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“Of all the boneheaded things—”
Jameson.
One of them was Jameson.
“Lecture me later.” I ripped off my mask. “Get her out of here. Please, I’m begging you,” I pleaded before I started choking from the lack of air and rolled off the dolly, allowing him to take her to safety.
My lungs were heavy, and my body grew increasingly sluggish with each taxing breath. Hands gripped me aggressively under my armpits before I went flying in the air and landed with a hardoomph. My world turned upside down just as the ceiling collapsed and flames licked the arms of my turn-out gear dangling in the wind.
No matter how much I summoned the strength, I couldn’t deny the darkness closing in as my lungs squeezed painfully tight.
With my world in Jameson’s hands, all I had left was the energy to pray that he honored my wishes and got Lakelyn to safety before the walls closed in.
Chapter33
Lakelyn
My world was dark. The pain in my weary body was the only indicator that bonded me to the present, while weakness bled through my veins. My thoughts danced, shifting between fight-or-flight mode with one constant presence front and center.
Boden.
Slivers of searing light burned my eyes every time I tried to blink them open. The awareness that I would die trapped in a metal cage with the monster that killed my sister was suffocating on a whole other level.
The pressure around my neck faded, and my body shifted. I was floating high above it all to a place not within while heat smothered my remaining breaths. Pulling myself out of the dark mental state enveloping my senses was revived when voices other than mine filtered through my conscious state.
“Boden,” ghosted across my lips.
The air was pungent, my axis off-balance.
The lack of oxygen drowning.
My mouth was pasty and dry, making it challenging to give my voice traction. The onerous fog encasing me dissipated as voices grew louder and my center of gravity shifted. A cushioned surface pressed against my back as fresh filtered air unexpectedly invaded my lungs.
“Lakelyn.”
The hell that had held me captive was no more when the thunderous sound of Boden’s voice calling broke me free from the depths my mind had taken me to shield me from reality.
I blinked my eyes open against the bright lights surrounding me just in time to see Boden being assisted out of the burning building by two firefighters.
“Lakelyn,” he called out again while battling against the effects of the smoke inhalation. “Lake—” His knees buckled, and people swarmed him, blocking my view.
I ripped the oxygen mask off my face and cried out for him, but my voice was too faint. It barely punctured my own ears.
“Ma’am, you need to keep that on.” Hands descended upon my shoulders in an attempt to hold me in place. “You can’t get up. Please, ma’am, let us help you,” the young female ambulance attendant pleaded while I tried to move off the stretcher.
“Boden,” I called again, ignoring the paramedic’s recommendation because no one would keep me from getting to him.
I climbed out of the ambulance just as Boden stumbled to his feet with the help of a fellow officer and firefighter. Our eyes connected, laying the groundwork for a reunion I was fearful I’d never get. That single glimpse pumped life back into my soul, giving me the strength I so desperately needed in my limbs that were struggling against gravity to keep my balance upright.
When Boden stepped in front of me, he affectionately cupped the sides of my face, and a tidal wave of emotions crashed into me with thunderous force. Tears of relief crested and streamed helplessly down my cheeks as I clung to him for dear life. But when Boden pressed his lips against mine, the chaos of the outside world all but drifted away as his kiss became an anchor of hope, a taste of reassurance. It was an unspoken promise he was in my corner.
He had chosen me above the lies I wasn’t even sure he knew were lies.
Our moment together was short-lived as his friends ushered us into the back of an ambulance.
“Lakelyn.” He collapsed beside me on the gurney and leaned his forehead against mine. “I’ve never . . . been . . . so scared.” He wheezed heavily before turning to cough into his arm.
“Boden.” The struggle vibrating through him was worrying.
