Summer Fling: Compass Girls, Book 3 (12 page)

Jesus.
 

He ran toward Jade, yelling for her to get away. She didn’t acknowledge him. Instead she continued to tug at the unconscious man, her frantic actions attesting to the fact that she knew exactly what kind of danger she was courting.
 

When he reached her, he tried to pull her to safety, but she fought him.

“Jade. Run. The car could explode.”

She shook her head, refusing to release the man. “It’s Bruce. Help me.” Her voice was filled with terror, panic.
 

“I’ll get him. Get away from here!”

“No.”

“Dammit, Jade! I’m not fucking around. Move. Now!”

“Help me or get out of my way, Liam! I’m not leaving until he’s safe.” While Jade and her boss constantly yelled and screamed and cursed at each other, Liam knew she loved Bruce like he was family. She wouldn’t leave his side until he was well clear of the burning vehicle.

“Slide over. Let me get a grip on him.” Bruce was no small man, but between the two of them, they managed to drag him out of the driver’s seat seconds before the fire spread from under the hood, flames engulfing the dashboard and the mangled steering wheel.

Time wasn’t on their side. They grasped Bruce under his arms, straining to pull the man across the road, away from the danger, the imminent explosion. They’d just reached the other side when Liam heard a series of loud pops.
 

He laid Bruce on the ground, then grabbed Jade’s head and pushed her low as well. “Get down!”
 

Together they covered Bruce’s body with theirs as the blaze reached the gas tank. A deafening boom followed by an intense wall of heat hit Liam like a freight train. Jade trembled beneath him as he sought to shelter her. For several moments, neither of them moved as huge, leaping flames traveled along the trunk of the tree, consuming it. A sharp crack pierced the night as one of the large, lower branches gave way and fell.

While the fire continued to burn, the flaring plumes of orange and yellow grew smaller. Like the powerful outburst experienced when starter fluid is thrown on a lit campfire, the blaze died down once its fuel burned out.

Jade was the first to rise. Her face was white as a sheet and tear-stained. Liam realized exactly how terrified she’d been. He could relate. His hands were shaking and his heart was pounding so hard it felt as if it would burst right out of his chest. He reached over to cup her face.

“You okay?”

She nodded, though her eyes were wide. Liam briefly wondered if she was going into shock. Then, in typical Jade fashion, she powered through the fear more quickly than he was going to be able to. She glanced down at Bruce, placing her fingers against her boss’s carotid artery, checking his pulse. Liam looked for injuries, but the air bag appeared to have done its job. Apart from a wicked red mark on his right cheek and what was definitely going to be a black eye, Liam couldn’t see any cuts or scratches that looked too serious. His main concern was the fact the man was still unconscious.

“Bruce.” Jade lightly shook the man’s shoulders. “Bruce. Wake up. Can you hear me?”

Bruce moaned, his eyelids fluttering a bit before they closed once more.

A siren sounded in the distance. Jade looked toward the road.

“I called 911 as soon as I came upon the accident,” he explained.

Jade smiled. “Good thinking. The second I saw Bruce’s car, I hopped off my bike and ran to him. Never occurred to me to phone anyone.”

Her admission bothered Liam. While it wasn’t unusual for Jade to leap in to situations—breaking up fights at the bar, answering fire alarms and the like—she never remembered to ask for help, even if she needed it.

Jade glanced at the burning vehicle. “Fuck.”

Liam looked over his shoulder to see what had upset her. “Oh damn, kiddo. I’m sorry.” The tree branch that had broken during the fire had fallen onto her motorcycle, doing more than its fair share of damage. Fortunately for him, only a few smaller limbs had reached his pickup truck. While the paint was probably scratched, his vehicle was still drive-able. The same wasn’t true for Jade’s bike.

Jade blew out a long, annoyed breath, but she didn’t complain. Instead, she gazed down at Bruce again. “It’s okay. The motorcycle can be fixed. If that’s the worst thing that happens tonight…” Her words faded away, her voice breaking.

