19. Kitty

19

KITTY

T he ground disappeared beneath my feet and I plummeted down a few feet, landing on soft, soggy ground. Above me, wood and metal creaked and groaned and as something heavy thumped down, a cloud of dust exploded into the small space I’d become trapped in.

I lay there, utterly frozen and terrified. Aaron, in his stupidity, had pulled me toward the barn because of some rain. A barn I told him was dangerous to be near, but rather than listen to me, he insisted and grabbed me once again.

Holy. Shit .

I remained there for a few long seconds, trying to process exactly how this had happened. I knew the barn was weak. Melanie had talked about it often and lamented how she would like to get it fixed, but it was becoming more and more of a death trap. That was why no one was allowed in the back parking lot these days, but I thought we would be safe.

I didn’t know Aaron was so fucking thick as to just completely ignore my warnings.

“Fuck,” I muttered and immediately broke into a sharp coughing fit as I inhaled a mouthful of the dust. Shaking my head, I slowly pushed myself up into a seated position. There was thankfully enough space for me to do that, but as I moved about, the softness of the ground beneath me continued to be alarmingly soft. I realized slowly that I was in a few inches of thick, muddy water. To my left, I heard trickling that was rapidly increasing in force, making the water level rise around my wrists and knees.

“Wait,” I croaked. “Wait, wait, hold on…” It was pitch black. I couldn’t see a thing so I had to feel along the hole I’d ended up in as carefully as I could. Rotten wood caved under my fingertips as I felt along the wall beside me. I moved as slowly as I could, working my way closer and closer to the sound of the water. Above me, the force of the rain bouncing off the wood and metal was creating a deafening racket, but underneath the noise, I was certain I could hear Rook’s distant tones.

Maybe that was wishful thinking.

As I moved, pains shot up my left ankle and I paused and winced.

Shit .

When I’d fallen, my ankle had turned over in my heels, and the pain was quickly making itself known despite the ice-cold water slowly rising around me.

I gritted my teeth and screwed up my eyes, waiting for the wave of pain to fade. A few heartbeats and it slowly dulled, so I continued searching for the water’s source. I turned, and ice-cold droplets sprayed onto my face, washing down my arms and chest like I’d just fallen face-first into a pile of snow. Using both hands, I followed the stream of water and found the source. The pressure against my fingertips quickly became painful because of how cold the water was, and when I pressed both hands against the gushing hole, it did nothing to stem the flow of water.

“Shit,” I croaked, turning my head away from the needle-like spray. “Think, Kitty. Think!”

My mind was quickly becoming as numb as my body. I couldn’t stop. I had to keep moving.

“Aaron?” I called, worried he had fallen in here with me. The accident had happened so fast, I couldn’t be sure. I thought I saw him dive free, but it was only a snippet before I was dragged downward. “Aaron, are you here?”

There was no answer in the darkness. Only the sound of the water spitting against the muddy pool around me. I moved away from the source and began feeling around my surroundings. Every rough plank of wood that caught on my fingertips was shoved again. Every frozen sheet of metal was pushed with all my strength. Nothing had any give, and I was rapidly losing all sensation in my lower limbs.

Am I… going to die here?

Trapped under the bar, frozen to death in this disgusting water?

I didn’t want to think about it, but once that terrifying thought entered my mind, it didn’t leave. I was kneeling and the water was up to my waist now, pouring faster and faster. My body was becoming so numb that I could no longer decipher my heartbeat, and my hands trembled with a will of their own. Within what seemed like seconds, my movements were growing stiff and jerky, like there was a delay between my thoughts and my body taking action.

“Oh, no.” I chattered, my teeth knocking together. “Not like this. Fucking hell—HELP! Someone help me! Please!”

Rook was there—right there. I knew in my heart that he would look for me, but what if he wasn’t fast enough? What if our last time spent together was me on a date with a man I couldn’t stand and Rook forever being my shadow?

“Please,” I whispered to nothing in particular. “If I get out of this, please. I won’t hide anymore. I’ll—I don’t know what I’ll do, but I will be a better person or I’ll stand up for myself more or something. I just…”

What was I doing, praying?

I’d never prayed in my life. Starting now probably wasn’t a good look to whoever lived upstairs, but I was cold, so fucking cold that it was hurting.

I wanted to go back to being numb. At least then, I couldn’t feel the thousands of ice shards embedding into my legs and calves.

My next blink was slower, and as I made it back around to where the water was rushing in, I realized I was completely and utterly trapped.

There really was no escape.

I closed my eyes briefly.

I was tired.

Cold.

My limbs were weighted down by weights I couldn’t see.

I just needed a moment to catch my breath.

Then I would look again. I would yell. Scream. I would make sure someone heard me.

I just needed a moment to rest.

Just… one moment… and then I would…

“Kitty!”

Warmth that was so painful I jerked my head away suddenly cupped my face. I opened my eyes—how long had they been closed—to see Rook right in front of me in the water.

“Kitty, open your eyes. That’s it. You’re okay, I’m right here, baby. I’m right here!” Rook swept me up into his arms, but while I could see that I was moving, I strangely couldn’t feel the warmth or pressure of his arms around me. I was soaked and frozen to the bone. Behind him, bright lights shone down into the hole I was trapped in and I distantly heard Melanie sobbing out my name.

