Rocky Mountain Rescue, Elle James [rooftoppers .TXT] 📗

“I can’t help it that you’re short.”

“Watch it, buddy. I might be short, but I’m tough.”

He grinned up at her. “Boy, don’t I know,” and he rubbed the back of his neck with a grin.

“I said I was sorry,” she said.

“Hey, I’m gonna milk it for all the embarrassment it caused me.”

“Seems I hurt your ego more than I hurt the back of your head.”

“Got that right.” Max climbed into the driver’s seat, started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot and into the road headed toward Fool’s Gold.

It didn’t take long to reach her apartment.

“I’ll only be a few minutes,” she said.

He shook his head. “Nope. I’m going with you.”

“I think I can gather my own clothes. I don’t need any help to do that.”

“And what if whoever tried to get into your apartment last night succeeded today and is waiting for you?” Max raised his eyebrows and waited for her response.

Her frown deepened. “I’ll hear him and, if I have to, I’ll shoot him. My gun’s in the nightstand and my mace is on top of it.”

“Do you have your concealed carry?” Max asked.

She nodded. “I do.”

“Why aren’t you carrying?”

“I didn’t think I’d need it out at the lodge, just in my apartment at night.”

“You should have it on you at all times.”

She bit her lip and stared at the road ahead. “I hate it when you’re right.”

He grinned and walked with her up to her apartment.

Max inspected the doorframe, where it appeared someone had indeed taken something sharp to the wood around the lock. Fortunately, the deadbolt had held true.

“Let me go in first,” he said.

“I went to basic combat training, too,” she said.

He sighed. “But was that your job in the Army?”

“It could’ve been. Motor pool mechanics have to clear a building.” Her lips twisted. “Fine. You go first.”

“Thank you.” He pulled his weapon out from beneath his jacket.

“Whoa,” JoJo’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know you were carrying.”

“I have my concealed carry, and I use it. This baby goes with me everywhere. Open the door and then wait here. I’ll be right back.”

JoJo unlocked the door then stood to the side.

Max pushed open the door and started to step inside when the smell of rotten eggs hit him. His hand froze on the doorknob, and his heart stopped for a full second. “Get back,” he said.

“What?” JoJo frowned. “I still need my clothes.”

“Get back now,” he said, his tone harsh. “Go back down to the truck.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Gas.” He eased the door closed, careful not to make the metal strike the metal latch.

JoJo ran out into the parking lot, pulled her cellphone out and called 911.

As Max stepped away from the apartment building, a huge explosion erupted, flinging him to the pavement.

Chapter 10

Max hit the ground hard enough that it knocked the breath out of him and made his ears ring. Debris rained down on him, and he covered his head with his hands.

As soon as he could breathe again, he got to his hands and knees and looked for JoJo. She was flat on her back on the ground, her cellphone lying a few feet away. Max’s ears rang, and every sound came to him as if from the end of a very long tunnel. He crawled across the pavement to JoJo.

“Hey, JoJo,” he said, his voice echoing in his ears. “JoJo, sweetheart.”

She blinked her eyes open and stared up at him. “What happened?”

“An explosion. Stay here. I want to make sure there aren’t other people in the apartments next to yours.”

“It was in my apartment?” She pushed to a sitting position and reached for her cellphone.

“Yes, get in my truck and stay there.”

She shook her head, and then swayed. “No, I’m going with you. If there are people in there, we need to get them out.”

Knowing he couldn’t hold her back, Max held out his hand, drew JoJo to her feet and made sure she could stand before he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed 911.

“I was doing that when my apartment exploded.” She rubbed the back of her head. “Now, I know how you felt.”

He gave the information to the dispatcher then ran toward the building. He headed for the apartment next door to JoJo’s. Before he reached the door, a man jerked it open and staggered out, wearing nothing but boxer shorts, his hair dusted with sheetrock.

“What the hell happened?” he said.

“Gas leak explosion,” Max responded. “Is there anyone else in your apartment?”

The man shook his head. “No.”

“Stay out of the building while I check the rest of the apartments,” he said.

JoJo joined him as he went to the door of the apartment on the other side of hers. “Last I knew, this one was empty,” she said. “I haven’t kept up to make sure.”

Max banged on the door. No one responded. He banged again. Sirens could be heard in the distance, the volume increasing as fire and emergency vehicles neared the apartment complex. Max tried kicking in the door. He couldn’t do it with his bum leg, but he had to balance on his bad leg if he wanted to kick with the other one. He just didn’t have the strength to break the door in with a kick.

By then, the other residents of the apartment were coming out of theirs, farther away from JoJo’s unit. They emerged in the dark, wearing their pajamas or bathrobes. An officer’s vehicle pulled up, followed by a firetruck and an ambulance. Max met the sheriff as he got out of his vehicle and explained what had happened.

“You guys need to see the emergency medical technician and make sure you’re okay and don’t have concussions.” The sheriff pointed to the waiting ambulance. “Go.”

Max nodded and took JoJo over to the ambulance where the EMT checked them out. He said they didn’t appear to have concussions. However, they would be well advised to go to the local hospital anyway and have an emergency room doctor check them out.