Page 37 of Rescued Dreams

“Stay back, sir.” He waved the guy off. “Let us work.” He twisted around to Amelia. “We need the Jaws of Life!”

She handed something to Izan and raced to the truck, hauling the big tool from its cabinet and running over with it. The two ends of the jaws would open like scissors and get the door separated from the frame so they could get the victims out.

Amelia eased the jaws into position to get to the kid first. Izan came over with the hose, and Della—back over by the hydrant now—got the water going. No one wanted to see the fire catch on something and get out of control.

As it was, they were all standing in fluid that had leaked from the vehicles.

“Get that door open.” Ridge ran around to the other side and used a glass-breaking tool on the back window. He pushed it in so that it didn’t land on the screaming child, and reached in to unlock the door.

The Jaws of Life whirred into action.

And promptly stopped.

Amelia yelped and he heard a crash before she muttered, “What on earth?”

Ridge looked over the roof. “What’s going on?”

“It overheated. It’s dead—and sparking.”

“Lewis, get water on it and douse that fire.” He looked at Amelia. “Get in this way and get the kid. Where’s my ambulance?”

A faulty piece of equipment might slow them down, but it wasn’t going to stop them from doing their jobs.

The problem?

It never should’ve happened.

Della grabbed the Jaws of Life.

“Hey, kiddo.” Amelia crouched on the rear seat.

Ridge smashed the front windshield with the glass-breaking tool. It shattered, and he hooked his axe in the corner to get it to fall toward him, not onto the victim. She had blood on her face and was slumped over the airbag. “Ma’am, can you hear me?”

Della screamed and dropped the Jaws of Life. “The battery just exploded!”

Ridge heard a telltale popping from under the car. “Everyone out!”

He reached in and unclipped the driver, not willing to move without at least trying to save her. Arms under her, around her body. Thank the Lord she was slight. He pulled her out the window, backing up as fast as he could. Amelia scrambled out of the back door, holding the kid.

Another two pops and the car whooshed into a fireball that dislodged the truck and flipped the front end into the air a foot.

Ridge fell back onto the ground, clutching the driver.

Amelia landed beside him, holding the screaming child.

Pain slammed through his head, and he cried out, rolling to protect the victim from the searing heat.

THIRTEEN

Amelia lay back, aware she needed to hang on to the child. Dazed and shaken, she fought to focus on what had just happened.The car exploded.Not an unusual circumstance in a traffic collision call with flammable liquids leaking out and the fire still not quite extinguished.

The Jaws of Life overheating? Not so much.

And had Della said they blew up?

Then the car did.

Amelia heard the child start to cry again. Poor guy was a three- or four-year-old, and he might not have any injuries, but he was certainly shaken up. Confused. Terrified.