Page 58 of Relentless
Sirens sounded in the distance, and she glanced at Mazi. He stood guard, talking to someone through his earpiece. When she caught his attention, she jerked her head toward the bus, silently asking if Cody could come out. Mazi’s eyes scanned the road, then he gave a curt nod. “Just here, though,” he answered.
“Cody?” Kara called. “You can come out now. But you need to stay right…here.” He was on his knees beside Tia before Kara even finished her sentence.
Giving the man as much privacy as she could, she remained focused on Tia. And the goose egg she likely sported where her head had hit the pavement. With her palms flat against Tia’s cheekbones, Kara raised Tia’s head, then inched her hands through her hair until she felt the bump. Running her fingers over the area, she assessed the size. It was larger than she’d hoped, but at least she didn’t feel any blood.
“You’re hurting her, Kara,” Cody snapped when Tia winced.
She ignored him. “You’re banged up, but I don’t see any serious injuries or signs of a concussion,” she said to Tia. “Now, I want you to sit up—slowly—and we’ll get you some ice for that bump. I know you want to help the team determine what happened, but you need a few minutes to let the rattling in your head stop.” Mazi handed her a chemical ice pack, and she broke it open. Cody wrapped an arm around Tia and gently pulled her into a sitting position.
The sirens grew louder and louder as she directed Cody to keep the ice on Tia’s head. Tia shot her an annoyed look that almost had Kara smiling. “I need to keep him out of trouble,” she said to the operative. Tia was perfectly capable of holding the ice pack herself, but giving Cody a task would settle his anxiety.
“Taking one for the team,” Tia muttered, drawing a laugh from Kara.
“Kara?”
Kara turned to find Anne and Louis standing in front of her. “Both of you head into the bus,” she directed. “It will be easier for me to treat you there. And Cody, when you think Tia is okay to move, help her in as well.” Again, Tia shot her a glare that Kara shrugged off. The operative might act as if she didn’t want Cody’s attention, but the gentle way she responded to his care told another story.
Kara glanced at the bus in front of them as she gathered her supplies. The blackened metal, twisted with heat and the force of the explosion, created a macabre kind of sculpture. Between Ethan emptying an extinguisher and Bill emptying another, the flames had died to an occasional slow lick. Still, she was relieved when the fire truck, then the police, pulled up.
With one last look at Ethan, she returned to Cody’s coach and began treating Anne’s burn and Louis’s scratches. By the time she’d finished, Cody had moved Tia inside, and the paramedics had arrived. She called them over and went through her diagnoses and treatment. Then, leaving them to officially log the injuries and determine if any hospital visits were necessary, she stepped outside.
When her feet touched the asphalt, she didn’t hesitate and walked straight toward the disabled bus. Firefighters loitered around, ensuring the retardant and suppressant they’d sprayed did the job. Ethan, Mazi, Cass, and Bill stood in a circle talking with several highway patrol in the field beside the shoulder.
She sidled up to the group, and Ethan held out his hand. Taking it in hers, she inched closer and listened. From the questions being asked, Kara gleaned that no one had revealed the real reason she and Ethan were traveling with the tour. She didn’t know why, but she’d ask Ethan about it later.
“Have it towed there,” one of the officers said, handing a piece of paper to Ethan. “He’ll give it a good once-over. It’s probably an accident. Unfortunately, I’ve seen my share of engines go like this. Especially when they aren’t in great repair. But I understand your caution. If I were Cody Warwick, I’d want to be sure the fire wasn’t helped along, too.” The man paused and looked around. “Where is he, did you say?”
“I didn’t,” Ethan responded.
“He’s tending to the three people who were injured,” Kara interjected. “The paramedics have pronounced them all fit. But as you can imagine, he’s taking this seriously.” The officer eyed her, his eyes dropping to where her hand was entangled with Ethan’s. “Dr. Kara Kenyon,” she said, holding out her free hand. “Ethan’s fiancée. That was our bus,” she added, jerking her head to the coach that looked perfectly intact in the front but a mangled mess behind.
“Good thing you weren’t on it at the time,” he replied. A more obvious statement she’d never heard. She’d like to think that if theyhadbeen on the bus, they wouldn’t have been in the bedroom. Which was the area that took the brunt of the explosion. But chances were, that’s exactly where they would have been. As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, Ethan stroked his thumb over her hand.
The sound of a helicopter caught her attention and rather than respond, she turned and scanned the skies. Expecting to see a news or traffic helicopter, her curiosity was piqued when she caught a glimpse of something much bigger. The conversation continued, but she was only dimly aware of the substance. Something about letting local police know if the examination of the bus showed anything suspicious. Her eyes remained glued to the helicopter as it flew over, circled back, then began to set down in a field about a quarter mile away.
She bumped Ethan’s hip subtly then, when he looked at her, she nodded to the chopper. There was no way he could have missed its arrival—not with the racket it made—but he turned his eyes to it for the first time. His gaze lingered, then dropped back to her.
“Our ride,” he said.
She frowned. “What?”
Before he could respond, the door to the helicopter opened and a form Kara recognized flew out.
“What’s my sister doing here?” she asked.
“Like I said, that’s our ride,” he repeated. By now, everyone’s attention was on the aircraft and the two people who’d emerged from it.
“Mazi, can you tell the others?” Ethan said.
“Tell them what?” Kara demanded, confused as to what was happening. And how her sister and Chad had arrived so quickly.
“Bill, Cass, and our bus driver are going to bring the SUV and Cody’s coach to San Francisco. The rest of us are going by air,” Ethan said. His explanation was infuriatingly brief. And lacked details. But she didn’t have the chance to press him on it, because Sabina came flying at her.
“Kara!” Sabina cried, wrapping her arms around her in a hug that had Kara gasping for air. “Are you okay?”
Kara hugged her sister back. “I’d be better if I had a little room to breathe.”
Sabina held on for one more moment, gave a squeeze, then stepped back. “You’re okay?”
