Fierce, p.6
FIERCE, page 6
“Yeah. Holden, please take care of both of them.”
Holden looked up at Mackenzie and nodded. “I will, sir.”
He handed the phone back to Mackenzie. She spoke to Captain Patrick a few more minutes, then hung up and met Holden’s gaze.
“I know why no one’s come looking for me, but why haven’t they come looking for you?” she asked, as if just realizing herself it had been a while.
Holden shook his head, a feeling of dread sinking into his stomach. The ambulance had been getting colder and colder while they sat there, but he assumed it was just because the temperature outside was continuing to drop. The heat was only so good in the bay where the ceiling was three stories high and the insulation was mediocre.
But that didn’t explain why no one had come looking for them.
“I’ll be right back.”
He got out of the ambulance, rubbing his hands together to fend off the cold. He moved around the room, finding nothing that would explain what was going on. He got to the door to the hallway and stopped. There was snow underneath the door. And daylight on the other side.
The hallway had collapsed. They were trapped.
6
Mackenzie stared at Edie with a mixture of fear and relief. Edie was alive, but just like Penny, she’d been left out in the cold. How she ended up at the station, Mackenzie didn’t know.
Now that she was warming up, Makenzie saw bruises on Edie’s face. Mackenzie’s stomach turned at the thought of where else the woman might have bruises and what other trauma she’d been through.
Mackenzie rubbed her hands together and blew into them. She was getting cold. Strange, since the building was insulated and heated, but she figured it was because the bay was so huge. Being in the ambulance was a good idea, but it was too bad they couldn’t turn it on and warm up.
A few minutes passed, and Holden didn’t return. Mackenzie started to wonder if he’d left and told someone about Edie. If he was bringing back an accomplice to help him kill both of them.
Mackenzie looked around the ambulance and tried to figure out what she could use as a weapon. If Holden was going to try to kill her, she wasn’t going down without a fight. She opened one cabinet after another, finding nothing sharp or deadly. She was pretty sure gauze bandages wouldn’t hold him and wouldn’t do much good. Not until after he attacked her.
The door opened, and Mackenzie screamed and jumped and whirled around, holding a roll of sterile tape out toward Holden.
Holden climbed into the ambulance and closed the doors before he looked up at her. “What’s that for?”
“I got worried because you were gone so long. I thought… Never mind.”
He narrowed his eyes at her and looked around at the open cabinets and supplies strewn all over. “You thought I was going to come back with a weapon.”
“No. Maybe. Yes. And a partner since there are two of us.”
“Well, Edie’s not putting up much of a fight, and I took this job to help people, not hurt them, so you’re safe. Both of you. Sort of.”
Mackenzie felt better until he said that last part. “Sort of? What does that mean?”
Holden settled against the side of the ambulance and rubbed his hands together. He blew into them like Mackenzie had done just minutes earlier and looked around. “We can’t stay here.”
“We can’t take her to the call center. It’s too risky.”
Holden shook his head. “It’s also blocked.”
“What?”
He blew out a breath slowly and met Mackenzie’s gaze. “The hallway collapsed. That’s why no one’s come looking for us.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That first sound we heard must have been the hallway. It’s a flat roof, and with the amount of snow we have, all of it piled on top was too much. It caved in. There’s no way we can get to the other side. Snow is already coming in through the door and the hallway is completely blocked. I was trying to see if we could get through, that’s what took me so long, but between the debris from the collapse and the snow, it’s not possible. We’re stuck on this side.”
“You’re kidding me. There’s no way,” Mackenzie shrieked, panic rising inside her. She scrambled to the ambulance door and flung it open, ignoring that it was noticeably colder outside the vehicle. She raced to the door that she came through hours ago. Her escape, where she ran to avoid Holden’s girlfriend, and Holden, was a wall of mangled metal and snow.
