“No. Just stay there. We’ll keep you updated.”
He hung up and pressed his foot harder to the gas, because dammit, what if this was the killer? What if they’d caused her to crash her car as a means to take her? Would she end up like the other women? The ones they’d found in the river? Or the women in the old mansion?
His gut squeezed so fucking tight, pain rippled through his body.
No. She wouldn’t end up like them. He wouldn’t lose her. He couldn’t.
He drove so fast, he doubled the speed limit.
Suddenly he spotted her Subaru. It was upside down near the tree line, smoke coming from the hood.
Polly…
He couldn’t breathe. For a moment, he couldn’t suck in a single breath. He wanted to be sick, and punch something, and slam his foot on the brake to run to her all at once.
Was she in there? Was she hurt? Or had she been taken?
The last short stretch of road felt like miles.
His truck had barely stopped when he was out and running, closing the small distance between him and the car before skidding to his knees.
She was there. Polly was in the car. But she was upside down and her eyes were closed.
He spoke to her through the shattered glass. “Can you hear me, Sunshine?”
Her eyelids fluttered but didn’t open. She was alive. Thank God.
He forced his SEAL training to take over. Not tactics or procedures, but the discipline to stay calm. To think and assess without panic.
He tried the driver’s-side door, but it was jammed. Instead, he slipped into the broken window, ignoring the shards of glass cutting into him.
The seat belt was the only thing keeping her suspended.
“I’m getting you out of here, Polly.” He eased an arm around her back, slowly taking the weight of her body as it settled against him. Only when he was sure he had her secure did he hit the latch. It clicked open, and she slumped into his arms.
She didn’t fall or drop—he had full control, easing her onto the roof of the vehicle.
A breathy whimper slipped from her throat.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered.
Tires squealed somewhere behind them, like someone was pulling up.
Carefully, he shifted out of the window, shielding her body from the sharp shards. It was awkward and slow going in the small space, but he’d gotten people out of even smaller areas.
The second they cleared the vehicle, he lifted her, cradling her to his chest.
“You got her?” Ethan asked as he rushed over, studying Polly.
“Yeah. I’m getting her to the hospital.”
“I’ll drive.” Ethan hurried back to his truck. “You sit with her in the back.”
Polly’s breath whispered against his collarbone as he raced to Ethan’s truck.
The drive to the hospital felt too long. Every second felt like ten, the minutes like hours.
As soon as they stepped through the doors, nurses rushed toward them. He lay Polly on a gurney and had to watch helplessly as she was rushed into the ER.
