Just because Chance was dead and no longer a threat didn’t mean they were out of the woods. Figuratively or literally.
They were still trapped.
And there were no guarantees that anyone would find them.
He had told her that his brother and the police would find them, but really, he wasn’t so sure of that. He wished that he’d told Nick where he was while he’d had him on the phone. Then they could have been rescued before Chance had killed himself and Hope.
Luke really wished Summer hadn’t seen that. Now that she had, she could never forget it.
He really wished he hadn’t seen it too. Because he knew he would replay that scene for the rest of his life.
Right now, he didn’t care about himself, all he cared about was Summer. He wanted to hold her in his arms, examine every inch of her to check that she was all right, and rock her until the horrors of everything she’d been through began to fade.
He yanked on his hand again.
It hurt so badly, but he had been able to block it out because his focus had been on Summer.
The pain of the nail piercing his flesh combined with Summer’s screams had ripped him from unconsciousness, but he had continued to pretend he was out. He hadn’t wanted to do anything to further antagonize Chance. Remaining still and quiet while Chance rolled that box backward and forward ripping agonized screams from Summer had been hell.
But this was worse.
Being so close to her and yet unable to do anything meaningful to help her.
He had to get free.
Whatever it took.
He would rip off his own hand if it meant saving Summer.
Luke went to work once again trying to dislodge the nail. He’d already tried dozens of times, and it wouldn’t budge, but he couldn’t give up. There had to be a way to pull it out. Then he could get Summer free and take Chance’s car to drive them to the hospital.
If he still had Nick’s phone he could simply have called for help, but Chance must have found the phone and disposed of it because when he’d woken up here it had been nowhere to be found.
It was all up to him. Only he had no idea what he was going to do.
Sirens.
Was that sirens in the distance?
He listened closely.
Yes, it was definitely sirens.
Help was coming. His brother and the detectives had found them after all.
“Just hold on, Summer. They’re coming for us, just hold on.”
Soon he’d be holding her in his arms, the wait was excruciating.
The sirens got louder, and he could hear cars as they approached the cabin.
The second they stopped, he yelled, “Nick. We’re in here.” He did not doubt for a moment that his brother would insist on coming with the detectives.
A moment later, the door was flung open and Nick, Detective Dawson, Detective Bennett, the cops who had interviewed them after the shooting, a tall man with a scar on his cheek that Luke wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley, and a dozen officers all swarmed into the room.
Finally, he allowed himself to relax.
“Are you okay?” Nick rushed to his side.