“Jen,Iwant you to reach out and grab onto my shoulders.Canyou do that?”
She gave me a pensive nod.
“I’m gonna have one arm behind your back, and one arm underneath you.”Icocked my head towardDrew. “ThisisDrew.He’sgoing to guide your legs out from where they’re pinned.”
The car let out a menacing hiss, then a bang.Smokeroared as flames licked out the front.Jenscreamed and threw her arms around my neck.
I slid my arms behind and under her, then counted down. “Three, two?—”
Drew squeezed into my left and knelt as another flash of flames whipped toward us. “One.”
Jen was light as a feather, but she was pinned in tightly.
“It hurts!” she cried asIeased her out of the car.
“Drew—”Flameswere working their way up the hood, but he was laser-focused on getting her out as safely as possible.
Boots thundered, splashing in the rain as the crew rushed to work the problem as the billowing heat grew.
“I feel it,” he snapped. “She’spriority.”
“Faster,”Ibarked.
Jen wailed in my ear.Drewhad leaned the stretcher against the car.Ikicked it away from the flames.
“Almost . . .”Drewjerked his head away and hissed under the heat.
“Now,”Iordered.
“Clear!”Drewshouted.
I lunged back, keeping a safe hold onJenas the deep, rhythmic thumping of helicopter rotors filled the air.
“My phone!” she whimpered. “Mymom’s gonnakill me.”
“I promise she won’t.She’llbe happy you’re still here.”
But allDrewheard was a scared girl in distress. “Whereis it?” he asked as he leapt away from the car as it was slowly engulfed in flames.
“The backseat,” she sniffed. “I’mnot allowed to have it in the front with me.”
“Hey!”Ibarked.
ButDrewdidn’t waste a second.Heripped open the back passenger door and rooted around.
Shouts rose up when the crew realized what the fuck he was doing.
A macabre explosion rattled what was left of the car.
“Drew!”
That motherfucker eased out of the backseat like he had all the time in the fucking world.Thepurse was on fire as he yanked it free.Hedropped it on the ground and gently stomped out the flames.
I shoved down the burning anger and focused on the task at hand. “Lookslike your ride is here,Jen.’”
The helicopter pilot made a slow, picturesque landing in the middle of the chaos.Theside doors rolled back and two flight nurses climbed out.IcarriedJenover as smoothly asIcould while they popped open the door beneath the tail and hauled out the gurney.
One of the flight nurses jogged over to help stabilize her legs. “ThisisJen,”Isaid asIeased her down onto the gurney. “She’sseventeen.”
