Search and Rescue

Search and Rescue by Gail Anderson-Dargatz Read Free Book Online

Book: Search and Rescue by Gail Anderson-Dargatz Read Free Book Online
Authors: Gail Anderson-Dargatz
Tags: FIC022040, FIC031010, FIC031070
“Even if I was, we would still need to get Amber to a hospital. If you don’t take us back to the search-and-rescue camp right now, Amber will die.”
    â€œNo!” he cried. “Fix her up. Do something for her!” The van slid to the side. Doug over-steered in the other direction and nearly drove into the bank.
    â€œYou’re high on drugs,” I told him as he drove on. “You shouldn’t be driving.”
    â€œI’m fine.”
    â€œLet me take over. I’ll drive Amber to the hospital. I can drop you off somewhere. You can take off.”
    â€œShut up. Just shut up. You don’t know shit. I’ll never leave Amber.”
    I shook my head. “I don’t understand why you are doing this.”
    â€œI love her.”
    â€œYou have a funny way of showing it,” I said.
    â€œI told her I loved her. I told her I’d do anything for her.” He started crying again. “She said she didn’t care. She’s seeing that asshole now.”
    â€œLiam Peterson, you mean.”
    â€œWe only broke up a couple of weeks ago, and she’s already with him. She must have liked him before, when she was with me.” His hands gripped the steering wheel harder. “If she’d only listen, I could make her come back to me,” he said. “I could make her love me.”
    â€œYou can’t make someone love you,” I told him. “Especially not like this.”
    I glanced down at the girl’s pretty face. “I don’t think you’re in love with Amber. I think you’re in love with the idea of Amber. She’s a basketball player. She’s popular. You want to be popular, like her.”
    Sitting there in that van, I realized I was talking about myself as much as Doug. I had no real feelings for Trevor. I just liked the idea of him. I liked the idea of dating a firefighter .
    â€œShe’s got to love me,” Doug said quietly.
    I just wasn’t getting through to this kid. He was too drugged up and emotional to think clearly. There was no way I was going to talk my way out of this situation. I had to act, and act now.
    I leaned between the two front seats and pointed out the driver’s-side window. “Look out!” I cried, to distract him. Doug turned his head, and I grabbed the shotgun from his lap. But he caught me and yanked the gun out of my hand. He fired the weapon by accident as he did so, blasting a hole in the windshield.
    â€œShit!” Doug yelled. He dropped the gun to the floor and put up both hands to protect his face. I turned the steering wheel hard to the right so we wouldn’t drive off the road. The van careened into the bank.
    I heard the crunch of metal as the front end slammed into rock. My body was hurled to the floor between the seats with the impact. Then everything went deadly quiet.

TEN
    I touched the bump growing on my forehead. No blood. I took a moment to make sure I was all in one piece before turning my attention to Amber. I knew from the pain that I would have bruises all over my body in the morning. At least I didn’t seem to have any broken bones.
    In the crash, Amber had rolled to one side of the van. The mattress she was on had cushioned her. She didn’t appear to have any more injuries. She was still breathing, though her pulse was even weaker than before.
    That drug overdose was killing her. I had to get her off this mountain. Fast.
    Doug was quiet in the driver’s seat, apparently knocked out. Blood dripped from his right hand, hanging limp by his side. I hadn’t meant to cause the accident. I’d just wanted to get the shotgun out of his hands. At least I had accomplished that, I thought. The gun now rested on the floor between the seats, along with his thermos.
    All I had to do was find Doug’s cell and phone Search and Rescue. I just hoped Amber would hang on long enough for help to arrive.
    I moved into the passenger seat and slid a hand

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