“Do you want me to take it?” he asked.
“No.” She shook her head, afraid to move it more than she already was. Her footsteps pounded down the corridors after Hugh until they burst into the parking lot. Shocking rain splashed into her. When had it started raining?
Thunder rolled high and loud above them.
“This way,” Hugh bellowed, running for their SUV. He gently placed his box on the floor in the back. “Keys.” As Deke winced and put his box next to Hugh’s, Hugh grabbed the car keys out of his jeans’ pocket. Then he turned and took Ellie’s box to slide on the seat. He slammed the door shut.
Ellie grabbed his arm. If they were going to blow up the SUV, they should really run.
He kissed her hard and then jumped into the driver’s seat. “Love you, Ellie Mae.”
“Wait—” Deke grabbed the door handle, but Hugh hit a button and locked it. The engine ignited. Hugh punched the gas pedal, and the SUV swerved and then gained speed, heading for the river.
Ellie yelled for him, her body going numb. Shock? Stress? A way to avoid pain?
The SUV sped up and then arced, sailing right over the embankment toward the rushing water. “Hugh!” she screamed, bursting into motion and running across the asphalt. “Did he jump?”
“Don’t know,” Deke said, running right alongside her.
They reached the edge.
The SUV hit the water with all four windows down and slowly sank.
Ellie tried to scramble down the bank but Deke held her back. “Wait a minute.”
The earth seemed to still. Then the SUV, only partially under water, exploded.
* * * *
Hugh rolled over on the grassy bank, smashing into a tree. He covered his head as the explosion threw water, car parts, and a couple of fish high into the air. Smoke and debris plumed up. The water burst in every direction, rolling all the way up to his boots.
Then silence.
He gasped in air, his heart thundering. The rain pelted down and he rolled over, letting it wash over his face. God. This was nuts.
Slowly, he shoved to his feet and looked up. Just trees.
His entire body hurt. Head to fucking toes.
He limped between trees, following a barely-there path and finally emerging at a small stone path with stairs. Ellie was already running down them with Deke ineffectually trying to grab her arm.
Upon seeing him, Deke halted.
Within seconds, Ellie Mae was against him. The pain was worth it. Hugh put his good arm around her and kissed her wet hair. “It’s okay, Ell.”
She shoved him. Hard. “What the holy fuck were you doing?” She backed up, her face wet, fury in her eyes. God, she was beautiful. Those blue eyes were deep enough to get lost in forever. “You don’t tell somebody you love them and then go crash an SUV full of bombs into a fucking river.” She was yelling now. Had a good set of lungs on her.
“Underwater explosions don’t propel objects through the water as far as surface explosions,” he gently explained. “It’s the drag water exerts on objects.”
She hit him in his good arm. Hard. “I know that. I got an A in chemistry, remember?” Tears were sliding down her face.
“Ah, baby? I think you’re in shock.” Hell. He might be, too. An interesting ringing had set up between his ears. He moved for her and then ducked back when she tried to hit him again. If he remembered right, she wasn’t that great of an aim. If she hit his injured arm, it’d drop him.
Connor jumped down the stairs. “Hugh, man.” He reached him, gingerly plucking a stick out of Hugh’s waist. Blood flowed out of somewhere near his ribcage and trickled down his jeans. “You, um, might need stitches.”
Hugh grinned as the world started to tilt in what should be an alarming manner. “Yeah. Hey. We’re friends now.”
“We surely are.” Connor caught him in strong arms right before he hit the ground. Now that was a good friend.
