AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Quinn was there and spotted me first. He was nursing his left arm, and Rachel was applying a bandage. “Neil, thank God you’re here.”
“You’re hurt?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” Quinn said. “Levi brought me back down, but he’s just left to go back up.”
“Who else?”
Quinn blinked at me. “Micah, Scott, Daniel, Levi, Noah, Connor.” Six souls. Got it. “Connor’s bleeding after he got sucked down, but he wouldn’t come back.”
Fear and anger surged through me in equal measure. Of course, the idiot wouldn’t give up. My heart pounded, a mix of dread and fury. Connor always had to play the hero, putting himself in danger without a second thought. The thought of him out there, injured and stubbornly refusing help, made my blood boil. I clenched my fists, struggling to keep my voice steady.
“Where’s the damage?” I asked, cutting straight to the chase.
“Further up the mountain, at the west stream, where the boulders are.”
“I know the place.” I turned to Rachel. “The kids?”
“In with Chris, playing games.”
I nodded. “You know your land. If you’re worried about the house and the kids, get them down the hill to the sheriff’s office. Take Chris and Quinn.”
“Will do.”
“Levi’s up there, and I’m not leaving,” Quinn began.
I sent him my best sheriff stare, and he subsided. I didn’t have time for idiots being where they shouldn’t be.
“Rachel will decide,” I said, and after a pause, Quinn gave a sharp nod. “I’ll head up now. Send the firefighters up when they arrive.”If they arrive.
“Will do,” Rachel murmured, wrapping her arms around herself and staring out of the window.
I barely registered her reply as I returned to the storm, scanning the area for any sign of anyone. I wasn’t lookingfor Connor—nope, I had a job. I wasn’t worrying about what the idiot was doing up there. The rain blurred my vision, and the wind howled, but I pressed on. I had to see the damage for myself and ensure everyone was safe—including the one man who could always turn my world upside down with his stubbornness and ability to mess up everything. I grabbed my flashlight, a spare, and the medical go bag from the SUV, then headed up in a stumbling half-run away from the house.
I caught up with Levi towards the slip, both of us scrambling over loose stones as the wind howled around us. We stopped next to each other, bracing ourselves against the relentless gusts. The rain pelted, cold and unforgiving, but Levi’s expression worried me.
“The water’s changed course,” Levi shouted over the wind. “It’s further from the ranch, heading away from town and the graveyard. It’s not close enough to cause immediate trouble, but it’s something we need to watch. Quinn’s at the house with Rachel and the kids.”
“I know,” I replied, my voice carried away by the storm. “I told them to go into town if they needed to.”
“Same.”
“Firefighters on their way if they can make it through.”
The wind stole his words as we turned and trudged on up the hill. I needed to see the damage for myself. Each step was a battle against the mud and rain, but I pressed on. As I got closer, lightning and my flashlight revealed a few guys working hard to shore up the banks of a new watercourse. And then, of course, right in freaking danger was Connor.
He was apart from the others, moving stones, coveredhead to toe in mud and standing too damn close to the gaping hole in the hillside.
What the fuck was he doing?
I pushed forward, anger and concern mixing in my gut. “Connor!” I yelled, trying to get his attention over the storm’s roar.
He looked up as I pointed the flashlight at his face, his gray eyes locking onto mine before he blinked and dipped his gaze. I was relieved he was okay, but frustration followed the relief. Connor had a knack for putting himself right in the middle of danger, and this was no exception.
“Get back from the edge!” I shouted, as I slipped through the mud to reach him.
Connor didn’t move, the light resting on his face. Was that blood? He frowned at me as if I were interrupting something important. “We need to stabilize this area,” he yelled, calm despite the chaos around us, using a branch to lever a huge slab of stone and heaving it into place, then swiping a hand through the blood streaking his face.
“Not if you get yourself killed first,” I snapped back, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the edge. “You’re too close to the edge. It’s not safe.”
