Page 37 of Rescued Dreams (Last Chance Fire and Rescue #8)

THIRTY-SIX

R idge leaned against the doorframe, gasping, trying not to collapse onto the floor. Maddie and Ella stared at him from inside two cages. To their left was an empty one, and beside that, Olivia Tazwell sat holding her arm to her chest.

“Is Ridgey okay?”

Of course Maddie was more concerned with him than with her own situation.

Kane and Maria crouched in front of the cages and broke off their discussion about how to defuse the device on the cage’s padlock.

“I’m okay, Mads.” He would be better when everyone was out of here. Not just everyone except Amelia. “It hit the vest.”

“You don’t look okay,” Ella said.

“He’s okay,” Kane said.

Ridge needed to reassure her but couldn’t muster up the energy to do more than stand here, using the doorway to hold himself up. Bruised ribs and a gunshot that’d slammed into his chest? Yeah, they were probably broken ribs now.

Olivia said, “I got shot once. It was a through and through.”

“What does that mean?” Maddie glanced between him and Olivia.

The cop said, “It means the bullet went in the front and out the back. It was high enough on my shoulder that it missed anything vital.”

“It went in and came out?” Maddie wailed.

Olivia shifted, gritting her teeth. “That’s a good thing. A bullet is dirty. Wearing a vest? Even better.”

Maddie said, “Where’s Amelia?”

Ridge wanted an answer to that question but didn’t have it in him to respond to Maddie.

Kane said, “Soon as you’re out of here, we’re gonna go find her.”

Maria did something to the mechanism, then pulled it off the padlock, tossing it aside.

Ridge had lost a good amount of time lying on the floor, almost passing out. Able to hear Amelia being dragged away by Nicholas. He’d wanted to run after her but couldn’t move, let alone be the one who rescued her.

If it was going to happen, it would be Kane who saved her.

Ella and Maddie raced to him. They took his weight, but he found he didn’t have to lean on them. Maddie hovered on his injured side, her arm around his waist. Ella held up his other arm, and they all headed for the door while Maria helped Olivia.

Kane raced around them and opened the door, the device Maria had disarmed on the lawn where she’d tossed the pieces after rendering it inert.

It was all taking too much time. “We need to get Amelia.” Ridge had to say it, even though they all knew it. Kane especially.

“Let’s get you guys outside first.” He held Maddie’s arm. “I hear engines.”

A second later, flashing lights breached the tree line on the lane. Multiple police vehicles raced toward them.

Ridge couldn’t relax. This wasn’t over—not even close.

“Where is she?” Maddie looked around.

Ella said, “Come on. Kane will get her.”

He wanted to turn around.

A massive boom rocked the building, followed by another a second later and a third right after that. The floor under them rocked.

“Go.” He stepped out, ignoring the pain. Bringing the girls with him. “Come on.”

Kane said, “We need to get clear of the building, now!”

Amelia.

Ridge started to turn back.

Olivia yelled, “Run, Foster!”

He moved faster, getting the girls clear. Leaving Amelia in God’s hands, even though it broke his heart to do that. She could be dying inside the house, or trapped.

Now it was falling down around them.

He picked up their pace, down the steps to the gravel. The house started to collapse on itself with a great crash. The sound of stone hitting stone. Cracking. Creaking.

It swelled in volume, like the loudest, longest peel of thunder he’d ever heard. The twins clapped their hands over their ears.

Kane got everyone back a little more.

The cop cars pulled up, but Ridge didn’t look to see who had shown up for them. Too late.

Amelia was in there.

She was gone.

Ridge stared at the house as it was demolished by the force of the explosions. The structure collapsed, spraying dirt and glass into the air.

He backed the girls up a little more.

Tears ran down Ella’s face. Maddie wrapped her arms around her sister. He wanted to pull them both close. Say something that would make things better.

But there was nothing that would make the nightmare of this evening better.

Maddie gasped, pointing at the house. “A car!”

Ridge spun around to see headlights lift and dip as the car traversed the grass in front of the house.

“That woman.”

He turned to Maria. “What woman?”

“The pregnant one we saw behind the house.”

Maddie yelled over the settling building, the car engine, and the residual noise, saying, “The pregnant lady is dead. Nicholas took her away and killed her!”

Maria shook her head. “We saw her outside, and she said she’d escaped him. She’s pregnant, so there was nothing she could do to help you guys. She was going to save herself and her baby.”

Ridge started toward the car. Picked up his pace. This woman knew where he’d find Amelia.

Kane tugged on his good arm and jogged in front of him.

“What’s going on?”

Ridge knew that was one of the cops asking, but didn’t stop to answer, and neither did Kane. He heard Maria and the girls launch into conversation with the officers, but Olivia told them all to shush, then took over.

Ridge tuned it out. He lifted one hand and waved. “Stop!”

Kane waved his arms overhead. “Stop!”

The car kept coming. The driver held the steering wheel with both hands and stared at them with wide eyes. Cherry.

They waved their arms more.

“Stop!”

Kane yelled, “Stop!”

One of the police cars fired up its siren for a second. The car jerked a little in front of them, as if her foot slipped off the gas. For a second, it looked like she was going to swerve around them and keep going, but Kane sidestepped and kept in front of her.

