Page 125 of Through the Storms

Riley took Mia’s hand. “Are you ready?”

Mia nodded. “I just want out of here.”

“Okay, let’s do it.”

Riley moved back to where Mia’s left foot was trapped under the fallen beam. “Do you think you could roll over onto your left side?”

Mia shifted and slowly turned. Her sharp intake of breath told Riley that she was experiencing pain, but Mia was a trouper and continued to turn.

“You’re doing great,” Riley said.

When Mia was fully on her side, Riley examined Mia’s foot. As she’d hoped, the weight of the ceiling wasn’t on the foot itself, ithad just trapped it underneath at an awkward angle. From the looks of it, Mia’s ankle was likely broken.

“I’m going to pull the blankets and debris out from under your leg. I think it’ll give us enough room to pull your foot out.”

Gently but methodically, Riley removed the blankets and dug out around Mia’s foot.Damn.Once she’d removed everything, there wasn’t enough clearance to extract Mia’s foot without having to either twist it or pull it through.

Riley moved back up and met Mia’s gaze. Just as she was about to speak, a piece of the ceiling collapsed beside her. Mia let out a scream.

“It’s okay.” But for how long? A creaking groan came from over their heads. “Here’s the deal, Mia.” Riley locked gazes with Mia. “We need to get out of here soon. I’m going to have to twist your leg to get it out. It’s going to hurt pretty bad.” Riley grabbed a corner of the blanket. “You might want to bite down on this when I do it.”

Mia’s eyes widened. “We watched a documentary about the Civil War where people were biting down on stuff while they cut off their legs.”

Riley smiled. “I can guarantee you that it won’t be that bad.”

“If they can do it, I can.” Determination filled her voice. Just like her mom—tough. She rolled the end of the blanket and stuffed it into her mouth.

Riley went back to the leg, and pieces of drywall rained down around her.Shit.“Your mom is going to be so happy to see you,” Riley said, knowing it was best to keep talking and not tell Mia exactly when she was going to do it. If she did, Mia would only stiffen and make it more difficult. “She’s got all kinds of stories to tell you,” Riley tightened her grip on Mia’s leg, “and I’m sure you have stories to—” Riley twisted Mia’s ankle about an inch and pulled it through the opening.

Mia’s entire body tensed, and she whimpered through the blanket, but she didn’t scream.

“You did great.” Riley moved up beside Mia.

Mia’s face was deathly white, but her eyes were still clear.

Another large piece of drywall fell from the ceiling.

“Do you think you can hold on around my neck?” Riley asked. “We’re going to hit some narrow spots, where I won’t be able to carry you in my arms. Plus, we’ll make better time if you’re on my back.”

“I haven’t ridden piggyback since I was five.” Mia gave Riley a smile through the pain.

Riley returned the smile. “Let’s go.”

CHAPTER 46

Chloe paced. She sworeshe heard a scream earlier, but with the commotion of the rescue teams around them, it was likely her imagination. Her gaze fixed on the opening where Riley had disappeared. Lana stayed nearby but gave Chloe space to wrestle with her own thoughts. She glanced at her watch. Riley had only been gone for ten minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

Despite her concentration, a disturbance behind Chloe caused her to turn.Fuck.A red-faced Dennis screamed at Oakley and Asher, who tried to keep him back.

Lana moved up alongside Chloe and touched her elbow. “Is that your ex?”

Chloe sighed. “Unfortunately.”

When Dennis noticed Chloe looking in his direction, he screamed, “Chloe, tell these assholes to let me pass.”

Oakley met Chloe’s gaze and gave her a questioning look.

Chloe nodded.