“Gage, you should see this,” she said into the radio.
“See what?”
His voice crackling over the radio sounded so good. Each word a testimony that he was still okay.
“Most of the town must be here. Men are helping move debris. The Baptist Ladies Society are serving everyone hot tea and coffee. Lorna and Harriett are with me.”
“Why?”
“Because they all care about you.”
“But I let them down. Davis killed two—no, three—men, and I didn’t have a clue. The drugs. The meth lab. He could’ve killed more.”
“But he didn’t. These people know it. And they’re here because they love you and need their sheriff saved.”
“You tell that boy to stop talking nonsense,” Harriett said loud enough for him to hear.
“Clint’s over next to the paramedic’s ambulance, along with all your other deputies.”
“How are Cleetus and Daniel?” he asked. Bobby held the radio up to Harriett.
“Both on their way to County Hospital,” Harriett answered. “Both awake, and doing good. Cleetus’ gunshot was a through and through, so Doc says they’ll be there overnight at least.”
“Good. I’m glad. Tell Cleetus I’m sorry about…”
“Hush. You tell him when you get your fool behind out of this mess.”
Bobby gave a whisper of a smile to the nurse’s words. She had a feeling she wasn’t the only one who planned to chew him out once he was safe and sound above ground.
“What about Emma?”
Bobby’s heart clenched. Even in his predicament, the welfare of his cousin and his deputies filled his mind.
“Doc made her stay home. Didn’t want her getting hurt out here in the dark.”
Harriett didn’t say what they were all thinking. Clint didn’t want his pregnant wife out here in case her cousin didn’t make it out of there.
Bobby slowly inhaled. She would not think like that. Positive energy, that’s all she’d send his way.
The earth around them rumbled. All movement stopped. Everyone held their collective breath as they watched the backhoe lumber forward.
The earthen prison shook around Gage, more dirt rained down. Careful not to release his hold on the air tank strap, he wiggled his other arm up to wipe the dirt off his mask. Barely any light shone from the flashlight Bobby left for him.
“Must be the backhoe getting in place.”
“Russet says the safest plan is to dig a second shaft on the MacPherson side of where you’re trapped. The ground is more stable there, less likely to collapse around you.” Deke’s voice rumbled in his ear. “How you doing down there?”
“The beams above me are holding. At least for now.”
Almost as if they knew he’d been talking about them, both beams shifted above him showering him with more soil.
“Whoa, Deke.”
“What’s up?”
“Everything just moved.”
The rumbling stopped. He held his breath and waited to see if the beams and dirt would crash down on him.
Other than a slight groan from the beams above, nothing else moved.
“Gage?”
“It’s okay. Do they have to move closer?”
The radio buzzed then stopped. Had they knocked out his line of communication or were they just deciding on a plan? Or just deciding how much to tell him?
Get a grip, man. Deke wouldn’t be anything but upfront. No bullshit, no matter how much. That’s the way they’d always been. Yeah, but this time Bobby was listening, too.
Patient.
“Gunslinger?”
“Yeah?”
“Remember the State football championship?”
“Yeah, I was the quarterback and you were the only wide receiver we had on the team.”
“Our odds of getting you out are about the same.”
Shit. That would be slim to none.
“Ready when you are.”
The rumble started again and the side of his prison facing the burned-out barn shook. He clutched the strap to the air tank. The beam from the flashlight shivered and cast eerie shadows above him. His mind on the petite brunette who’d climbed down in the shaft to bring him air and light, he prayed for the first time since his father’s death.
As the backhoe lowered its giant arm with the ragged-toothed bucket toward the earth, Bobby inched closer. Her mind knew this was the only way to get Gage out fast. Her heart wanted to believe it. Her fears made her want to scream at them to stop.
The people around her moved closer too. It wasn’t just her love buried in that tunnel. These people all had a vested interest in Gage’s rescue. Their friend and sheriff was down there. Their worry warmed a tiny piece of her heart. All eyes were glued to the huge piece of machinery.
The bucket pounded the earth.
Bobby squeezed the button on the mic. “Gage?”
“What was that?”
Every time his voice came over the radio she forced herself to inhale. “That’s the backhoe trying to break through the ground.”
“Hope they don’t have to do that too much. I’m taking a bath in dirt right now.”
The bucket hit the ground a second time, this time breaking into the grass and soil, scooping it out like a giant ladle.
“They’re digging through now.”
“Bobby?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry about the jail thing that first day.”
Now he apologizes?
“It wasn’t so bad.”
“Just wanted you to know.”
In case he died in there? She wouldn’t consider the possibility. She wasn’t going to let him think like that either.
“You can make it up to me when you get out of there.”
The backhoe kept hauling more dirt out of the ground. Each scoop one more foot closer to the level where Gage lay trapped.
Deke jogged over to where Bobby stood.
“We’re almost at twenty-five feet.”
“How much longer?”
“Maybe another bucketful or two. Harold wants to be actually lower than Gage.” He squeezed her hand and jogged back to the digging site.
“Deke says they’re almost down to where you are.”
“Good. These beams are shaking bad now.”
