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They tumbled and Ambrose felt every bit of wood and metal bite into his skin as they fell. He yelled, Dandi yelped, and then everything went black for a long moment.
But he was still conscious, right?
The hard ground was no comfort to his back and his left arm was onfire. But Ambrose was able to force his eyes open just as a wet tongue graced his cheek.
“’Sokay Dandi,” he muttered. “Give me a moment.”
Dandi barked, ending the noise on a snarl so vicious it made Ambrose want to back away. He knew she’d never hurt him. But whatever had her upset, he couldn’t see it. Hell, he couldn’t even lift his head off the ground. Slowly, as if dragging his eyeballs through mud, he looked over to see boots racing toward him. Dandi’s paws shot out of the line of his vision.
His head felt heavy. Couldn’t he just sleep? That sounded so good right now.
“Ambrose. Ambrose. I’m here.”
Chapter twenty-five
Ithappenedsofast.
Barrett drove up the long service path to Alpha tower, flicking on his headlights to help navigate the way up. It wasn’t quite twilight yet, but the heavy tree cover cast long, deep shadows over the dirt path. He was trying not to grumble at the kids he’d had to lecture on fire safety. Teenagers, really, but it wasn’t their fault. Someone had given them the roman candles and some cash and that was…weird.
Sighing, he took the last corner a little faster. All the quicker to get back to Ambrose and spend the night curled up together, gloriously naked, sweat cooling on their skin after taking each other apart.
But it happened so fast.
He caught a flash of grey fur and auburn hair running pell mell down the fire tower stairs. Heard Dandi barking, then growling. He saw the tree smash down on top of the tower and Ambrose and Dandi roll the rest of the way down. Too far down, too fast, but Ambrose (foolish man, what was he thinking) had his arms around Dandi to cushion their fall. He took the brunt of it, landing hard on his back while Dandi rolled up to her feet and charged at his truck, furiously barking and whining.
Barrett was out of the truck in a flash, bolting over to Ambrose, his boots crunching on metal and glass and gravel. And Dandi was snarling toward the eastern woods. Without thinking, he shouted, “Dandi, tackle!” Because his only concern was Ambrose and the blood on his arm and his heavy breathing and the glint of glass in his hair.
“Fuck, fuck, Ambrose.” Barrett slid in the dirt, ignoring the shards biting through his clothes. Instinct kicked in and he checked Ambrose’s breathing. His panic wasn’t quelled by seeing his chest rise and fall. “Ambrose. Talk to me.”
“Barrett.” Gods, he was a mess, glittering and bloody and streaked with dirt but his eyes were fairly steady as he stared up at Barrett. “There was someone -”
“I know. I know.” He fumbled for his phone, barely able to dial the station with the way his hands shook. When Meredith picked up, he rattled off commands. “Mer, I need an ambulance and fire & rescue up at Alpha, immediately. A tree crashed into the roof and Ambrose is hurt.”
“Fuck. Got it.” Meredith snapped into emergency mode and he wanted to kiss her. “Putting in the calls now. Are you safe?”
“I think. But that tree didn’t come down on its own -”
There was a scream from the woods, and loud barking. A yelp.
“Go. Barrett. I’m okay, I just think my wrist is broken.”
Shit. Shit. Panic threatened to overwhelm him, but Ambrose pulled the phone from him. “I’ll talk to her, she’ll keep me company.”
Barrett took off like a shot, grabbing the bat Ambrose had dropped in his fall and bolting toward Dandi. The trees were thick here, but he was experienced with hard terrain. Even as branches snapped at him, snagging his hair and clothes, Barrett pushed forward.
Another bark. A growl.
“Dandi, come!” he yelled, hoping to get a better idea of where she was. He got a bark in response and breathed a little easier. The sound of paws rushed at him, then the sight of his big, sweet, brave dog loping toward him nearly took him out at the knees. She had a cut above her eye but otherwise seemed unharmed.
As he moved to her, Barrett spotted movement between the trees. Dandi growled in warning. As the man appeared before them, she dove right for him, teeth bared.
A yell.
A familiar face, more wrinkled than the last time he’d seen it, cursing the name of Lake Honor and everyone who lived there. One who took his ire out on Barrett with harsh words but never violence. Marvin had a mad gleam in his eyes as Barrett scrambled to his feet and after Dandi.
“Dandi, down!”
She skidded to a stop, nearly halfway between them. Barrett had the advantage of panic but Marvin had momentum, and they collided as Barrett threw himself in front of Dandi.