She grabbed a piece of something and tugged. Her hands were cold on the frozen metal, but she didn’t stop pulling. She screamed and yanked, changing position and pulling on something else, but nothing moved more than an inch or two, then went right back to where it was when she let go.
Frustrated, angry tears rolled down Mackenzie’s face. She was vaguely aware that Holden was standing behind her, but she couldn’t care at the moment. She needed to get out of there. She needed to be on the other side. To help people who were trapped in the storm and needed her. To not be alone with a man who made her want things she had no business wanting. Ever. It wasn’t safe. Holden wasn’t safe. Not for her heart because the stupid organ wanted more.
Mackenzie collapsed to the ground and sobbed. She stared at the mess and screamed into the whipping wind and mocking metal and prayed to whatever entity would listen to help her.
“I’m sorry, Mack. I should have checked hours ago. Then we wouldn’t be trapped here.”
Mackenzie looked up at him and wiped the tears from her face. When his eyes went wide and he lunged for her, she withdrew in fear.
“You’re bleeding,” he gasped, pausing when he saw the look in her eyes. “Please, let me see. You must have cut your hands.”
Mackenzie flipped her hands over and sucked in a breath. They didn’t even hurt, but they were sliced in multiple places and oozing blood from all the cuts.
Holden gingerly took her hands in his and examined one, then the other. “We need to get you bandaged up, then we all need to get upstairs. It’ll be warmer up there.”
Mackenzie nodded, knowing he was right. Her frustration would have to wait. She couldn’t do anything about where they were or who she was trapped with. At least she knew they had plenty of bandages.
Holden held her hand palm up as they walked back to the ambulance. He’d closed the doors, but it was still cold inside. Edie hadn’t moved. Mackenzie looked at her again and prayed she’d survive. Prayed they all would.
Holden grabbed gauze and bandages and antiseptic spray from the cabinets overhead. He shoved all the supplies into a bag near the door, then went through more cabinets and took out vials of medicine, a few syringes, and bags of fluids. Everything went into the bag at the door, then he held it out to Mackenzie.
“Can I put this over your shoulder? I’ll carry Edie upstairs, but if you can carry that, it’ll be a huge help. If not, I can make two trips.”
Mackenzie shook her head and reached for the bag. “I can do it.”
“Let me put it on you,” Holden said, pulling the bag away from her. “I don’t want you to irritate your wounds or to risk getting any fibers in them. I’m going to lift it over your head, and you can raise one arm.”
She did as he said, the bag resting on her shoulder. It was awkward across her body with the bag at her side instead of behind her.
“Is that okay?” Holden asked.
“It’s fine.”
“I don’t want you adjusting it, so if you need me to move it so it’s more comfortable, let me know now.”
“I’d rather have it at my back to walk up the stairs.” Mackenzie didn’t look at him. She didn’t want to explain to him that when she climbed stairs, her hips were wide and a bag could catch on something, or just rub the edge of the stairs. It also made her feel off balance, and if she couldn’t use her hands, she was afraid she might fall.
“Sorry,” Hold said. “I should have thought of that. I’m going to grab the bag and lift. I need to adjust the strap.” He swallowed hard and lifted the weight of the bag.
The strap across Mackenzie’s front drooped, catching on her breast. She reached up to move it, but stopped herself before she touched it.
Holden lifted the strap at her back and eased it forward as he slid the bag to her back. When he had it positioned behind her, he slowly lowered the bag, letting her carry the weight of it again. The strap nestled between her breasts and pulled tight across her rounded belly.
“Is that okay?” Holden asked, moving around her to look at her front.
Mackenzie nodded. “It’s fine.”
“Are you sure? I can adjust it.” His gaze fell to her breasts and stayed there for a moment. Then he cleared his throat and looked away.
Mackenzie tried not to let it get to her. He was male, which meant he was wired to look at a woman’s boobs. Hers were big, like all her other parts, but they were nothing like Isabel’s. They weren’t perky and on a platter. They were just sort of there, under her top and held up by industrial strength underwire.
