Page 34 of Rescuing Sadie

“Apparently, I’m just special,” Chase drawled.

Sadie giggled.

“Sleep,” Chase ordered again. “If I get up, don’t freak. I’m just checking on Fletch and making sure all is well. Okay?”

“Okay. Chase?”

“Yeah, Sparky?”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt that way that night at the school. When you put your arms around me, I finally felt safe. Even when no one could find Jonathan, standing next to you and holding your hand, I knew there was nowhere else I’d rather be.”

He didn’t reply verbally but tightened his hold around her.

“Chase?”

“You’re supposed to be sleeping,” he said, the humor easy to hear in his tone.

“I’m also glad one of your friends survived that mission.”

“Me too, Sadie. Me too.”

“I’d like to meet him someday.”

“I’d like that too. Now hush.”

“Yes, Sir,” she smart-mouthed.

Chase leaned over and kissed her, and they both fell quiet.

Sadie eventually drifted to sleep with Chase’s heartbeat echoing in her ear and his words rattling around in her brain. I don’t want you to go back up to Dallas.

Chapter Eleven

Sadie was woken up sometime later by an earth-shaking boom.

She had no idea what time it was. Instantly alarmed, she felt for Chase in the bed next to her, but the sheets were cold. Without thinking, she leaped out of bed and raced to put some clothes on. She pulled on the Army T-shirt of Chase’s she’d been wearing earlier and ran into the bathroom to grab her jeans. She shoved her feet into her sneakers and raced to the door.

Just as she opened it, another explosion rocked the house.

She was thrown backward and slammed into the wall across the room, hitting her head before sliding down to the floor. Stunned, she sat there a moment before crawling back toward the bedroom door and peering out into the hallway. There was a lot of dust floating in the air, making her cough as she looked to her right.

The roof above the stairs had collapsed, cutting off one floor of the house from the other.

“Chase?” she called, coughing as more dust got into her lungs.

“Sadie? Is that you?” a feminine voice called from down the hall directly in front of her.

She carefully got to her feet, feeling tender after being thrown backward by the blast. “Emily? Rayne?” Sadie asked.

“It’s me. Rayne. Are you okay?”

“I think so,” Sadie told her.

Rayne eventually came into view, crawling down the hallway on her hands and knees.

“Where’s Emily?”

“I’m here,” a voice said from behind Rayne.