Finally, she skidded the car to a stop, spraying mud and grass behind her.

Ridge ran to the passenger side. Every step jolted pain through his shoulder. He needed to get stitched up by a doctor and all that, but not without knowing where Amelia was.

Kane opened the driver’s door. “Step out of the car, ma’am.”

Officer Thomas ran over. “I’ll take over from here.” He had his gun drawn. “Step out, please.”

The pregnant woman, Cherry, climbed out slowly, grasping the sides of the door. Kane even held her hand for a second.

“Where’s Amelia?”

Ridge didn’t mean to yell it over the roof of the car, but now it was too late.

Officer Thomas shot him a look.

Cherry said, “I don’t know anything. I can’t be here. I have to leave, or my baby will be in distress.”

“We can call you an ambulance, ma’am,” Thomas said. “You don’t need to drive yourself.”

“But first you need to tell us what’s going on.” Kane folded his arms. “Where are Nicholas and Amelia?”

Another cop jogged over. “I see we still don’t know if she’s with these guys or innocent.”

“Basuto.” Ridge turned to him. “If I hadn’t been shot by this guy while trying to save Amelia from being hanged in the lobby of that house, I’d punch you in the face.”

“I’d arrest you.” Basuto wanted to get in his face, but he didn’t.

Maddie and Ella started crying.

Ridge glanced over and saw Maria put her arms around the girls. “Where is Amelia?” He turned to Cherry as he said it.

“He’s a madman. I don’t know where he went or what’s happening. I’m not responsible for this!”

Interesting that she felt as if she needed to clarify. Because of Basuto’s comment, or because of something else? Ridge said, “Where did he go?”

“Did he say anything to you about his plans?” Officer Thomas asked her.

Cherry shook her head. “I need to go. I can just drive myself.” She looked at the rubble, what remained of the house. “I don’t want to be here.”

A small thump sounded from the trunk of her car.

Cherry launched into loud wails. “You can’t keep me here! I’m a victim!”

Ridge opened the passenger door, spotted the button on the key fob, still in the ignition since she hadn’t turned off the car, and hit the button to open the trunk. Basuto got there first.

Ridge spotted Amelia’s hair color, and Basuto hauled her out of the trunk.

Kane said, “Watch out!” But his attention was on the back window.

Ridge looked and saw a dark figure crawl over the seats and hit the gas, throwing the car into Drive. Amelia fell out onto Basuto, her hands tied behind her back.

The engine revved.

Ridge went to her but glanced over at the car now careening down the grassy hill with the trunk open. The driver’s door slammed shut.

Officer Thomas and a number of the other cops raced after the car with their weapons drawn. Aimed. Officer Thomas stopped, his feet apart. He squeezed off a shot at the car.

The volley of shots that followed was deafening. Glass splintered, and the engine whined. It swerved to the side and slammed into a tree.

The cops ran to it while Basuto grunted, shifting out from under Amelia. He got up just in time to see the other officers pull Nicholas out onto the ground.

Ridge turned to Amelia. Kane crouched and cut her hands free, then untied the cloth around her mouth. She looked about as haggard as Ridge felt, but she’d never been more beautiful.

Ridge wound his good arm around her and pulled her onto his lap while she let loose the tears. He held his arm around her, babbling nonsense that sounded reassuring.

Basuto hadn’t moved from beside them.

Ridge looked up at the guy, and it nearly made him pass out. Okay, so maybe he needed to get seen by a doctor.

“Sorry I didn’t believe you.” Basuto lifted his chin. “Old wounds I didn’t realize were still there.”

“Do me a favor?” Ridge lifted his chin as well.

Basuto said, “What’s that?”

“Grab Cherry before she flees. She was in on it with Nicholas.”

The minute everyone had turned to the fleeing car, Cherry had tried to make a run for it. Trotting off like a person unaccustomed to exercise. Still, she was halfway across the yard already.

Basuto took off after her.

Amelia twisted around and looked in the direction he’d gone. “He needs to get you a helicopter to take you to the hospital, then he and I can call it even.”

Kane came over and crouched. “Amelia, you okay?”

She nodded, sitting up a little. When Kane walked away, she turned to Ridge. “You were shot.” Her body shuddered, her voice raw. “I thought you were dead.”

He touched her cheek and leaned his forehead on hers. “I think I might be. It hit the vest, but it still hurts.” Actual tears rolled down his face. He had to suck in a breath. “Don’t let me pass out.”

She shifted off his lap but sat facing him, close enough their hips were touching. “I’ve got you. Passing out might be a good idea. It’ll stop hurting. The girls are good, right?” She moved her arm out of sight. “Everything is okay now. Because you were here.”

She leaned over and touched her lips to his. “God brought us through it.”

His eyes flared.

Before he could say anything, Maddie and Ella sat around them. “Ridgey?” Maddie bit her lip. Ella leaned against her sister.

“I’m good.” He gritted his teeth and got the words out.

“You don’t look okay,” Ella pointed out.

“I’ve got the three of you,” he said, holding her gaze with a steady stare. “I’m good.”