Page 55 of Trapped (Sheppard & Sons Investigations #6)
Nathan
W hen Ashley said we couldn’t use brute force to hold the pressure plate to get her off the bomb chair, I thought for sure Al had done something else to prevent us from saving her.
But no. She didn’t want her friends finding out she’d peed her pants when they put their hands under her ass.
My relief was so intense, all I could do was laugh as I watched Jack and Jamie put on medical gloves. Maybe she could blame it on the baby. They both had pregnant wives, so it’d be the perfect excuse.
“Bravo Two, Sierra Five, we need a dead body in here.”
“You wanna repeat that?” Doug asked.
“I’m not leaving Bravo Three alone,” Jay said before Doug finished. I couldn’t blame Jay for not wanting to leave his fiancée alone.
“Damn it,” I hissed.
“This is Sierra Four,” AJ chimed in. “I’ll help Five.”
“You stay with Sierra One and watch the target. I’ve got this,” Doug said.
A few minutes later, Doug shoved a body through the window to a waiting Kroup, before hauling himself in. The smell of blood and death quickly filled the cabin, making my eyes water.
“Let’s get this over with,” Doug said as he lifted the dead guy.
I finished untying Ashley in relative silence. The sound of our hearts beating too fast, the sound of our labored breathing, the sound of Ashley’s sniffles meant the room wasn’t silent, but no one was in the mood to talk.
“You ready?” I asked.
“Yes, get me out of here,” Ashley said, wiping tears off her face.
Doug stood to my left, holding the dead body in a bear hug.
I’d roll back and to the right after pulling Ashley off the chair.
“You should get out of here.” I told Kroup off comms.
“You stay. I stay,” he answered and clapped me on the shoulder before giving us space.
Squatting, I nodded to Jamie and Jack, who leaned over behind the chair. “We’re putting our hands under your ass to hold the plate down.”
“If you try to cop a feel, I’m telling your wives,” Ashley tried to laugh, but it came out as a whimper. God, she’s so fucking strong.
“Noted,” they answered together.
I waited for them to get into position, the veins in their necks standing out as they put their body weight behind their efforts.
“Ready,” Jamie grunted.
“Ready,” Jack groaned.
Ashley tried looking behind her.
“Ashley, eyes on me.”
Her eyes whipped to mine. Good girl .
“Ready,” Doug said.
I snaked my hands under Ashley’s armpits, hooking my forearms behind her shoulders. When I said “Let me do all the work” she nodded.
“On three.”
With a grunt, I yanked Ashley off the chair and fell back. I immediately rolled her under me, shielding her in case the bomb went off.