Chapter 39
Piper
Coughing hard, I tried not to panic.
The fire was growing, flames licking over the wood, and the smoke was getting worse. I could barely see anything.
I reached for my dropped bag, my fingers barely brushing it. Then I felt soft fabric and pulled Everett’s red flannel shirt toward me. I held it up to my face and instantly, the smoke wasn’t so bad.
He’ll come.
I knew Everett would come for me.
Suddenly, I froze. Oh hell, I was falling in love with him.
Wow, I had really bad timing on finally realizing that. Maybe deep down I already knew, I’d just been in denial.
First thing, survive the fire, then worry about falling in love.
Everett would come for me, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to help myself. Tying the shirt around my head the best I could, I slapped around. Maybe Corvo had dropped a tool.
My fingers brushed a lump. I thought it was a rock but as I drew it closer, I realized it was a broken clump of concrete. I lifted it and felt the jagged edges on one side. Okay, a saw or knife would have been better, but I wasn’t in the position to be fussy.
I bent over and started sawing the concrete clump against the rope. Maybe I could break through and get free.
I kept working, and reminding myself that I wasn’t alone. Someone would see the fire. Someone would realize I was missing.
Everett would come. The others would come. Somehow, without trying, I’d ended up with friends who cared about me. My throat tightened, energy filling me.
With renewed vigor, I sawed harder against the rope.
But the smoke got denser. I couldn’t see the other side of the space anymore. My throat and lungs burned. I coughed, my eyes stinging. I heard crackling as the fire devoured.
On my next push, the concrete went flying out of my hand and I heard it skitter away across the floor, disappearing into the smoke.
“No, dammit.” I tugged on the rope, but it held tight.
Then I heard something. A distant shout.
My head jerked up and I looked back over my shoulder. “Here! I’m here!”
Had my smoke-infused brain imagined it?
“Piper!”
My heart leaped. It was Everett.
“Everett! I’m here!” Quickly, I slipped off one of my heels. I banged it on the wood frame, then on the floor.
Damn, I might ruin it, but I’d take alive with a ruined shoe over the alternative.
I kept banging and yelling.
Then I saw movement in the smoke. I saw a big form, and then Everett was there.
Everything inside me lit up.
“Shit, Piper.” He knelt beside me. “Are you okay?”
I coughed again. “I am now.”
I watched him pull a pocketknife off his belt. Of course he carried a knife. I’d never been happier that he was a mountain man. Maybe I needed to get one to keep in my handbag.
He cut through the zip ties, and I was free.
Then, he slid his arms under me and scooped me up. I held on tight as he rushed out.
The smoke was thick and he coughed.
I couldn’t see a thing. What if we were both trapped in here and died?
Then the smoke started to thin and I saw more shapes. Caden, Enzo, and Alessio.
“I’ve got her,” Everett said.
“Thank fuck,” Caden replied. “The fire department is here.”
We ran out of the burning construction tent and I shoved the flannel down from my face. Cold hit me, but so did fresh air. I dragged it greedily into my lungs.
That’s when I saw a crowd had gathered. There was a group of people, and a firetruck, with firefighters in gear directing hoses at the burning construction.
I spotted Tessa, Allie, Sierra, Jazz, and the others. Ro was with them. I saw relief on their faces.
“I’m okay.” I followed that with an unconvincing coughing attack.
Then I saw Corvo. He was sitting on the ground, handcuffed, with Gunnar standing over him. Mud coated his clothes.
Burning, incandescent rage at all the terror and pain he’d inflicted hit me.
I wriggled. “Everett, put me down.”
“You need to get checked out, Piper.”
“Down.” I wriggled harder.
He set me down. I was only wearing one shoe, but that was all I needed. I limped over to Corvo. He glared up at me. I noted with some satisfaction that someone had punched him in the face. Then I kicked him with my high heel.
“Ow!” he yelped.
I kicked him again.
“Okay, Wonder Woman, that’s enough.” Everett lifted me back into his arms. Then he swiveled and headed straight toward an ambulance I hadn’t noticed before.
“He deserved far worse than that.” I sucked in a breath. “Please tell me you were the one who punched him?”
“Yeah, I hit him. And it felt good.”
He set me down at the back of the open ambulance.
“I’m okay. I—”
Everett cupped my face, his gaze hardening. His thumb stroked over my aching cheekbone. “He hit you?”
His tone was menacing as he turned to look at Corvo again.
I yanked his face back to me. “You can’t hit him again.”
“Yes, I can,” he countered.
“I’m okay,” I murmured. I touched the flannel shirt still tied around my neck. “Your flannel shirt saved my life.” My lips quirked. “Those are words I never expected to say in my life.”
He dropped his forehead to mine. “When he said he had you there… I was so fucking afraid.”
I pressed my lips to his. He instantly kissed me, and I tasted Everett. Even though I was shaken, cold, my throat was raspy, and I’d ruined my favorite pair of high heels, everything suddenly felt right.
He pulled back. “Please let them check you out.”
I nodded. “But I have something to say first.” A huge rush of nerves hit me and I licked my lips. “Funny thing, but being in a life-or-death situation really brings things into focus.”
He frowned.
I saw Ro, Tessa and the others close by, but I blocked them out. My next inhale was long and deep.
“I’m falling in love with you.” It came out in a fast, breathy rush.
I heard our friends gasp, but Everett just stared at me. I tried to get a read on him, but got nothing. He just stared at me.
Oh, crap. My stomach did a wild pitch. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. Jesus, I’d forgotten that I didn’t hike, and wasn’t some mountain girl next door.
I leaned back. “Forget I said anything. The smoke must have got to me. I’ll just—”
He hauled me back to him and I collided with his hard chest. “I’m not falling in love with you because I’ve already finished falling.”
“Oh.” Elation filled me. “You love me?”
“I do, big city.”
I jumped on him.
He caught me, then we were kissing—hard, like the world was ending and this was our last kiss.
I ruined it by having to tear my mouth free of his and cough.
A paramedic stepped forward. “We really need to check her out for injuries and smoke inhalation.”
Everett set me down, but kept my hand tight in his. He smiled down at me and I smiled back.