Page 85 of Run to Ground
Suddenly the world snapped back into place, and Jules could hear again—Viggy barking excitedly and the distant sound of sirens and Theo snapping out orders to a silent Sherry. Theo hauled Jules to her feet and then reached for Sherry, who kicked out, catching Theo on the side of the leg. He staggered, stumbling into Jules and grabbing onto her arms to keep her from toppling over and bringing them both to the ground.
As they regained their balance, Sherry scrambled to her feet and ran toward the diner. Theo pivoted around to chase after her, but Viggy was there, eager to help, and Theo had to come to an abrupt halt to keep from plowing over the dog. By the time he’d disentangled himself from Viggy, Sherry had disappeared through the back door of the diner.
Theo spun around and sprinted back toward Jules, grabbing the end of Viggy’s leash as he came. “Go! Go!”
It clicked then, clarity erasing the last traces of Jules’s daze. Sherry was in the diner…withtwobombs and nothing left to lose. Turning, Jules ran.
Within just a few strides, Theo caught up to her and grabbed her hand. She tried to speed up, but she was already sprinting as fast as she could go. The barriers marking the end of the alley and the beginning of the safe zone looked miles away, rather than just blocks.
“Go ahead!” Jules said between panting breaths. She’d never run so fast in her life, but she knew Theo’s long legs could get him to safety much sooner if he wasn’t keeping pace with her. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“I’m not leaving you.” There was no give in his tone, no room for doubt, and Jules knew there was absolutely no chance of him leaving her side. Jules pushed her legs to move more quickly. Despite the terror and the uncertainty and the horribleness of everything that had happened, it helped having Theo and Viggy next to her, supporting her.
The orange-and-white barricades were visible up ahead, and she flew toward them, air sawing in and out of her lungs. Everything seemed too quiet. The only sounds were rough breathing and shoes slapping the pavement.
There was aboomthat seemed to fill the entire space between her ears. The sound echoed through her body, so deep and loud that it took over everything. The early morning dimness suddenly turned incredibly bright, too bright, and the ground shook beneath them. Jules stumbled, almost going down to her knees. Theo used his grip on her hand to haul her upright, and they were running again. The barricades drew closer and closer, and then they were there, in front of her, and Jules had to stop abruptly so she didn’t crash into them. A roaring cheer broke the silence as everyone waiting behind the barricades celebrated their little group’s safe arrival.
Only then did she turn to look behind her. A tower of flame and black smoke had taken the place of the diner. As she watched, another explosion rocked the ground, and she flinched back, instinct making her cover her head with her arms. Debris rained down around the diner, the clatter and crashes barely audible over the roar of the fire. Shouts and curses and barking surrounded her, adding to the chaos, as a fresh plume of flame rose from the remains.
She’d just been in there. Theo and Viggy had just been in there.
The scene went a little hazy, and she swayed. Theo stepped in front of her, and she welcomed the sight of him. He was beautiful…and soalive. Ignoring the fire blackening the sky behind him, Jules gave him a wobbly smile. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Although he didn’t respond in words, his actions were clear enough. Wrapping his arms around her, he squeezed her tightly, lifting her feet off the ground and tucking his face against her neck. His heart was still beating fast. She could feel it where her chest was pressed against his, just like she felt his relieved exhale against the skin below her ear.
A hand dropped onto the back of her neck at the same time another one squeezed Theo’s shoulder. Looking up, Jules saw that the hands belonged to Otto.
“Quit scaring us like that,” Otto said.
“Bosco! You and Jules get over to Med to get checked out!” one of the cops ordered, an older man whose beaky nose and heavy eyebrows made Jules think of the eagle character on the Muppets.
Theo wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her tightly against him as they walked toward an ambulance. It made moving a little awkward, but it was worth it to feel his warmth and strength. Different first responders darted around them, looking stressed but focused. There was a line of fire trucks at the barrier, the firefighters clustered around, waiting for the signal that it was safe to get closer. Steve, the firefighter who’d been so kind to Dee, lifted his hand in greeting. When she returned the wave, the cuff around her wrist gleamed.
“Ouch,” Jules muttered. Now that the numbing adrenaline was wearing off, the throbbing in her wrists and hands was returning with a painful vengeance.
He glanced at the separated cuffs that still circled her wrists. “We’ll get those off.” As they reached the cluster of emergency vehicles just beyond the perimeter, Theo called out, “Hugh!”
Whirling around, Hugh crutched over to them quicker than Jules thought he could move. Dropping both crutches, he threw his arms around them, yanking them into a three-way hug. “Fuck! Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
There was a snort from Otto behind them. “You’re sounding like our grandma again.”
Theo thumped Hugh a few times on the back and then asked, “You still have your lock-picking skills?”
Surprise made Hugh draw away and then hop on his good leg to keep his balance. Otto offered the crutches he’d retrieved from the ground, and Hugh accepted with a grimace, fitting the padded portions under his arms. “Of course. Where do you want to break in? Can we do it tomorrow? I’m kind of done with drama today.”
In answer, Theo ran a hand down Jules’s arm so he could lift it and show the remains of the handcuffs. “Can’t wait. Can you get these off?”
“Handcuffs are easy.” Hugh leaned closer for a better look, wincing in sympathy when he saw how they were digging into her wrists. “But why don’t you just use a key?”
“I would,” Theo answered, sounding crabby, “if I had a key to Rough Rider brand cuffs.”
“Yo!” Otto shouted suddenly, making Jules jump and all the cops in the immediate area look in his direction. “Anyone have a Rough Rider handcuff key?”
The blank expressions on all the cops around them answered the question.
“Guess I’m picking them,” Hugh sighed in mock-resignation, leaning on one crutch so he could dig in his pocket. “Come here, little sister.”
Using one crutch and leaving the other one for Otto to retrieve—which he did with a long-suffering sigh, Hugh pulled Jules over to sit on the bumper of a fire truck. He waved away a couple of EMTs who were heading toward Jules with medical kits and purposeful strides. “You’ll get her in a second. Let me get the shackles off first.”
