Page 46 of Trusted Instinct
“Sir.” Blaze rounded to the back of their transport, and Creed was glad they were positioned effectively. Their equipment would undoubtedly save lives.
Another car barreled by them at full speed, and the men shouted and waved to no effect. Moments later, there was the screech and the bangs.
“Blaze, Gator, and Creed, as you move forward, tell anyone who can reasonably get themselves out of their cars to move up on the ridge that they need to move. Under normal circumstances, it’s counseled that the safest place to stay is in your vehicle. But on a day like today, if Jack isn’t able to get people to turn around, this will continue to be a bumper car situation. What might be a mild injury in this moment might become a deadly crush in the next. Better up the hill and wet.”
“Hypothermia in this rain,” Deep said.
“Yup.” Striker raised his voice, “Blaze, pull out the box of Mylar blankets and hand them to Deep. Deep, you’re ahead of Blaze, take the window breaker and pop the window or open the door so Blaze can get right in there for a fast tourniquet. Seconds matter. Hand a blanket to every person until you run out.”
Deep accepted the box. “If I run out, that’s going to be a bad sign.”
“As you get them moving, Deep, make sure you warn them about the effects of the weather. They should crouch together and try to keep warm with body heat. Tell them to take shelter under those evergreens unless there’s more lightning. Another thing,” Striker said, “some of these folks might be in shock. Look for the most cogent, helpful people and put them in charge of those who might be at higher risk.”
“Sir,” the team said in unison.
“Gentlemen, people will see our uniforms and want us to stay with them and help. There are babies and children in the mix. It’s going to be tough, but head over hearts saves lives.”
“Sir.”
“All right, Creed, head out.”
“Moving,” Creed said as he glanced at his phone. No text from Auralia. Had she followed Morrison and already crossed out of the danger area, or had she gone south on her way back to the bed and breakfast?
Creed was glad to be the point guy. He’d be thorough but move fast. He’d be the first to get to the bridge. Iniquus was all about family, and if he found Auralia needed him, Iniquus would stand one thousand percent behind his decision to focus on her, just as he would if any of his brothers needed him.
Creed pulled out his phone. Before he dialed into Iniquus Logistics, he took a moment to send a quick text.
Creed:Cherished, are you and Doli okay?
Chapter Fourteen
Auralia
With her jacket pulled free and resting on Doli’s abandoned seat, Auralia’s next big effort was to get the ballistic vest off.
It wasn’t easy to pull apart the hook and loop closure without a significant jerk. If she were in the water, though, swimming through the current wouldn’t be possible with this added weight and movement constriction.
The image of an armadillo came to mind. “Yeah, they can swim, but their armor doesn’t include ceramic plates.”
She edged her fingers under the flap and crawled them forward.
Waste of time? Putting herself in danger when she could simply follow Doli’s performance?
Auralia’s intuition told her that she wasn’t going to make it out of the car while it was on the bridge. She could feel the frame straining to hold her in place. She was going to take a plunge.
Still, she’d act as if she still had a way to get out until the very last second.
As Auralia worked her fingers over the plates, she tried to be logical and methodical in her decision-making. Like, with her safety belt. She could crawl out with it attached, but if her car was to take flight, she’d want it to be holding her safely in place.
And then when she landed, if it jammed, that was a problem.
Auralia opened her console and pulled out a thick rubber band, a window punch, a seatbelt razor, and a high-lumen flashlight attached. It was a gift from her mentor, Remi, who often handed out little items like this to her friends and colleagues as if they were door prizes. Auralia always read thatas a wish for their safety. It was warm and loving, and in this instance, might well be life-saving. The back window might end up being her egress.
While she pulled that onto her wrist, Auralia tried to imagine what would happen if she were crawling out the back window when her car plunged forward.
There was no help coming. The number of injured had to be mind-boggling.
The wailing. The screams. It tortured Auralia, and she had to focus on imagining herself as diaphanous, the way Creed had taught her to stay safe from nightmares when they were young. She used that technique as a necessary tool in her toolbox when off on assignment, so the energy that filled the air and was buffeted around didn’t glue to her skin or seep into her psyche.
