Page 17 of Emily's Escape

Then I grab hold of the rope with the hand not holding on to her, and using my legs and arm, I start pulling the three of us up. It’s not an easy feat, lifting the weight of two adults and a child while dangling from a rope. But all the hours at the gym, coupled with sheer determination, are enough to make it work.

Imake it work. Because Emily’s done enough.

Hands are waiting for us as soon as we clear the edge of the bridge, hauling the three of us up and over. My legs want to collapse from the sheer relief of it; of having Em back with me after nearly losing her.

One of the officers unties the rope around my waist and pulls Kylie aside. “My dad,” she sobs. “He’s still in there. He’s not a bad person. He’s just sick. And he needs help.”

Back on solid ground, I have both arms free to hug Emily close to me. She’s still shaking and crying softly. But she lifts her face from my neck to look at the officer helping Kylie. “Her dad took us,” she explains quietly. “But he didn’t hurt her. Just… if you can get him out…”

“We’ll get your dad out,” the officer assures Kylie. “There’s a guy heading down right now. He’ll get him.” He pats her shoulder. “How about we get you checked out, okay? There’s an ambulance right over there.”

“Can we call my mom?” Kylie asks. “She must be so worried. I was supposed to call her after the 5K. I promised I would. And Coach Carol. She’s going to be so mad. I wasn’t supposed to go anywhere without telling her.”

“Your mom’s already on the way,” the officer replies. “I’m sure she’ll be here any minute.”

As he starts to lead Kylie away, she tugs away and turns back to Emily. Chin wobbling, she says, “Thank you. For trying to stop my dad. And staying with me. And—” She looks at me. “For bringing your hero here to rescue us.”

Emily meets Kylie’s gaze and gives her a small smile. “Of course, honey. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Then, as we watch Kylie head off with the officer, Em looks back at me. Tears swim in her eyes. “You reallyarea hero,” she says. “And I’m so proud of you.”

CHAPTER 4

EMILY

It’s amazing the difference a few hours can make.

Three hours ago, I was still at the hospital, waiting on the X-rays Derek bullied the ER doctor into ordering despite my insistences that I felt fine.

“Adrenaline can mask all sorts of injuries,” Derek told me somberly when I suggested a full round of X-rays might not be necessary. “A buddy of mine ran for miles on a broken leg without realizing. He had to have surgery on it, and he’s walked with a limp ever since.”

I could have pushed back. But the fear still lingering in his gaze convinced me not to. Because I realized, even ifIdidn’t need the X-rays, Derek did.

If I’d ever wondered just how protective Derek could be, I found out today.

Not just tracking me down on a hunch that I was in trouble, flying down the highway at speeds I shudder to think about. Or tying himself to a broken guardrail and risking his own life to rescue me. It was everything after, too—riding in the ambulance with me despite the paramedics protests, standing guard outsidemy room while the doctor examined me, and holding my hand while shooting threatening looks at the police whenever he thought their questions were getting to be too much.

Oh, and I can’t forget Derekcarryingme from the hospital to his car once we arrived at his parents’ house, all the way to his second-floor bedroom. Not because I couldn’t walk—the X-rays revealed just what I thought, which was that I might be bruised and sore from the impact of the crash, but otherwise okay—but because he didn’t want me taxing my body any more than it had been already.

“It’s the quickest way to get sick,” he explained as he scooped me into his arms. “Pushing your body too much. And after what you’ve been through already, with the 15K, and the crash, and the stress of everything after… you need to rest as much as possible.”

I briefly thought about mentioning that he’d put his body through a lot, too. But then he was carrying me like I was the heroine in an adventure romance movie, and a cluster of women hurrying across the parking lot were staring at us with hearts in their eyes, and I decided to just roll with it, instead.

Because itwasreally romantic.

And honestly, it was pretty sexy, too. So much so that I’m already thinking about suggesting it as something to try the next time we have sex. I can picture it, Derek coming home from work, his gaze dark and hungry as it lands on me. Then he strides across the living room and lifts me into his arms, kissing me passionately before carrying me into the bedroom.

My breath catches at the thought.

Heat races through my body.

Tingles of electricity prick at my skin.

A delicious ache builds at my core.

Yes, I’m sore after the events of today. My nose and chin feel tight and swollen from where the airbag hit them. There’s aseatbelt-shaped bruise across my chest that protests whenever I move. The muscles in my neck and shoulders are banded tight.

But apparently my lady parts were unaffected. And if we were back at home instead of at Derek’s parents’ house, with his parents downstairs, no less, I’d probably try to convince Derek that a round of gentle sex was just what the doctor ordered.