Page 78 of Courting Danger

“Let me know when it’s high enough,” the butcher called down. “As soon as we’re clear, someone else needs to climb up and crank it shut.”

“I will!” someone replied.

“A couple more turns and we should be good,” someone called out.

How much later he wasn’t sure, since he’d started drifting again, another voice hollered:

“Right there!”

“Get moving,” the butcher called, the clang of feet on ladder rungs announcing his descent. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Danger shivered again before the feel of something warm draped over his back, and he opened his eyes to see that Roan was no longer wearing the leather jacket he’d had on earlier. Danger felt him smooth it out to cover as much of Danger as he could, which helped keep the chill out until the rattling of the door signaled that it was being lowered again.

Now to hope that they were able to find help, because it sounded like it was still pouring out there.

“Do you think Ocean and Pope are okay?” Roan asked.

His words brought Danger firmly back to the moment and the concern written all over Roan’s face.

“That house has already withstood a couple hurricanes,” Danger said. “I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon. Kong designed it, and C-Cash and his crew built it. She’s as sturdy as they come. They’ll be j-just fine as long as they stay put.”

“Will they?”

He’d have saidnoif Pope had been out there alone, but with Ocean and the dogs to consider, no way Pope would just leave to come search for them.

Not that he could.

“Y-yeah. It’s not like they can go anywhere without the SUV.”

“What about Ocean’s jeep?”

Shit. He’d forgotten about that.

“He’d never risk it,” Danger said, trying to speak with conviction, though in the back of his head, he wasn’t a hundred percent sure.

“I hope not.”

The conversation began to wear him out, but as long as he kept his eyes open, Roan didn’t say anything more. Someone else draped another jacket over him, covering his legs, which made lying on that floor a bit warmer. He couldn’t turn his head and realized that it was because there was someone holding it still, pressing against the burning wound on his head. He didn’t remember getting hit. Just Roan and the butcher’s outstretched hands reaching for him as he tried to get the old man to safety.

What a hot fucking mess this shopping trip had been.

He could see his club brothers having a field day with him after this, with witty plays on his nickname to suggest that being in his presence was enough to draw bullshit their way. He could just picture caution tape covering the door of his office and warning signs posted everywhere; hell, if one of those fuckers managed to get their hands on a flashing caution sign, which he wouldn’t put it past them to do, then he was likely to open the door to see it waiting for him.

He’d welcome it and deserve it after some of the ribbing he’d given others, but dammit all, the universe needed to ease up and stop using him as its personal scratching post. How long they lay there, staring into one another’s eyes, Danger couldn’t say. Heavy bangs rattled the rolling metal door, drawing gasps of shock from a few folks when it startled them.

Tessa’s daughter screamed. Poor thing had a hell of an afternoon so far. Danger hoped her stuffed toy hadn’t been lostwhen they’d fled, though with the hold she’d had on it, he seriously doubted it. That all of them had made it back here before the roof came down, even if it had just been barely in his case, was already a fucking miracle.

As he stared into Roan’s eyes, Danger recalled the photos they’d shown Roan and Ocean of the town after the last time it had been destroyed. So far, it hadn’t sounded like any of the other buildings around them had crumbled, just the weak ass, drippy roof the owner should have had replaced a long time ago. He remembered the totes the stock boy had dragged over without a thought, like it happened every time it rained, and wondered how old this part of the structure was and if it would continue to hold as rain accumulated on the flat roof above it.

Whose dumb idea were those anyway?

Footsteps rattled the ladder again, but this time, when the cold air rushed in, it wasn’t as chilled and breath-stealing as before, thanks to the jackets covering him.

“The rest of the town looks to be standing,” the butcher said as he rolled back in. “There were a bunch of folks trapped in the diner across the street and they had a landline in the office. Firefighters and EMTs have been dispatched. Have any of the others come back yet?”

“No, you’re the first,” someone replied.

A shadow fell over him, droplets pooling on the floor as they dripped off the rain-drenched butcher. “How are you holding up?”