Rook climbed out of the hole, refusing to let me go, and I saw the painful glare of flashing blue lights.

Then I saw Aaron huddled under some tinfoil with his glasses slanted on his face.

So he was okay. He made it.

Prick .

“Is there anything else I can get for you?” The nurse pressed a few buttons on the machine I was hooked up to, then turned to me with a kindly smile. “Anything at all?”

She hadn’t been this nice to me when I first arrived at the hospital. She must have read my file and worked out who I was.

“I’m okay,” I replied, wincing slightly as the words burned up my throat. “Really.”

“Alright, well if you need anything, then you just hit this blue button and I’ll be here.” The nurse smiled brightly, then she gave Rook the same smile as she passed him while she was leaving.

Rook didn’t smile at her. He didn’t look at her. His eyes had been on me from the moment he pulled me from that hole and they hadn’t left.

He stood at the bottom of my bed, just watching. He hadn’t moved even when another nurse came to take care of his torn up hands and wrap them in bandages. He’d torn up his palms and his fingers while digging through the rubble to get to me. The nurse claimed they looked worse than they were and he just needed to keep them covered for a few days, but it broke my heart to see the scratches and gouges.

And deep down, part of me liked it. He had clawed at all that wreckage to reach me. He’d torn his very hands open to find me, and if that wasn’t romantic, then I didn’t know what was.

I waited until the door closed, then I patted the bed beside me. “Rook.”

He didn’t move.

“Rook, I’m okay. Now come and sit beside me, please.”

That please seemed to be the key because he moved immediately and came to sit next to me on the bed. His usual expressionless face was replaced with a constant deep frown, and his lips were pressed so firmly together that I could barely see them.

“I’m okay,” I repeated, laying my hand on top of his bandaged ones.

“No, you’re not,” he replied. “They’re still running some tests to make sure that muddy water didn’t make you sick. And you…” His voice tightened. “You were like ice when I pulled you out.”

“I was only in there for twenty minutes.”

“Twenty minutes too long,” Rook growled, and his entire body tightened up. “Aaron is lucky he’s still walking.”

“It’s sweet that you would beat him up for me,” I murmured, “but I’m glad you focused on rescuing me.”

“Always,” Rook answered immediately, and his eyes locked onto mine. “When you vanished, I–I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t even think. I just started digging because there was no way I was letting you get taken from me like that.”

Rook lifted one bandaged hand and cupped my cheek. “I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

Warmth prickled up the back of my neck and flooded my cheeks as I stared deep into Rook’s eyes. He really meant it, I could tell by the open honesty across his face. There was still a twitch of fear, too, each time his brow dipped as he studied my face.

“I was scared too,” I murmured, then I leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. Just as I pulled away, the urge for more rose up like a wave so I pressed forward and kissed him again. And again. Rook leaned into our kisses and slid his hand down to the side of my neck. Lips wove over lips, battling for dominance that ended when Rook shoved his tongue into my mouth like he was so desperate for a taste that nothing else mattered.

We kissed until the machine next to me started to beep loudly in time with my racing heart. After one last kiss, we parted, and Rook finally gave me a faint smile.

“I’m not leaving your side, okay?” Rook said softly. “I never should have let that date happen.”

“Well,” I groaned, sinking back into the plush pillows and trying to find warmth in the blankets, “it’s a damn good excuse not to go to the ball with him.”

Rook snorted, then stood abruptly when the door to my room swung open. Mom rushed in first, and she made a beeline for my bed.

“Kitty! Oh, Kitty. I was so worried. Are you alright? Are you hurt?” She patted my cheek and repeatedly stroked my hair as she clutched at my hand and looked me over.

“I’m okay,” I replied. “I sprained my ankle and they’re running some tests because of the dirty water, but other than being really cold, I’m okay.”

“Oh, thank God,” Mom gasped. “Thank God you were there!” She turned to Rook and grasped both of his arms. “Thank you, thank you!” Then she turned back to me. “Oh, Kitty. I knew you were reckless, but this is something else.”

My heart sank. “What?”

“This wasn’t her fault, Ma’am,” Rook said.

“Then whose was it?” came Dad’s voice as he stalked into the room. He looked angry and his brow knit together as he glared at Rook.

For the first time since meeting him, I saw something snap in Rook and anger flashed across his face.

“With all due respect, Sir ,” Rook ground out, “the fault of your daughter getting injured lies squarely on your shoulders.”

“How dare you?” Dad yelled. “Who do you think you are talking to?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Rook snapped, and his voice raised. “You’re half the man I used to know and this pathetic, weak, greedy rat in his place is hardly what I would call a friend. That barn collapsed due to the flooding caused by all the unsteady ground around here because you’ve cut down enough trees that shit is sinking! And instead of working with your town to rebuild important places like the barn, you make the problem worse!”

My Dad looked utterly stunned. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide as he stared at Rook yelling in his face.

“And that second collapse nearly killed Kitty! Open your eyes, man!” Rook yelled. “No highway is worth endangering this entire town or your daughter!”

There was a very quiet silence for a few long seconds after Rook finished.

My dad straightened up, licked his lips, and then said two words.

“You’re fired.”