“I’m good.” Mackenzie shivered, the cold sinking in and the pain starting to make itself known.
“I’ll get Edie. You can start up those stairs. The bunk room is up there and a few offices, and the kitchen and bathrooms. Plus, since the rooms are smaller, we’ll be able to stay warm even though this side is no longer safe from the elements.”
Mackenzie nodded and started toward the stairs. She took a few steps and looked back at Holden. He had Edie in his arms with the blankets wrapped all around her body. He nudged the doors closed with his hip, being careful to keep Edie secure.
Mackenzie regretted doubting him, even for a minute. He’d always been kind to her, unlike most people who worked with them. Holden was nice to look at, but he was also a nice man. Someone who seemed to care.
His lips were moving like he was whispering something to Edie as he carried her closer to Mackenzie. Mackenzie started up the stairs, knowing she wouldn’t be able to go too quickly. She was halfway there when Holden caught up to her.
“Sorry I’m slow,” she said.
“You’re good. I’d rather you go slow than risk having to grab onto the handrail and hurt your hands even more.”
“But you’re carrying a person and you’re faster than me.”
“I do this all the time.”
“Carry women upstairs at work?”
He snorted. “Definitely not that. I just meant climb these stairs. I can do it blindfolded. I’ve definitely done it so tired I felt like I was blindfolded.”
“How long have you been working here?” Mackenzie asked for something to say.
“Almost ten years. I’ve been stationed at a few other places, but this one stuck. I like it here.”
“So do I,” Mackenzie admitted. “I tried working other places, but… It never worked out.”
“Why’s that?”
Mackenzie swallowed the pain she always felt when she thought about Jaclyn. Mackenzie was throwing herself a pity party because her best friend was dead. She still had a life. She could go out and do things. Jaclyn was gone forever.
“When people recognize me, it’s not good for business. Being here, no one sees me, so it’s easy.”
“Shit, Mack, I’m sorry. I never thought about that.”
They made it to the top of the stairs, and Mackenzie paused.
“To the right,” Holden said, sounding slightly out of breath. “First door is a bunk room. We’ll get Edie settled in there first, then we’ll work on getting your hands bandaged up. You okay with that?”
“Yes, please. She’s more important.”
“Not to me,” Holden said.
Mackenzie didn’t say anything as Holden moved to a bed and laid Edie gently on it. He made sure the blankets were wrapped around her again and put his fingers to her neck.
“I couldn’t bring the monitors up with me, but I think she’s okay without them. I’ll check her vitals manually until she wakes up.”
“Sounds good.”
Holden turned to Mackenzie and nodded to her hands. “Let’s see what we can do about you.”
Mackenzie sucked in a breath and nodded back. “Okay.”
“The bathroom is through there. We need to wash your hands well, then I’ll spray them and wrap them. But I want to make sure we don’t risk infection. I grabbed some antibiotics just in case, but hopefully you don’t need them.”
Mackenzie led the way to the bathroom and looked around. There were showers in stalls on one side, and toilets on the other side with a wall of sinks in the middle of the open space. Gray tile ran from the floor up to shoulder-height on the wall with white paint above. The countertops were the same gray, and the stall doors were, too. It was very bland.
“This is probably going to sting, but you need to wash your hands. Do you want me to help?” Holden said.
Mackenzie shook her head and focused on the sink in front of her. Holden turned the water on and held out a bottle of soap. She lifted her palms to him and winced when he squirted two globs of liquid soap into her hands.
“Sorry. I hate that you’re in pain. I should have stopped you.”
Mackenzie shook her head and dipped her hands under the warm water. Bubbles formed as she rubbed her hands together, the shredded skin between them causing her breath to falter. “You couldn’t have stopped me. I was pretty upset.”
“I’m so sorry, Mack. I really am. I know you don’t want to be here with me.”
Mackenzie shook her head. “There are a lot of people I’d be much more unhappy to be stuck with. At least you’re nice to me.”
