Chapter 10 #4
Time seemed to slow down as he waited for the sun to get to the perfect point in the sky. Carlin’s tone got more and more agitated, and for a second, Storm thought they weren’t going to make it. That she’d get impatient and decide she was done waiting for Creasy to show up and detonate the bomb.
One second the air was filled with tense anticipation, and the next, the first rays of the sun burst above the horizon as if a beacon from God, pointing His finger at Carlin in condemnation.
It was a fanciful thought, and Storm didn’t have time to dwell on it. He knew he and his team had only seconds to act. That Carlin would realize her front side was vulnerable and surely someone would make a move to stop her deadly plans.
Looking up at Bubba, who he could see was lifting the rifle from about thirty yards in front of Jane’s vehicle, Storm held his breath.
He squeezed Jane’s hand hard, trying to warn her that the shit was about to hit the fan. He felt her tense—and then he moved.
Storm wrenched the car door open and pulled Jane toward him with all his strength.
She practically flew out of the seat and into his arms. He threw them both backward toward the open door of the guard shack as fast as he could. Storm needed to put as much distance between them and that bomb as possible.
He was counting on the suddenness of his movements to take Carlin off guard.
That it would take her a moment to realize what was happening, that her hostage was escaping, before she could detonate the bomb in her lap.
He hoped she would just give up—but he’d seen his share of both desperate and crazy people in his life, and he knew she wouldn’t go down easily.
Unfortunately for him and Jane, he was right. He heard Carlin scream a frustrated and anguished “no!” the moment Jane cleared the car…
A shot sounded from somewhere around them…
And then the world exploded.
Maybe not the world, but the car Jane had been sitting in seconds earlier.
Storm had managed to get them both through the guard shack and out the other side before the bomb went off, and he rolled until Jane was under him.
He would’ve run with her, but didn’t want to do anything that would leave her vulnerable.
Staying put wasn’t exactly safe, but was better than shrapnel tearing through her body as they ran.
He covered her body with his own, closed his eyes, and prayed harder than he’d ever prayed in his life.
The dubious protection of the guard shack wasn’t going to be enough to keep them completely safe, but he just hoped it would save their lives.
The noise was loud, deafening. Storm felt pain slam into his back as the bulletproof windows in the guard shack exploded, no match for the force of the bomb.
“Storm!” Jane cried from under him, but he didn’t budge.
He held her tighter as debris rained down on them from what seemed like every direction.
Despite his ears ringing and his back throbbing in pain, Storm refused to move, even when he thought the worst was past. He wasn’t going to take a chance that Carlin had survived and would come after Jane.
“Storm…” Jane called out again.
She sounded stressed, and Storm knew he had to check to make sure she hadn’t been hurt.
That she wasn’t bleeding out or anything and needed medical assistance.
He lifted his head a fraction of an inch and felt something fall off him.
It seemed as if they were mostly buried under what was left of the guard shack.
While it had collapsed on them, it had also protected them from the worst of the blast.
Storm’s back and legs throbbed, but he was alive. Jane was alive.
He looked into her eyes and saw that her pupils were so dilated, he almost couldn’t see the beautiful brown irises he’d fallen head over heels in love with.
“Storm?” she asked again.
Her hand was still in his, and he was holding it tightly between them. “Are you okay?” he croaked.
Her eyes immediately filled with tears, and just as he began to panic, she nodded. “Thanks to you, yes.”
“Fuck,” he said under his breath, the relief almost a palpable thing.
“I love you,” he blurted, not even caring that now probably wasn’t the time or place for such a declaration.
“The second I saw someone in your car with you, I knew something was wrong. I’m not letting you go,” he vowed.
“You might not love me yet, but you will. I’ll do whatever it takes. ”
“I do,” she told him, tears spilling over the sides of her eyes and down her temples to be absorbed into her dusty hair. “I think I’ve loved you forever.”
That was all Storm needed to hear. His lips came down on hers, and he kissed her as if she was the most precious thing in his life…because she was. “I thought I’d lost you,” he mumbled desperately.
“I knew you’d somehow get me out of there,” she told him.
Storm hadn’t been so sure, but he didn’t contradict her.
“Sir?” they heard someone call from above them. “Get this fucking debris off them!”
Storm groaned as a piece of wood was removed from his back.
“Are you all right?” Jane asked worriedly.
He opened his mouth to say he was fine, that he’d been hurt much worse on some of his SEAL missions, but instead, he closed his eyes and did his best not to pass out when a board shifted across his legs and something sharp dug into his calf.
“Stop!” Jane yelled, making Storm wince since she’d yelled forcefully, practically in his ear. “Storm’s hurt! Be fucking careful!”
He couldn’t help but chuckle at that. He didn’t care how many nails had to be pulled out of his back and legs. Jane was safe, and that was all he cared about.
“Hey, Sir,” Rocco said in an obnoxiously cheerful voice. “You want to continue to lay there smooching on your woman, or do you think you might want to get up and get out of here?”
“Fuck off, sailor,” Storm told him, doing his best not to wince when someone took hold of his arm to help him stand.
He accepted Gumby and Bubba’s assistance, then immediately turned to help Jane. When they were both upright, and Jane was against his side, snuggled into him, he looked around in disbelief.
They looked like they were standing in the middle of a war zone. Both his and Jane’s cars were totaled. The guard shack was rubble, but it had done exactly what he’d hoped: blocked the worst of the blast and gave them just enough protection to withstand the shock wave from the bomb.
When he saw what was left of the woman who’d been sitting next to Jane—basically a few body parts here and there—he turned to block Jane’s view.
“Come on,” Bubba said quietly. “Let’s get you to the medics.”
Storm had no idea how bad his injuries were, but if his SEALs were encouraging him to go straight to the medics, they were bad enough. But Storm was upright and able to walk, even if each step made pain shoot through his body.
“You okay, Jane?” Rocco asked in a more serious tone.
“I’m good,” she told him. “Storm protected me.”
Rocco nodded as if that was the most normal thing he’d heard that morning. “For what it’s worth, I think his injuries look worse than they are. Whatever you do, don’t coddle the man. He’ll get soft, then take it out on us.”
Jane’s lips twitched, but she didn’t smile.
It was too soon. Storm knew she’d have some more bad times after this.
Who wouldn’t? He didn’t know what had happened in her car or what was said…
but he would. Jane would tell him everything.
Then he’d do whatever it took to make her feel safe and grounded again.
Just as he knew she’d do what she could to reassure him that she was fine.
Leaning over, Storm kissed her temple as they walked. The movement made whatever was sticking out of his shoulder shift, and he huffed out a painful breath. But he knew whatever happened from this moment forward, he’d get through it. Jane loved him, and he loved her. Nothing else mattered.