She was clearly worried about Bruce.

“He’ll be okay, Jade.”

She nodded, blinking back tears, refusing to let them fall.

“Did you see the accident?” Liam asked.

Jade shook her head. “No. Bruce left about a half hour before us, remember?” She shuddered lightly and Liam knew she was thinking about how close her boss had come to losing his life. That was the one thought that kept beating a steady rhythm in his mind, but the name of the victim was different for him.

Jade
could have died.
 

A police car parked near them, Sawyer stepping out. The sheriff studied the burning vehicle for only a second as he ran toward them.

Jade rose quickly as her father approached, calling out her name. “Jade!”

“I’m fine, Dad.” Her calmly spoken reassurance was belied by her actions. Though she wasn’t usually overly affectionate, Liam watched as she accepted her father’s strong embrace, clinging to him, sniffling against his shirt.

“What happened?” Sawyer asked, looking at Liam, refusing to release Jade.

“Bruce was in an accident. We’re not sure what caused it. Jade got here first, then I happened along.”

Jade took a small step back, looking up at her dad’s face. “We pulled him out. Then a few minutes later, it caught fire and exploded.”

Liam narrowed his eyes at Jade’s false interpretation of events. She didn’t bother to look his way. Instead, she kept her eyes steadfastly directed at her father.

“Jesus,” Sawyer muttered, pulling Jade back into his arms. “You could have been hurt.”

She could have been killed. Liam didn’t speak the thought aloud. Her father was shaken up enough.

Another siren and more flashing lights approached. The ambulance stopped next to Sawyer’s patrol car and soon, three EMTs surrounded Bruce as the firefighters arrived with the tanker, working to douse the flames that had already started to wane. It would have burned out on its own, but given the lack of rain and dry summer they’d had, Liam knew they were smart to douse the area with water in order to prevent a potential flare-up or brushfire.

Sawyer looked at Jade’s mangled motorcycle. “I’ll call Rex and have him come pick up your bike. He can take it back to the shop.”

“Thanks,” Jade answered distractedly. Her attention was on the EMTs who had put Bruce on a gurney and were loading him into the rescue squad.

Liam placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, kiddo. I’ll give you a lift to the hospital. We can wait to see what the doctor says and then I’ll take you home.”

She looked at Liam appreciatively. “Really? You sure you don’t mind?”

He shook his head. There was no way he was letting her out of his sight for a while. He was still too shaken up by all the
what ifs
. There were a lot of uneasy feelings churning in his gut. Until he figured out how to deal with them, he was sticking to her like glue.

“Thanks, Liam.” Sawyer slapped him on the shoulder. “I really need to hang out here a little longer to record the scene, then write my report. I’ll stop by Circle H some time tomorrow to get a statement from you.”

Liam nodded. “That’s fine.”

Sawyer reached for Jade again and she stepped into his arms. “I really am okay, Dad.” Her voice sounded exasperated, though Liam didn’t think she minded her father’s hug as much as she pretended.

Sawyer placed a kiss to the top of her head. “Yeah. I know. Humor me.”

They held on to each other for a few more seconds before pulling apart. “I’ll stop by your cabin tomorrow to check on you. And you might want to tidy up a bit because you know your mom, grandma and all the aunts will be around to make sure you’re okay.”

She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Do you have to tell them about this?”

Sawyer chuckled. “I won’t have to say a word. There are at least half a dozen people here, all ready to share the tale. I guarantee you there won’t be a single person in Compton Pass who won’t know all the details about this accident by midday tomorrow.”

Jade sighed. “Shit.”

Sawyer walked toward the wrecked car as Liam grasped Jade’s hand and led her to his pickup. They rode to the hospital in silence, both of them coming down hard from the adrenaline rush provoked by their brush with near-death.

