They passed three more children out, then Roger edged forward, ignoring Andrew’s offered hands and getting to the very edge of the opening before handing out the little girl he was carrying. “Watch the braces,” he warned the fireman, then stepped back. “All right, women next.”

Two women made it out, then a rumble filled the building and part of the ceiling collapsed behind them, sending a wash of heat out the window. The remaining glass crackled and popped, and Dar shielded her face and turned her back to it. “We’d better hurry.”

Kerry’s mother went next, with Andrew taking one arm and her husband taking the other. “You next, Cec.” Andrew turned, to see a stubborn look crossing his wife’s face. “Now, c’mon.” He grabbed her bodily, lifted her, and passed her slight weight to the fireman over her half spoken protests. “Careful with that one. She bites.”

The fireman let a brief grin cross his tired face. “Yes, sir.”

“You be careful, damn it!” Ceci yelled back, then her voice dropped.

“Please?” Their eyes locked and Andrew smiled at her, giving her a reassuring wink that didn’t seem to work.

Kerry started to untie the rope around Dar. “Guess we’re next.”

“Go on.” Dar gently removed her hands and nudged her towards the opening. “I’ll be right there.”

Andrew held a hand out and she took it, pausing to glance at her father as she stepped into the glare and backwash of the endlessly hover-ing helicopters. The fireman reached out just as a gust of wind knocked her off balance and she wavered, then felt a steadying hand on her back as the rescuers took a secure hold on her and lifted her over the gap. Once in the bucket she turned immediately and met three sets of eyes watching her.

The hand, she realized, had been her father’s.

She felt a guiding touch and started carefully down the ladder, keep-392 Melissa Good ing her eyes always on that dark, smoke filled gap.

“You next.” Dar exhaled, motioning to the senator, the last one left besides Andy and herself. She thought he was going to argue with her for a second, then he merely stepped forward and accepted the fireman’s arm clasp as they sprayed again into the opening. Smoke billowed out contin-uously and now, at last, Dar moved towards the window.

She and her father exchanged glances. “G’wan,” Andrew said quietly.

Dar quirked her eyebrow. “You first.”

Andrew’s eyebrows lifted. “Paladar, get yer butt into that bucket before I whup it.”

Dar shook her head. “Not this time. You’re about to keel over. So move it.” She folded her arms and met his eyes with an inflexibly stubborn look. “C’mon, c’mon. We don’t have all day.”

Andrew untied his rope and chuckled, shaking his head as he moved to the opening and paused, then jumped across on his own, disregarding the fireman’s helping hand. Then he turned and took hold of Dar’s arm as she crossed, out of the smoke and heat at last.

“Okay. Pull her back!” The fireman spoke into a walkie talkie. “Let’s get the hell—oh, shit!”

The low rumble warned them. “Get down! Get down!” The fireman slammed them both into the bottom of the bucket and threw himself over them as a ball of superheated air and flame came roiling out of the hole in the glass, melting it and sending shards of concrete flying towards them.

The bucket reeled wildly, then swung away from the building, sway-ing as the engineers fought to keep it upright. The hapless survivors clung to the ladder desperately, until it finally steadied.

“Son of a bitch.” The fireman exhaled, hauling himself off the two rescuees in the bottom of the bucket. “Oh. Sorry, ma’am.”

Dar slowly straightened and gazed over the lip of the bucket to where the fire now shot out of the wall, raging up the side of the half collapsed building. Then she looked at her father, who gazed thoughtfully back. “I’ve heard people say being on the edge is a big rush.”

“Mmm.” Andrew rocked his head.

“They’re full of shit.” Dar sat down in the bottom of the bucket, where she could see nothing but plastic and the clouds overhead.

Andy patted her knee comfortingly, then leaned an arm on the bucket edge. “We need to get climbing?”

“Hell no.” The firefighter sat wearily on the edge of the contraption.

“We get a ride down. It’ll just take a few minutes.” He glanced at them.

“You two deserve it. You saved those people’s asses. We were about to back off and let the building blow out.” He held a hand out. “Josh Beard.”

Andy took it. “Andy Roberts. And this little sprout’s my daughter Dar.”

Josh looked quizzically at the six foot plus woman sprawled at his feet and grinned. “You musta used a decent fertilizer.”

It struck Dar as funny and she laughed softly, too exhausted to oth-Eye of the Storm 393

erwise move.