Her heart clenched at the news. “Hang on a little longer.”
“Tell the town I’m sorry things went so bad. That I failed them.”
“Stop talking like that! You didn’t fail anyone.”
“I wish I’d spent more time with them. Lorna, Emma and the boys, Clint, Cleetus, the other deputies. This is where I belong.”
She wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “And they want you to stay. You should see how much they all love you. Everyone is working so hard to rescue you. “
Suddenly, the ground shook hard. The land beyond the backhoe erupted, shooting dirt and debris up in the air.
Bobby clenched the mic. “GAGE!”
Chapter Eighteen
The world around Bobby swirled with activity. Frozen like a marble pillar—her eyes riveted on the machine teetering near the side-tunnel—she saw the scene like an old silent-movie reel.
The mayor and a group of men ran toward the huge crater that covered the area where the hidden room once lay. Clint and the deputies swarmed over the area. People shouted for shovels.
The radio clutched to her ear, her only connection to Gage, she strained to hear something.
His voice.
His breathing.
Anything to show her he hadn’t been buried alive with the massive implosion.
All she got was static.
The strong, sturdy arms about her shoulders shook. In a daze, she turned to stare at Lorna. Tears from the older woman’s mascara-rimmed eyes streamed down her cheeks like black rivers of despair.
Sniffling sounded from her other side. Bobby looked over to see Harriett wringing her hands, her lips pressed tight in an effort to control her ow
n tears.
Bobby turned to watch the activity at the secondary tunnel.
Why? Why couldn’t it have held just a little longer? He’d gone in there to catch a murderer and criminal. He shouldn’t pay with his life.
She wanted to scream, to hold her fist to the air and rail at the being who took him from her just when she’d found him.
Suddenly a shout came from the center of the group of men working frantically at the second shaft.
“We’ve got him!”
A cheer erupted from the crowd.
“Is he breathing?” Someone asked.
“Don’t know, hold on!”
Bobby’s knees gave out, unable to support her any longer. She sank to the ground, gasping in air like a sponge soaking up water.
“Is he alive?” she whispered, crouched over her trembling knees. She couldn’t bear seeing his lifeless form dragged out of the ground.
“I’ll find out.” Harriett marched into the crowd of men.
“He has to be, Bobby,” Lorna said, bending over and hugging her once more. “That boy’s got too much ornery in him.”
“Oh Lorna, I wish that were true, but he was trapped. I know it. I saw him down there. Once those timbers gave way…” She just couldn’t finish. With Lorna’s help, she struggled to her feet.
Wes and Harriett jogged back toward her.
“He’s alive,” Wes said, his face set in a bleak mask of concern. “But he’s unconscious.”
“I have to see him.” Bobby lurched forward on wobbly legs.
Wes caught her by the elbow to steady her. “He’s pretty banged up.”
“I don’t care.”
“Doc’s still working on him.” Harriett gripped her other arm as Wes lead them over the ruts left in the ground by the backhoe. “Might be best to wait until…”
Bobby narrowed her eyes at the usually unflappable nurse. “Now, Harriett.”
She didn’t know why she needed to be at Gage’s side, but every fiber of her being insisted she get there quickly. As if her very existence depended on touching him.
Sensing her need, the crowd silently parted for them. Gage lay in the center of the group, a white foam collar around his neck. The steady rise and fall of his chest reassured her he still lived. Clint knelt beside him, flashing a light into first one eye, then the other. He glanced up and motioned her closer. The grim set of his features caused her chest to tighten.
“His vitals are good, but he took a hit to the head.” He turned Gage’s head slightly and pointed to the blood-covered lump on the side.
Shakily she knelt on Gage’s other side, laying her hand over his clenched fist. “Will he be okay?”
“The longer he’s out, the more worrisome it is.”
She had to do something. Blinking back tears, she leaned close to his ear. “Gage.” Her hand shook as she stroked his dirt streaked face. “Open your eyes and talk to me.”
A moment later his eyes fluttered open. His deep-green gaze, a bit dazed, slowly focused on her. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Thank God. She brushed her lips over his parched ones. “Don’t try to talk. You’re here. You’re alive. That’s all that matters.”
He lifted his clenched fist and tried to speak again. “I…didn’t…let…go.”
In his hand was the remnant of the strap to the air tank she’d made him promise not to let go. He’d kept his promise. The man always kept his promises.
Laughter bubbled up inside her. She smiled at him through her tears and covered his hand that clenched the piece of strap. “Yes. You didn’t let go.”
At that, a cheer resounded through the crowd.
“Gage, you’ve got a broken arm.” Clint braced a plastic splint on Gage’s right arm, eliciting a groan from him. “Guess that answers the question if you have feeling in this arm. Can you move your feet?”
Gage wiggled both feet, never taking his gaze off Bobby’s. “You came down that hole for me.”
The wonder in his eyes caused her heart to trip over a beat. “You risked your life to stop a murderer and protect the town.” She brushed his lips with hers once more. “Remind me later to tell you how stupid that was.”