Holden caught her gaze. His eyes dilated, his chest rising and falling slowly. “I like you, Mackenzie. Being nice to you is definitely not a hardship.”
She chuckled softly. “Maybe not for you.”
“Definitely not for me.”
Did he get closer? Mackenzie wouldn’t have to move far to press her lips to his again. To kiss him one more time.
But she couldn’t. She shouldn’t. She moved back, forcing her focus to her hands and the bloody bubbles covering them.
“Shit. I guess you’re still bleeding,” Holden said. “Rinse your hands and wash them again. Try to get as much blood off as possible.”
Mackenzie did as he asked and had pinkish bubbles instead of red. Holden declared her good enough and dried her hands with a gentleness she never expected from him.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low and rough.
“I’m fine.”
He held one hand and sprayed the antiseptic spray over it.
Mackenzie hissed in a breath, but it died when Holden raised her hand to his lips and blew a soft, cool, soothing breath over her hand.
“Is that better?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
He examined her hand closely, holding it up to his face and inspecting it like it held secrets of something. When he finally lowered it, he smiled at her. “No shards of metal or anything that I can see. If you feel a sharp pain in any of these cuts at any point, let me know immediately because I could have missed something.”
Mackenzie nodded again.
Holden did the same thing with her other hand, and again, Mackenzie lost her ability to speak when he blew on her hand. He wrapped that one up just like the first, until she felt like a mummy.
“I don’t think I can even feed myself with this much gauze on my hands.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t cut your fingers. And you should be able to hold a spoon or something. Or I’ll have to feed you.”
Mackenzie had a flash of herself on her knees in front of Holden, sucking on his cock. She sucked in a ragged breath and pressed her thighs together. She could not start thinking about him like that. Not when he was being nice. Not ever.
Holden threw away all the used supplies from her bandages and cleaned up the sink area, then said he was going to check on Edie.
Mackenzie followed him to the bunk room, thankful Edie was still sleeping. She wasn’t sure what they would do if she needed more medical attention than they were able to provide there, but she believed Holden would do everything possible to save Edie.
“Should we find something to eat?” Holden asked.
“Yes, but we should also probably tell someone what happened. Can you call Isabel or someone?”
Holden shook his head. “I don’t have my phone. I left it on your desk when I followed you down here. I was looking at something, then saw you come down the hall and set it down without thinking.”
“I don’t have a number for anyone,” Mackenzie said. “I’m not really friends with my coworkers.”
Holden looked at her with a kind smile. “They’re the ones missing out. But I guess we know why no one’s tried to contact us.”
“Yeah, I guess. Do you know any phone numbers for anyone over there?”
Holden shook his head. “Not by heart. Can we call nine-one-one?”
Mackenzie shrugged. “I guess it’s our best option.”
“Call first, then food.”
Holden cringed when Eric answered their call. Mackenzie had the phone on speaker so they could both talk to whoever answered, but he wished she hadn’t when Eric picked up.
“Oh, my God, Mackenzie, where are you?”
“I’m trapped on the paramedic side of the building. The hallway collapsed when I was over here.”
“What were you doing over there? You have no right to be there,” Isabel snapped. “You—”
“She’s here with me,” Holden said, putting a stop to whatever nasty thing Isabel was going to say to Mackenzie. He was not going to allow Isabel to be mean.
“Holden? I’ve been so worried about you, baby. I thought you were trapped in the hallway, but this is worse.”
“Being trapped with a perfectly nice woman is worse than me being trapped under a collapsed roof and exposed to the half a dozen feet of snow we’re getting?”
“She’s a murderer,” Isabel hissed, like that meant Mackenzie wouldn’t hear her.
Holden looked up at Mackenzie and caught the pain on her face before she looked away. She made a move to stand, but Holden grabbed her wrist and held her there. “Mackenzie is no more a murderer than I am. She’s kind and generous and beautiful.”
