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I hurtled through town too fast, nearly hitting at least three cars and a couple of people, too. Every fucking traffic law in existence? I broke it. There wasn’t a damn thing that would stop me from getting to Lena right now.
Sirens popped up behind, following me. Good. I needed them to follow me and help.
I grabbed my phone. “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
“I need an ambulance sent to Deja Brew right now.”
“Sir, what’s the emergency?”
“I’m on my way there now, and it’s very possible someone will need medical attention. This is Jude Williams with Resting Warrior. Do it now.” I didn’t wait to hear if she obeyed. I was only a few blocks away now. “I’m coming, Lena.”
There. I saw the building. Bessie was parked out front, and smoke was seeping out from under the front door, which was blocked. Fucking air conditioners stacked on top of one another in front of the door, two wide. And not the small ones. Those were heavy on a good day. Six of them in front of the door?
I jerked the truck to a stop on the sidewalk. “Lena!”
The sirens were still going, and the cops were yelling at me until they saw what I saw. The blocked door, the chained handles, and smoke seeping from every crack. “Help me, please.”
They started moving the air conditioners, but it wasn’t fast enough. Could I ram the truck through the front window? No. If she was just inside the window, trying to get out, I could kill her. What did I have?
I looked over. Well, I had air conditioners.
Heaving one up, I stepped to the window and slammed the metal against the glass. It cracked, but it wasn’t enough.
“Hey, we’re almost there,” one of the cops said. I wasn’t waiting. They would need to find bolt cutters for the chains—she could be dead by then. Another slam against the glass and the corner went through it, sending the spiderweb cracking further. Smoke—no, exhaust poured out from the hole. The fucker was suffocating her.
I saw the barest glimpse of carpet. It was clear. I took a single step back and hurled the air conditioner right at that spot, arms screaming with the effort. The window shattered, and I held up my arms to protect myself from raining glass.
An explosion of exhaust rolled into the sky, but it was so thick I still couldn’t see. “Lena!” I called her name. She was in there somewhere.
I took the biggest breath of my life and leaped through the window. They were calling after me. Car doors were slamming, and I heard Daniel’s voice yelling something. I didn’t register any of it. I was looking for her. Where was she? The smog was so thick I could have tripped over her, but I didn’t see or feel her anywhere.
Come on, sweetheart.
My eyes watered, and my lungs began to burn. The smog was thinning thanks to the broken window. It was just enough. There she was. Her body was crumpled by the back door. She’d been trying to get out. Fuck.
I pushed back the rush of emotion at seeing her. Get her out. Get her out. Get her out. She was so light in my arms when I scooped her up. Far too light. She didn’t feel right.
No. Please.
“Here,” Daniel called to me as I stepped out of the window. He had a coat on the ground covering the glass so I could lay her down. Lena was too pale, and she wasn’t breathing.
The world was crumbling beneath me, but I forced myself to move. I knew CPR. Every man at Resting Warrior did, and we renewed our certifications whenever we needed to. Not yet. She wasn’t gone yet.
A hand touched my shoulder, and I shrugged it off, checking Lena’s airway. Clear. I locked my elbows and placed the heels of my hands over her sternum, starting compressions. The ambulance wasn’t here. Why wasn’t it here?
“I called an ambulance. I don’t think she believed me.”
“It’s on its way.”
Lena’s body jerked under the compressions, lifeless. My vision blurred, and I blinked the emotion away. I wasn’t too late. Wasn’t too late.
“Come on, Lena.” I gritted the words through my teeth, forcing every ounce of strength into her heart. “We’re not done. Hear me? I have things I need to tell you, and you have to be awake for them. Come on.”
The silence around me was brutal. I didn’t stop except for one second to blow into her lungs. She needed to live. I didn’t know if I would survive this.
Lena’s whole body spasmed, jerking and coughing. I swore I saw exhaust come out of her mouth. “Lena.”
Her eyes whirled, finally landing on me. “Jude.”
