Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
“He’s off!” Gerry yells just as Kellen belts out a cry of agony. “Pull!”
I struggle to bring him any higher, but then Kyle is beside me, grabbing onto Kellen’s suit jacket. Together, we pull him up and over the railing.
Kellen is essentially dead weight and he collapses on me, his head narrowly missing the deadly end of the ax. Thankfully, Brian reaches over and tugs it out of my grip. The steps dig into my back and I’m completely spent from expelling what little energy I had left, but relief floods through me.
Kellen trembles and his teeth chatter loudly. Brian, Frannie, and Gerry stand around, worry gleaming in their eyes. Kyle has moved back over to where Barb is sitting leaned up against the wall beside Hope and Elise.
“We need to take a look at your injury,” I grunt out. “Come on, big guy. I can’t move under you.”
Kellen winces as he lifts himself off me. His face is pale and a bluish bruise is forming across his forehead. He’s alive and able to move, so that’s something. Gerry helps him to his feet and then guides him to the top of the stairs. The door keeps swinging open and closed, making all kinds of racket as the stormy weather continues on, but Gerry sets Kellen in front of it, using his back as a doorstop since our concrete hunk is now missing.
Brian offers me a hand, pulling me up to my feet. The backpack is still on me and weighs a ton, but I can’t take it off now for fear of losing it.
I climb the steps to where Kellen sits and kneel down beside him. “Let’s take a look. Can you get your jacket off?”
He squeezes his eyes shut and his lips form a thin line.
“I’ll take that as a no,” I say with a grunt.
Carefully, I move one flap of his jacket away from his torso to reveal his bloody dress shirt. Then I unbutton the buttons before gently peeling the torn material away from the source of his bleeding. Sure enough, he has a several-inch gash just under his ribs on his side. His ribs are probably what saved him and stopped him from completely gutting himself.
I need a first aid kit, but I also need a boat and my brothers and a damn cheeseburger. I’ll have to make do with what I have for now.
“Give me your ties,” I tell Gerry and Kellen. “We need to stop the bleeding.” Then, to Brian, I say, “Grab Kyle’s too.”
Brian grimaces but nods and then darts away. Kellen shakily tries to remove his tie. It takes him several attempts to get the knot undone. Gerry hands me his tie and then swats Kellen’s hand away to assist. I fold Gerry’s tie into a thick square to use for a bandage.
Brian returns and thrusts Kyle’s tie at me. “Got it.”
“Tie them together on one end,” I instruct. “We’re going to use it like a sling.”
Kellen groans when I press the folded tie against his wound. I know it hurts like hell, but there’s nothing I can do about that right now. He’ll need proper aid later, but this is all I can offer at the moment. Once Gerry has the ties knotted, he feeds the material behind Kellen’s back under his shirt. I carefully cover Gerry’s tie that’s working as a makeshift bandage and then hand him the other end of the ties. He knots it and then pulls it tight. Kellen hisses through his teeth, making Gerry shoot me a worried look.
“It needs to be tight,” I assure him. “Knot it good. We can check it later.”
After he finishes with his knot and pulls Kellen’s clothing back into place, Gerry and Brian both retreat to check on the others. I settle on the ground beside Kellen, my backpack also pressing against the door. Rain continues to pelt the building outside, but we’re not met with any more swells.
“What happened?” I ask, turning slightly to look at Kellen. “I heard you tell us to brace for impact before all hell broke loose.”
He grunts and swipes a hand over his face. “Cruise ship. Took out another building before hitting ours. It’s a fucking miracle we’re still alive.”
“No shit,” I mutter. “Damn.”
Kellen is quiet for a moment before he says, “I guess that tip I promised just keeps growing, eh?”
A snort of laughter escapes me. “At this rate, you’re just going to have to put me on the payroll. Hell, give me some of your stock shares while you’re at it.”
Despite the hellish day we’ve had, we both grin at each other. Barb’s moans nearby swipe the humor off our faces.
“What the hell are we going to do?” Kyle exclaims, throwing his hands in the air. “Barb’s concussed. She needs a fucking doctor.”