Logan’s voice seemed to be coming from a tunnel. His hand tugged on her ankle. Her body slid backwards. She knew she ought to resist him, but she couldn’t remember why. Her head throbbed so hard she couldn’t think.
“Don’t leave me, Logan,” she mumbled.
“Never.”
Reassured by his fierce tone, she relaxed and nodded off.
She dreamed of shouts and sirens… strangers and oxygen masks.
And scorching fires.
CHAPTER 30
“I’m sorry, Mr. West, but no one is allowed to ride in the back of the ambulance. It’s too crowded.” The paramedic secured the oxygen mask around Ellery’s face.
Logan’s heart wrenched. He couldn’t break his promise. He had to stay with her. What if she woke up in the ambulance?
“Please,” he croaked out. “I swear I won’t get in the way.”
The paramedic shook her head. “You’re not particularly small.”
“I can be,” Logan said, sucking in his gut, before falling into a coughing fit. “You won’t even know I’m there.”
Currently peaceful, Ellery had been periodically thrashing about, which had Logan worried.
“I’m sorry…” The paramedic’s voice trailed off when she looked up. His expression must’ve been pathetic, because she heaved a loud sigh. “Fine. But you’ll have to stay back. You can’t touch her.”
“Of course.” He relinquished his grip on Ellery’s hand, aching at the loss.
As they loaded her stretcher into the back of the ambulance, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“The woman was the only survivor,” said Jake. “She’ll be going to the hospital under FBI guard.”
“Better be a different hospital.” Logan’s blood boiled. “I’m tempted to kill her myself.”
He couldn’t understand why Ellery had put herself in more danger to protect the vile woman. Between heavy smoke inhalation and hypoxia from the carbon dioxide in the fire extinguisher, the paramedics warned she could have irreparable damage. They might not know for days whether she would even survive.
“They’ll take her to the county hospital,” said Jake. “Ellery will be at St. John’s. And Mack’s sending Josiah and Candace over to get checked out.”
“Good.” Logan pushed a hand through his hair, feeling guilty. He’d been so consumed with Ellery he’d hardly spared a thought for Josiah once he’d learned his friend was alive.
“Also…” Jake caught his arm before he could climb into the ambulance. “Dan’s planning to set up a protective detail at St. John’s, since the Krupins are still at large.”
Before he knew what was happening, an animalistic sound erupted from his chest. “Have Mack send Dan over to find me. I have a few things I’d like to say to that—”
“Gotcha!” Jake let out a cough that could’ve been a laugh and clapped him on the shoulder so hard it knocked him off balance. The guy didn’t know his own strength. “I’d love to be there if it happens.”
The paramedic hadn’t been exaggerating the crowded conditions in the rear of the ambulance. Logan perched on a small bench, his back against a set of cabinets. He’d never thought about the amount of equipment and supplies it took to set up what was essentially a small mobile hospital. The paramedic was on the phone with the hospital emergency room when Ellery came to. One hand pulled at her oxygen mask, while she struggled to escape the straps securing her to the stretcher. Her pitiful whimpers tore holes in Logan’s chest.
His promise forgotten, he was up and bent over her, gathering her hands in his. “Shhhh,” he soothed, kissing her smoke-smudged forehead. “I’m here. You’re safe.”
She coughed, a horrible rattly sound. But her body stilled, the trust in her eyes swelling his throat.
The paramedic tapped his arm. “Mr. West, I need you to take a seat.”
“Okay.” Logan brushed his lips across Ellery’s forehead again, and then he started to back away.
“Noooooo!” Ellery moaned under her mask, her hand fisting the front of his shirt.
“I’m sorry,” the paramedic said, “but it’s not safe for—”
“Pleeeease!” Ellery cried, her whole body thrashing.
“Fine!” The paramedic threw her hands in the air, and Logan pushed back a satisfied smile. He couldn’t help being happy that Ellery needed him.
Huffing her displeasure, the paramedic held up a small electronic gadget. “I’ll let you stay next to her. But only if you squeeze up there by her head and she lets me put this pulse oximeter back on.”
Ellery’s hand fell away from his shirt as coughs racked her body, but her eyes never left his. Still breathing fast, she didn’t protest the placement of the pulse oximeter on her middle finger.
“Logan…”
He smoothed the hair back from her face as he strained to hear her muffled voice. “We can talk later. I’m not going anywhere.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “I need to tell you… just in case something happens.”
