Page 78 of The Library on Plum Island
“Can I help?” Harriet stood beside Alex.
Alex stood staring at Daniella for a few seconds, and she raised her brows. “Is there something else?” She heard the coolness of her voice and the tone she used in the operating room where every second counted, and there was no time for dalliance.
“No!” Alex’s eyes flashed with emotion before they became hooded. He gave her a slight nod, turned, and strode off.
“I know you don’t like the sight of blood,” Daniella said, turning to walk toward the second ambulance with Harriet running after her. “One of the local shop owners has brought bottles of water.” She stopped at the back of the ambulance and took the clean scrubs from the EMT before he started closing the ambulance.
“I can do that,” Harriet said.
“Nurse Beckett has already contacted the hospital in Newbury Port,” Daniella addressed the EMT. “A doctor and medical staff will be waiting for you as soon as you arrive.”
“Thank you, Doctor Thornton,” the EMT said before closing the ambulance doors.
The siren blared as the vehicle turned. The police pulled away from the road barricade for the ambulance as it sped off down the road. Daniella turned back toward the smaller ambulance, climbed in, and started to pull the doors closed so she could get changed.
“Where is the local store owner?” Harriet asked.
Daniella summoned an officer who, like everyone else at the scene, jumped to her orders. “Please show Miss Joyce where Mr. Fines is so she can help distribute the water.”
The police officer nodded at Daniella. “This way, Miss Joyce.”
Harriet was about to say something, but Daniella pretended she didn’t notice as she pulled the doors shut. She leaned her head against the cool surface for a few seconds to take a breath and was almost thrown to the floor when another explosion rocked the bus. Daniella managed to brace herself against the sides of the vehicle. As soon as she was steady, the adrenaline spurted through her, and she flew out of the ambulance. Grabbing a mask to protect her from the smoke as she went.
“Harriet!” Daniella yelled as the deafening roar of the explosion drowned out her voice. Heat radiated from the flames, but they weren’t coming from the big glass house anymore. They were engulfing the shed that stood beside the driveway. Emergency workers dashed about, taking action as the heated enemy cast an eerie orange glow that danced across the panicked faces of the onlookers. Smoke billowed thick and acrid, stinging Daniella’s nostrils and burning her eyes as she scanned the chaotic scene. Her eyes scanned the crowd for Harriet, whom Daniella had just sent into the area where the explosion had occurred.
“Harriet!” she screamed again, her heart hammering in her chest, the urgency in her voice barely audible over the crackling inferno.
Daniella dashed towards the shed where the explosion had originated, adrenaline propelling her forward despite the heat pressing in around her like a suffocating blanket. Embers rained down like fiery snowflakes, hissing as they met the damp ground, adding to the sense of impending disaster.
A chorus of shouts and cries filled the air, mingling with the wail of sirens in the distance as extra emergency vehicles arrived. Daniella’s pulse thrummed in her ears, drowning out all other sounds. Her eyes caught sight of the shed, its wooden frame already collapsing on itself. Firefighters had already gathered around to start putting out the flames as Daniella pushed past them.
“Harriet!” she called out once more, her voice hoarse with desperation as she scanned a flurry of firefighters, cops, and EMTs, searching for any sign of her friend amidst the chaos.
Then, through the haze of smoke rolling over the scene like a thick fog, Daniella caught sight of a figure stumbling out from behind the big firetruck parked in the driveway. Relief flooded through her like a tidal wave as she recognized Harriet’s familiar form, coughing, and spluttering but miraculously unharmed.
Daniella rushed to Harriet’s side, enveloping her in a tight embrace as they stumbled away from the blazing inferno that was once Alex’s shed. Her heart constricted as she glimpsed his once beautiful house, standing proudly and tall, carved into the edge of the cliff. Now, it hung like an ugly burnt-out scar defacing the natural beauty around it—a victim of someone’s cruel, malicious intentions and an example of what was coming because Daniella had dared to defy and ignore the warnings of a man intent on destroying her.
“We need to get you checked out!” Daniella shouted over the roar of activity around them, pulling Harriet towards safety. “You shouldn’t be inhaling this smoke.”
“The men…” Harriet coughed. “You need to attend to them first.”
“They’re fine,” Daniella assured her. “They all have oxygen masks and fireproof protective clothing.”
Together, they stumbled through the smoke-choked air, guided by the distant glow of emergency lights as they made their way to the relative safety of the perimeter, leaving behind the blazing wreckage and the shattered remnants of what had once been Alex Blackwell’s home.
As they reached the safety of the waiting emergency vehicles, Daniella’s heart still raced with adrenaline, while the relief of having found Harriet relatively unharmed was slowly seeping through her, soaking up the remaining hormone secreted by her adrenal glands. She glanced back at the burning house, a sense of sadness and guilt washing over her at the sight of the destruction. While Alex and Harriet tried to convince Daniella this wasn’t her fault—she knew that wasn’t true. This wasallher fault. She’d brought this on her loved ones.
She glanced at Harriet as one of the EMTs immediately gave her oxygen. A picture of Harriet cuddled with Alex flashed through her mind, stabbing her heart, and Daniella knew without a shadow of a doubt that she had fallen in love with Alex. But she also now knew that Alex would never have anything more to offer her than friendship. His heart had always belonged to Harriet. She watched Harriet warmly interact with the EMT, who helped her. While the woman exuded the air of a woman born to high society, her heart and soul were as kind and down to earth as mere mortals like Daniella. In fact, Harriet was one of the fiercest, most loyal friends a person could ask for, and she gave with a whole heart.
She knew there were no two people more suited to each other than Harriet and Alex. While the world saw Alex as a selfish, self-obsessed playboy—Daniella knew differently. Alex was kind, loyal, and caring, and he would fight to the death for the people he loved. He, too, gave with his whole heart Alex just didn’t want people to see him doing it. A protection mechanism born out of being hurt and having to cope with the loss of more than just a loved one.
While her heart ached at the thought that Alex would never love her the way she loved him, as Daniella stood amidst the chaos and devastation, she knew what she had to do. This fight was hers and hers alone. Her throat felt dry, and tears stung the back of her eyes. Daniella observed the handy work of a man who thought he had the right to manipulate people’s lives and would go to great lengths to ensure his wrath was known.
Enough was enough, and Daniella was not going to put her loved ones in harm’s way again. It was time Daniella took this fight to the source. She would face Ron Jackson head-on, with courage and determination, guided by the unwavering strength of her loved one, friendships, and the resilience of the human spirit.
If Ron Jackson wanted to play dirty, Daniella was no longer afraid to step into his muddy arena. He’d nearly killed two people Daniella had come to care about today and had terrorized her daughter in the past. It was time to call in some favors from people Ron Jackson wouldn’t see coming. But first, she had to get this mess cleaned up and make sure Alex was alright.
Her brow creased.Where is Alex? Daniella’s head swiveled toward where he’d parked her car. It was a way down the road where spectators from the town had gathered behind the police line. Her eyes caught sight of her vehicle standing unharmed, but there was no sign of Alex, and she could see the passenger side door hanging open. Daniella stared at the sight, confused for a few seconds as the adrenaline once again spurted through her. She looked through the crowd, hoping to find Alex’s beautiful face amongst them, but something inside her heart she already knew he wasn’t there.