“Hey. Was that really Senator Stuart and his wife?”

“Yeap.” Andrew nodded. “How’d you know?”

“Oh, they’re turning the place upside down looking for him. You kidding? When they pulled his kid out and she said he was still—”

Dar grabbed his leg in a vise grip. “What? Are you saying his daughter Angela got out?”

“Ouch.” He winced. “Yeah. About to pop. She was on the west side of the building and they got her out first thing.” He took off his helmet and scrubbed his hand through short, curly hair. “Probably a momma by now.”

Dar felt a wave of relief flow through her and she let her head drop back against the plastic. “Thank God.” Then she pulled herself to her feet and peered over the basket edge, towards the slowly approaching ground.


Chapter

Forty-two

KERRY FOUND HERSELF on the ground and for a long moment, she simply stood there, letting the chaos around her pass her by as she absorbed the steadiness of the earth under her feet and took in breaths of air untainted with smoke and dust. Then she turned and tilted her head back, reassuring herself of the slow progress of the bucket on its way down before she turned and paid attention to the paramedic who was talking to her. “I’m sorry. What did you ask me?”

“I said, would you come over here, ma’am, and let us take a look at you?” the woman repeated, taking her elbow.

Ceci appeared at her side. “She had a dislocated shoulder,” she told the paramedic, as Kerry obediently allowed the paramedic to lead her over to what appeared to be a triage area, where she sat down on a bench.

“Doesn’t look dislocated.” The woman gently removed the dirty singed sling Kerry still wore. “Someone put it back in for you?”

Kerry nodded. “Yes.” She took a breath. “It really hurt.”

“I bet it did.” She carefully manipulated Kerry’s arm. “How’s it feel now?”

“Sore.” She sighed. “But then, just about everything’s sore. It’s kind of hard to judge.” She winced as the medic touched her forearm. “I think I got burned there.”

“Mmm. Yes, you did.” The medic looked around. “How about you lie down on that gurney over there and let me get someone to take a look at this, okay?” She took Kerry by the arm, led her over, and then helped her settle down on the rolling cot, pulling the sheet up to her waist and positioning her arm carefully on her stomach. “You just stay right there.”

“Okay.” Kerry let out a breath, glad to be still. She turned her head towards Ceci and blinked. “Are they down yet?”

The gray eyes lifted then returned. “Almost.” Ceci seated herself on the grass next to the gurney and leaned against a stone disposal. “I see the press has found your father.”

Kerry turned her head that way and watched. “He did okay up there.” Her voice took on a note of tired wonder.

“He proved his paternity,” Ceci remarked dryly.

Kerry gave her a puzzled look.

“That was a compliment.”


Eye of the Storm 395

“Oh.” She rubbed her face, blinking her stinging eyes, then looked up as a man in green surgical scrubs knelt next to her. “Hello.”

He glanced at her. “Hi there.” Professional hands carefully lifted her forearm and examined it. “Well, that’s a nasty burn, but I think you got lucky.”

“Lucky,” Kerry murmured.

“Let me look at your head now.” Gentle fingers probed. “That’s a pretty bad bump.”

“Bump?” Kerry thought about that. “I don’t remember that.”

“Probably when you went through the drywall,” Ceci supplied, glancing at the basket finally making its landing. “You were out for about fifteen minutes.”

“I was?”

“Ummhmm.”

“I think we need to take you in and take some x-rays. Just stay quiet here and we’ll transport you in a little while, okay?” The doctor spread a faintly spicy smelling salve over the burn on her arm and covered it with a light layer of gauze. “Have you been coughing? Does your throat hurt?”

“No. Not really.” Kerry cleared her throat experimentally. “Kind of raw, though.”

“Okay. We’ll check you for smoke inhalation. Just lie back and relax.”

That sounded like a good idea. Now that it was over. Well, sort of.

All the little scrapes and cuts and bangs were surfacing and she felt like she’d been run through a trash compactor.

There were so many things to think about and she didn’t want to think about any of them. “Doctor?”

“Mmm?” He looked up from cleaning a cut on Kerry’s collarbone.

“Kerry!” Dar’s voice cut in, and she dropped to one knee, smiling.

“Hey. I’ve got great news.”

Kerry’s eyes fastened on her face trustingly. “What is it?” She could see the honest happiness on her lover’s face and it brought a smile to her own. “Did you find Angie?”