Clint stood and signaled for the ambulance crew to come forward. “I’m taking you to the county hospital to set this arm, get X-rays and for observation overnight. Once the X-rays confirm you didn’t have any spinal damage, we’ll take the cervical collar off.”
After they rolled him onto a board, Gage called his deputies over. “Wes, you’re in charge now. Keep everyone out of this area until the DEA people get here. What time is it?”
Bobby glanced at her watch. “Almost six.” She looked around and saw the sky growing lighter to the east. The night was nearly gone. It seemed like he’d been trapped down there forever.
“Have Deke check the property on the other side of the Byrd place.” Gage continued giving instructions as the paramedics lifted him onto the stretcher. “That’s probably where the meth lab is. And no talking to reporters or giving them access until we get the meth lab secured.”
“Yes, sir.” Wes and the other five deputies started clearing the crowd back from the crater’s edge.
Bobby walked beside the stretcher as they wheeled him toward the waiting ambulance. She really didn’t have a choice. Gage had released the strap and clutched her hand instead. In all her life she’d never felt anything more comforting.
As they rolled through the crowd, men and women ventured forward to whisper words of comfort and thanks, as well as well-wishes for his quick return. Even the Baptist Ladies group was in attendance, some wiping tears as they patted Gage.
“Tobias,” Gage called to the mayor as they passed him.
Tobias came forward, his suit coat long gone, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His arms and the front of his shirt were covered with dirt. Evidence he’d been in the thick of the rescue efforts.
“Davis tripped a booby trap that started all this. I don’t think he survived. Make whatever spin you want to the papers for the town’s good, after Deke and the DEA close down the meth lab.”
Tobias patted his shoulder. “Sure thing, Gage. We’ll hold down the fort until you get back home. The whole town is proud of you.”
The group stopped at the ambulance. Gage looked at the crowd that followed, visibly swallowing. “I’m sorry I let you all down.”
“Nonsense.” Lorna pushed her way to the front. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about, boy. You’re our sheriff. You caught the murderer and stopped the drug dealing. Guess you did just what we asked.”
Bobby could’ve hugged the café owner right then, but the paramedics were lifting the stretcher into the ambulance and Gage was tugging her inside with him. “That’s enough worrying about the town for now,” she said as she sat next to him in the small vehicle. “Let’s go get you checked out.”
***
By noon Gage’s temper and patience were both on a short fuse. After his stint in the hospital for the gunshot wounds, he’d sworn he’d never spend time in one again. Yet here he was. So far today he’d had three different sets of X-rays—one on his arm, which confirmed Clint’s field diagnosis of broken bones in his right arm. The other two X-rays were of his neck and spine, which at least got the damn cervical collar removed.
When he’d returned to his hospital room, Bobby had been curled in the bedside chair watching the local news. She’d barely gotten to tell him there weren’t any reports about Westen, the explosions, or the drugs, when another orderly appeared to take him for the CAT scan Clint insisted he have.
“Emma will quiz me on the results of every test when I get home,” Clint had said and shook his head. “No way am I facing your cousin without all the answers and a bill of clean health for you. She’d make me sleep on the couch for a week if I do.”
Knowing Clint’s wife would do no such thing to the man she loved, but not wanting to upset her anyway, Gage had let them drag him off again.
Would she still be there?
She’d promised to stay. Down in that tunnel she’d told him she loved him. He was sure he hadn’t dreamt it, but he wanted to hear her say it again. He wanted to make sure she hadn’t said it just to give him hope in a hopeless situation. Even to him that sounded pathetic.
As the orderly wheeled him closer to his room, voices, male voices, drifted into the hallway.
Who the hell was in his room with Bobby? Between the ache in his injured arm and his throbbing headache, he wasn’t in the mood for visitors.
The minute they entered his room some of his irritation disappeared.
“Hey, Sheriff…Gage,” Cleetus said from his own wheelchair. His leg was elevated and a thick bandage wrapped around his thigh. “Miz Bobby was telling us all about the tunnels exploding.”
“And you getting trapped,” Daniel added, seated in the room’s only chair. A bandage wound around the top of his head. His color looked a little pale, but at least he was conscious.
Gage scanned the small room until he found Bobby standing by the bed. Despite the dark circles under her eyes, she still looked beautiful and sexy to him. “You two missed all the excitement,” he said as Bobby and the orderly helped him back into bed. “Glad you’re both okay.”
“Doc says we can go home tomorrow,” Daniel said.
“I’m sorry we didn’t figure out Davis was behind the murders and drugs before you both got injured.” A knot of guilt gripped his stomach. These men had looked to him for leadership and his inattention to what was happening in town had nearly gotten them killed.
A soft hand settled on his shoulder. He looked up to see Bobby standing beside him, understanding in her eyes. Taking her hand in his, he brought it to his lips and kissed the knuckles.
“It wasn’t your fault,” she said.
“Sure wasn’t, Sheriff. Mr. Davis fooled all of us. Even old Harley. Those two were as thick as thieves for years.” Cleetus shook his head. “He killed his own friend. Did he ever tell you why?”
Close To The Edge (Westen #2) Page 26
