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Maya Banks
“She’s been paying for her mistake,” A.J. pointed out. “I’m sure this whole pregnancy has been less than a cakewalk for her. I’m sure she’s been terrified the whole time that you would hate her. It can’t have been easy living with that kind of fear and anxiety.”
“You’re right,” Simon admitted.
The radio blared an alarm, and the chief shot out of bed, grabbing for his radio. Simon and A.J. strained to hear as the chief radioed ten-four.
“Let’s roll, guys,” Chief Maxwell said, heading for the locker room to grab his gear.
“What’s up, chief?” A.J. asked as the rest rolled out of bed and dashed for the locker room.
“Two car MVA out on old Bridge Road a few miles out of town. They need extrication. One of the drivers is pinned inside the vehicle.”
“Damn,” Simon muttered.
“Why don’t people stay the hell at home?” Mike grumbled. “It’s two friggin’ AM, and the roads are icy. Most people would have the sense not to drive.”
“It gets better,” the chief said, as they scrambled into the truck.
“Ambulance is still twenty miles out and slow going in the ice. Their back up unit is in Beaumont.”
“Make sure our medical supplies are handy,” A.J. called out as he hopped on the truck.
They headed out onto the ice slickened street, the heavy fire truck faring better than lighter vehicles. They were probably a good five miles from the accident scene, and Simon hoped to hell the injuries to the driver weren’t severe. He knew basic first aid, but he had no desire to play paramedic.
“Do we have an ETA on the ambulance yet?” he asked the chief.
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Seducing Simon
“Still several miles out. The first responders said the driver trapped in the vehicle is unconscious and they can’t get close enough to offer any assistance. We’ll have to cut him out.” Simon nodded grimly and said a prayer that wherever Toni was, she stayed put.
As they neared the accident scene, flashing lights lit up the wooded area on both sides of the road. At least four first responder trucks were parked on the shoulder and the road had been closed off.
To the right, a Ford Expedition sat on the shoulder of the road, the front end completely caved in. Whatever they’d hit, they’d hit hard.
Simon hopped out with the other guys and was immediately met by Frank Parker, one of the first responders. “Are Matt and A.J. with you?” he asked, a peculiar expression on his face.
“Yeah, why?”
“You and A.J. are sidelined,” Chief Maxwell said as he walked up. He pushed Simon back toward the truck and yelled for A.J. “Someone find out where the hell Matt went and get him in the truck,” he directed one of the first responders.
“What the hell is going on?” Simon demanded. “You can’t sideline us.
We have an extrication to do.”
“Mike and I will handle it,” the chief said. “You get in the truck and stay there.”
There was something in Chief Maxwell’s eyes he didn’t like. Sympathy and a bit of fear. Simon’s stomach clenched. Before anyone could stop him, he shoved by Chief Maxwell and ran toward the embankment where a crowd of first responders, sheriff’s deputies and the highway patrol stood.
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Maya Banks
A flash of yellow caught his eye. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Nausea rolled in his stomach, and he feared puking right there on the road.
He shoved forward, not wanting to believe what his eyes were telling him. It wasn’t Toni’s Jeep. It couldn’t be. It was another yellow Jeep. It had to be.
His heart was jamming double time as he shoved aside the people gathered. Someone tried to pull him back, but he came up swinging.
Maybe he connected, he wasn’t sure, but his knuckles hurt like hell.
He slid down the ravine, his feet not cooperating with his brain. He came to a stop beside two men from his crew who were setting up cables from the wench so they could pull the Jeep right side up.
Dropping down on his belly, he slithered forward, yanking his flashlight from his belt and shining it into the interior of the Jeep. His heart nearly stopped when he caught sight of Toni’s blood covered face.
“Get me some light down here!” he yelled back up.
A.J. came sliding down seconds later carrying a floodlight. He tossed it to one of the first responders and directed him to hold it up.
“Damn it, you two,” the chief yelled as he scrambled down the embankment. “I don’t need a bunch of half-cocked firemen out of their heads with worry. Get back. We’ll get her out.” Simon ignored him completely, his focus on Toni, trying to see if she was breathing. A.J. argued fiercely above him, and apparently he was successful because he bent down and pointed his own flashlight into the interior of the Jeep.