just beyond his line of sight, thick black smoke preventing him from seeing.
A foreboding groaning seemed to reverberate over the sound of the fire, the foyer ceiling visibly bowing like the bottom of a saturated paper cup. He had to move. Now.
Time seemed to freeze, the motion of the flames barely a flicker as he raced toward the exit and the ceiling fell. He covered his head as the heavy structure narrowly missed his back, sending him to his knees.
This was it.
It occurred to him that death might come at a moment of great realization, his mission here on earth somehow fulfilled.
But his life wasn’t fulfilled, it was only just beginning, the possibility of Jackie as a force in his life still waiting to be explored.
Anger fueled his motion. With a roar, he pushed himself to a stand, casting flaming joists and drywall away.
The smoke was even thicker in the den, making it impossible to see.
He grabbed on to a table leg, the first thing he’d seen since his fall that was not engulfed in fire, and hurled it toward where he thought the window should be.
The crash of breaking glass was instantly followed by the whoosh of cooler air, filling the space and chasing away the smoke.
He struggled to his feet, the blaze now churning with increased vigor as he made his way to the window and saw her bathed in firelight on the grass.
Jackie.
Sweet, lovely Jackie. The woman who had drawn him back through the gates of hell, the promise of her so much greater than the meager time he’d shared with her so far. He knew it would be good—every moment in her presence—and he wanted that time more than he’d wanted anything that came before her.
“Ian.”
He opened his eyes to find her sitting beside him in his hospital room, and she took his hand in hers, leaning forward to press a kiss to the backs of his knuckles.
“You scared me,” she whispered. “I thought I lost you.”
“Not that easily.” His voice was a croak, barely decipherable as language, but she seemed to understand.
“Selena okay?”
Jackie nodded. “She’s fine.”
Mac entered the room, and Razorback held on to Jackie’s hand when she would have pulled it away. “This is Mac, my boss.”
“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am. Looks like we missed most of the action.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Razorback joked.
“I’m going to run down to the cafeteria with Selena for some lunch,” said Jackie. “Would either of you like anything?”
“No, thanks,” said Razorback, watching as she left.
“That was a close call today,” said Mac. “Cowboy tells me they got there just in time.”
“Another five minutes and we wouldn’t have made it out. It’s time to go to Washington and get this game over with once and for all. She won’t be safe until then. Do you know if Jax was able to get those passports?”
“Got an email from him an hour ago. No can do. You’re going to have to get into the country another way. Cowboy used to work border patrol before he became a SEAL. He says you can cross on foot over the mountains into Texas, but you’re not up for that trip. Maybe Dire could do it.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Maybe you didn’t notice, but you’re sitting in a hospital bed hooked up to a bunch of machines after getting toasted like a piece of bread.”
“They’re just keeping me for observation. I’ll be good as new in the morning.”
“You’re a doctor, for God’s sake. You know that’s bullshit.”
“I know there’s nothing they can do for me here. I’m not leaving Jackie.”
Mac put his hands on his hips. “And what if you hold her back? You thought about that? What if you’re physically unable to make the trip?”
He hadn’t considered that possibility, and much as he hated to admit it, Mac was right. “I’ll have them do a stress test in the morning before they discharge me. Make sure my heart’s up to it.”
“And if they won’t?”
“Then I’ll have Logan help me and do it myself.”
“You’ve got a skull thicker than a concrete slab. You know that?”
“I need to see this through. She and her daughter deserve a new beginning.”
Mac shook his head and sighed heavily. “Just be careful. In my experience, people don’t always get what they deserve.”