“Please be okay. Please be okay,” Meg chanted under her breath..
She was close enough to imagine she would feel the thump of his impact into the ground, and with every frantic step, she grimaced in anticipation. But it never came. Instead, there was a loud crash. She rounded a grove just in time to catch sight of him. Creed had intentionally aimed his chute into a grove of wild trees. She saw him careening into the branches. His fall finally stopping abruptly as his chute tangled in the limbs. For a breathtaking moment, Creed hung upside down, swinging like a huge rag doll, thwacking repeatedly against the thick trunk of the oak tree.
Meg never stopped running. She bounded onto a boulder near the base of the tree and leaped to the first branch. In one fluid motion she swung herself up into a crouched position and clambered the rest of the way until she was face to face with Creed. At first glance she noted several deep scratches and a pretty thick goose egg on the back of his head, but that’s not what had Meg reaching up with panic. He was out cold.
“Creed!” she yelled over the staccato gunfire.
“Do you need help?” Valen called from below.
“Go check the others,” she managed. Into her throat mic she added, “Rhett, four of my family have landed safely. Creed wasn’t so lucky. The others need an escort back to the house.”
“Creed’s sitrep?” Rhett asked over a barrage of gunfire.
“Stand by.”
Meg yelled, “Creed! Wake up! We have to get you out of here!”
He didn’t respond.
Meg reached up and rubbed her knuckles hard into his breastbone.
Nothing.
She tried flicking his face. As much as it pained her to hurt him, she had to rouse him one way or another. Only it didn’t work.
Her heart was bruising itself as it bashed against the inside of her rib cage in panic.
“Please Creed!” she screamed into his motionless face.
Nothing.
Knowing what she would have to do, she yanked her hunting knife from its sheath and started sawing the harness straps. She knew she wouldn’t be able to catch him once she cut the last strap and even if she could catch him and flip him upright, there was no way she could carry his weight while standing fifteen feet above the ground on a branch—but she was running out of options.
She spoke into her mic, “Rhett, I need help evacuating Creed. His chute was damaged and he landed in a tree.”
Gunfire burst just on the other side of the ridge.
Rhett wasn’t responding.
“We’re so close, baby. Please.” Meg hesitated before cutting the last strap. Instead, she leaned in and gently kissed his purpling lips. Her breath caught in her throat when she felt him move to kiss her back.
Gasping, she pulled away from Creed to see for herself. And there he was, glistening blue eyes alight against his red face, grinning adorably at her surprise.
“I missed you so much, Meggie.”
Meg couldn’t help it, she blushed and smiled widely. Her hands still held his face. “Oh, wow. I missed you, too Creed.”
“Wait,” he frowned and looked around them in a daze. “Am I dreaming?” he asked.
Meg had to stifle a giggle, “No, you’re upside down in a tree and we’re about to take gunfire. Can you help me get you down?”
Creed looked around and blinked. “I think so,” he said, the smile already returned to his handsome face.
“Stop smiling and cut yourself down!” Meg ordered and hurriedly handed him her knife. “Only you would find something to smile about at a time like this,” she teased, unable to wipe the smirk off her face.
Creed easily pulled himself up to slice the last cord gripping his leg. At his last cut, he held onto the branch and let his legs drop smoothly to stand beside Meg.
She threw her arms around him, overwhelmed with thankfulness for their fragile moment suspended in the air during a gunfight.
Creed hugged her back, burying his face into the beautiful scent of her hair, just as he’d always done.
“We have to go, Meggie,” Creed hated to break the moment, but as the blood rushed back into place, his grip on their dangerous reality made his heart race. “It’s not safe here.”
“You’re right.” Meg nodded and hurriedly began scampering down the trunk of the tree.
“Squirrel,” Creed whispered down to her.
Creed’s descent was much more catlike as he landed crouched behind her, using his body to shield her against any further gunfire.
“If we weren’t about to be killed, I’d tackle you to the ground and smother you with kisses,” Creed whispered into her ear over her shoulder. His hand slipped around her waist and pulled her into a crouching position.
“Not if I tackled you first.” Meg resisted the urge to make good on her threat.
They began running crouched toward the bright lights of the ranch house.
“Gotta warn Rhett,” Meg said over her shoulder before talking into her throat mic. “Rhett? Are you there?”
“Rhett here. Sitrep?”
“Solid. How’s my family?”