Liam was assaulted by the memory of the night the state patrolman had knocked on the door to Celia’s parents’ house. He’d driven over to see them after Mrs. Woods called to ask if Celia had been in touch with him. She was late getting back from Denver and wasn’t answering her phone. Liam had been the one to answer the door when they saw the police car pull into the driveway. He’d listened calmly as the policeman explained about the accident, told them how there was nothing Celia could have done, how she hadn’t suffered.
 

The same numbness Liam had felt that night settled in. He couldn’t go through that again. He wouldn’t. Suddenly the game he’d been playing with Jade felt foolish. Wrong.

They sat in the hospital waiting room for nearly an hour, neither of them speaking, before the doctor appeared.

Jade rose as he approached. “Is Bruce okay?”

The doctor nodded. “He’ll be fine, but we’re keeping him here to run a few more tests. He listed you as his next of kin.” Bruce was a confirmed bachelor with no wife, no kids and no relatives—his parents long since dead and his only estranged sister living somewhere on the East Coast. Dr. Henderson understood Jade was as close as he was going to get to family, so he’d likely gotten Bruce’s permission to share information with her.

“What’s wrong with him?”

Dr. Henderson shrugged. “Several things. The one that concerns me the most right now is his blood pressure. It’s sky-high, and we’re working on bringing it down. He’s also got a blockage in his heart that may require a stent, and his ulcer is back.”

“He’s had one before?”

The doctor gave her a weary smile. “Bruce had a nasty ulcer a few years ago. I treated it, suggested he alter his diet. I don’t think I have to tell you he’s pretty set in his ways and not generally open to change.”

Jade released a loud
ha
. “He’s stubborn as a mule. Stupid, infuriating asshole. I told him it was something serious a week ago.”

Liam lightly laid his hand on the small of Jade’s back, hoping to calm her down. Her fear had initially turned to worry, but now annoyance and frustration were kicking in. “He was really out of it after the accident, Doc. Ulcers don’t do that, do they?”

Dr. Henderson rubbed the back of his neck. “No. That was due to the high blood pressure. I can only assume he lost consciousness while he was driving. He’s lucky you were both there and able to get him help so quickly.”

“Can I see him?” Jade asked.

“He’s asleep right now. I’d suggest that you go on home and get some rest, Jade, then come back in the morning. If he responds well to the medication we’ve put him on, he may be able to leave the hospital as early as the day after tomorrow.”

The doctor’s words clearly went a long way toward setting Jade’s mind at ease. “Thanks.” Exhaustion was written on her face, in her posture. Time for bed.

Liam led Jade back to his truck. She was silent for most of the trip. In fact, Liam suspected she’d fallen asleep for a few minutes. Unfortunately, she woke up too soon.

“You missed the turn off to Compass Ranch.”

Liam didn’t respond. He’d driven by it on purpose. He’d had no intention of taking her to her house.

“Liam? Are you awake? Are you paying attention?”

“I know where we’re going, Jade.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Turn around.”

“No.”

Jade released a loud, frustrated breath. “Look, in case you forgot the rules, I’m supposed to come find you. I’m tired and not in the mood. Now take me home.”

“There was more than one ground rule.”

Jade scowled. “I haven’t slept with anyone else.”

He grinned. She was being purposely obtuse. “Try again.”

“You’re not seriously planning to punish me for saving someone’s life.”

That wasn’t his plan, but he couldn’t let go of the fact she’d put her own life at serious risk tonight. His head was pounding, his chest tight, the tension building. Every man had a breaking point, and whether Jade realized it or not, he’d hit his.
 

He’d promised her a summer fling and he intended to follow through on that. But he wasn’t in this for the short-term. He never had been. And while he hadn’t clued Jade in to his true intentions yet, the ache in his gut that had been there all evening as he considered how close he’d come to losing her, told him he was probably about to botch things up.

It didn’t matter. His mother warned him his need to control things beyond his power was going to come back to bite him in the ass. Looked like that day had arrived.