Under Fire by Jo Davis Read Free Book Online Page A

crackle of his and Eve’s radios interrupted the conversation. The dispatcher relayed another traffic accident, the freezing rain taking its toll, and getting worse.
    “Here’s my card,” he said, digging one out of his breast pocket. “My cell phone’s listed. If you hear something before we get back, would you—”
    “You got it,” Cori replied, snatching the card. “Go on.”
    “Thank you.”
    He and Eve hurried for the exit, joining Tanner and the others. In two seconds, they were gone.
    Cori stared at the nearly empty waiting room, discomfited by the tomblike silence left in the wake of their departure. The picture was no longer complete and she couldn’t help but wonder at the sudden sense of loss. As though she’d sort of bonded with them over Zack’s near tragedy, and now she was alone to endure the unnerving wait.
    Alone. Her brows furrowed. Where was Zack’s family? None of the firefighters had mentioned anyone, but his loved ones were probably rushing to get here and worried sick about him.
    “Corrine? How’s your head?”
    Startled from her musings, Cori looked up at the young Asian doctor she’d seen speaking with the firefighters a couple of times since Zack had been brought in. She’d worked with him on rotation, though she didn’t know him well. He hadn’t treated her, but his colleague had obviously filled him in.
    “Tylenol saves the day.” She gave him a weak smile.
    “Any dizziness? Blurred vision?”
    “No, I’m fine. I’ve got a hard head.” She didn’t want to talk about herself. “I know I’m not family, but . . . can you tell me how Zack is doing? The man saved my life,” she added when the doctor hesitated.
    Just when she thought he wasn’t going to answer, he did, with some reluctance. “Mr. Knight is in ICU, still critical. He can have one visitor at a time, but I see his friends had to leave. Would you like to sit with him?”
    “Yes! I would, very much.” Glancing around, she frowned. “I don’t want to intrude on his family’s time with him. Surely there’s someone here by now?”
    “No, there isn’t. There won’t be.” The doctor’s eyes filled with compassion—and regret. “I understand Knight doesn’t have any family.”
     
    Zack wanted to stay dead, but nobody would let him.
    No matter how hard he strained toward oblivion in a desperate bid to escape the fire licking his entire body, the awful, suffocating pressure on his chest, they—whoever they were—pulled him back from the edge.
    Let me go. God, please, make them let me go.
    God wasn’t listening. Neither were they .
    Stick a fork in good ole Zack, ’cause he was done. He refused to survive this hell one more second. Somehow, he’d find a way out—
    “Zack? Can you hear me?”
    Miraculously, the chaos in his brain quieted. Her voice again. Low, throaty, and lovely. Familiar. Who was she?
    The woman didn’t want him to leave this world, and his lack of cooperation was getting to her. Every time she spoke, her emotions battered his resolve. Worry, frustration . . . guilt.
    And he should care, why? Who was she to him?
    “Come on, fireboy,” she pleaded, soft as a caress. “You can’t die on me. I’ve weathered a lot of crap, but not this. I can’t do it. I’m the one who’s supposed to be dead, not you. Zack, please .”
    Aw, fuck. That gurgling sound was his plan for a graceful swan song going down the toilet.
    Damsels in distress had always been his downfall—in this case, literally, it would seem. Christ. He couldn’t wrap his mind around what had happened, but apparently, he was neck deep in some badass shit.
    “I’m sorry I was rude to you—even though you hit me.”
    Appalled, he scrambled to make sense of that. He’d never hit anyone in his life, especially a woman!
    “I mean, you did save my bacon. Went a tad overboard, too, if you ask me.” She gave a tremulous laugh. “No pun intended. Work with me here, will you?”
    Saved her life . . .
    He struggled to