“Okay.” He took the screaming baby. “Here’s my phone. Mason wanted to talk to you,” he told Griff above the baby’s cries. He started to rock her and stroke her back. “Mason’s going to call when he and Drake get onto the top of the rail car.” Billy shook his head. “I mean, the side of it.”
“I know what you meant,” Griff assured him. “But how will he know which one we’re in?”
“I told my buddy Jaden to stay up top and direct traffic.”
The rocking seemed to help. Hope’s crying was turning into snuffles.
“What’s the mom’s name?” Billy asked.
“Susan,” Josiah and Griff answered simultaneously.
“Got it.”
“Hold on, Billy. Take my cell phone.” Griff handed his over. “You can use it for light.” He rattled off his passcode. “Call if you need us.”
“Hand that over,” Josiah demanded. “I’ll plug my number in.”
While they waited, Griff tried to think through how in the hell he was going to get to Miranda. When Josiah was done, Billy took the phone.
“You ready for an adventure?” Billy said soothingly to the child. She hiccupped and looked up at him in fascination. The young man flashed the light and started to pick his way toward the back.
“What happened?” Josiah asked as soon as Billy was out of earshot.
Griff took a look at Scarlett, who was out cold, but still taking in air. That was good. He turned back to look at his captain.
“As soon as she got a hold of Hope, I got my ass out there. She shoved the baby at me and I bolted for the train.” Griff swallowed, replaying the moment in his mind. “I thought she was behind me. I didn’t realize she would have any trouble following. It’s my fault. By the time I got inside the train with Hope, I turned around and saw that Miranda was damn near where I’d left her. Then.” Griff stopped and gulped. “Then the ground beneath her gave way. She went over the side.” He said steadily.
Josiah clasped Griff’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault. You did the right thing, it was the mission. It was what Miranda wanted. Now we focus on the second part. Remember, the cliff wasn’t a straight drop,” Josiah said as he cradled his wife in his arms.
Griff wanted Miranda in his arms.
“I’m going out to get her. I’ll tell the men where you are,” Griff told Josiah.
“Let me give you Billy’s phone. That way when Mason calls, you can take it.” Griff thrust the phone to the older man.
Josiah shook his head. “I have him on speed dial, no need.”
Griff should have known. He watched as Josiah stroked back a lock of Scarlett’s hair, then looked back up at him. “Now, go get your woman.” With that, he bent his head back down next to Scarlett’s and whispered something in her ear. Griff sent up a silent prayer for both women.
For some reason, Griff had thought it would be better once he got outside of the rail car. He was wrong. Instead, it was another kind of hell. The lead car was the power car and it was on fire. The next one was the closest to him, the business rail car, before there had just a wisp of smoke floating above it, now it was shrouded in black furls of smoke. He looked at the landscape surrounding them and realized there wasn’t a chance in fucking hell that fire trucks could reach them. No wonder there were military Humvees driving up along with various civilian trucks.
He so wanted to walk to the other side of the top of the car, near the cliff, to see if he could spy Miranda, but he was concerned that his weight could shift the precarious position of the train.
“Griff?”
He turned and saw a huge man peering up at him. He vaguely recognized him as the second-in-command of the Midnight Delta SEAL team, Drake Avery.
“We’re coming up,” the man shouted. He was talking about himself and two other men beside him. One of them had to be his lieutenant, Mason Gault, Billy’s brother.
“Don’t come up. We have a problem. I’m coming down.”
Griff ran to the end of the car and found the handholds necessary to climb down. On his way, he met three men who were working to uncouple the downed car from the dining car. They were struggling with the equipment. Nothing seemed to be going right. Drake met him when he reached the ground.
“This is Mason, my lieutenant,” Drake introduced quickly. “The other guy is our communications/tech guru, Clint Archer. Whatchya got?” Drake asked.
“A woman who means a hell of a lot to me fell down the side of the cliff when she rescued a baby,” he said as he pointed between the two rail cars. Nothing more needed to be said, Griff could see that they were immediately in mission mode.
“I brought some supplies with me.” Drake indicated the duffel at his feet. “I’ve got other shit that we might need, in my truck.” Drake took off at a dead run.
“The Humvees are equipped with cable. They’re planning on securing the train so it doesn’t slip any more than it has. We can commandeer some of that,” Mason said.
Griff looked over and saw emergency crews and Marines hooking up the cable to the bottom of the downed rail car. He also saw men working to open the entry door so that people could be evacuated. Shit, he recognized Hunter and Dalton. Hunter was a new guy on his team. He was using an exothermic torch.
“How many people are in that car? How’s Billy?” Mason asked.
“Billy’s been a big help,” Griff answered. “He’s got a great head on his shoulders. As for how many people are on the car, I don’t know. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say about forty-five on the top floor, and I saw at least eight bodies. I have no idea how many on the first floor.”
Drake came back with his hands full and a skein of rope hanging from his right shoulder.
“An EMT is getting in touch with one of the choppers,” Clint Archer said as he looked up from his smart phone. “When you find your woman, they’ll send down a basket.”
“Where are we going?” Drake asked.
Griff led them past the back of the rail car. “Billy and his friends climbed up the cliff at one point. They shouldn’t have. It was too fucking dangerous,” Griff said as he pointed around the side of the train.
“They’re teenagers,” was Mason’s succinct explanation.
The sun was behind them as they looked out into the water. Griff’s every instinct was screaming at him to run to the side of the cliff, but he knew it was foolish. They needed to go slow and make sure that the ground beneath them was firm. The weight of the train had destabilized the cliff.
“Where did she go over?” Drake asked.
“Near the middle of the car. You can see where the landslide occurred,” he said pointing to where there was a significant drop off.
“Got it,” Mason said.
“Drake was already unwrapping the rope. “We can tie it off on the train.”
“It’s too unstable,” Griff protested.
“Nope, by the time we have our first knot tied, the Marines will have enough cables on it to ensure the fucker isn’t going anyplace,” Clint said. He was listening to his phone.
“Be sure,” Griff commanded.
Clint listened some more, then grinned and gave a thumbs up.
“We’re good to go. The big issue now is to evacuate the wounded.”
Drake was already tying the rope, and Griff was grabbing the other end to tie around his waist.
“Nope,” Mason said. “Me first. I surf this beach all the damn time. I’ve also climbed up this damn cliff a time or two.” Griff gave him a long look, then handed him the end of the rope.
Mason rappelled over the side of the cliff, and Griff was a hairsbreadth behind him. He looked over his shoulder, and didn’t see Miranda anywhere on the sand and rocks below them. His entire body shuddered in relief.
Mason was already picking his way over to the left, where Miranda had fallen. There was some slope there, so it was possible she could have grabbed hold of a rock or some tufts grass.
Please God, say that she had.
Drake came ove
r the cliff next, and Griff saw that Clint was topside making himself available to direct traffic. Each of them took a twenty-foot section of the cliff, attempting to make sure that they didn’t miss anything. They went slowly, scanning every nook and cranny
“I see her,” Mason shouted out.
“Where?” Griff demanded.
“Directly beneath Drake. She’s landed against a rock. She’s hidden by the seagrass, but you can see a bit of pink.”
Now that Mason pointed her out, he could see a nylon-clad leg. Drake had his phone out, Griff saw that he was taking a picture, probably sending it up to Clint. Then Griff saw that his phone was up to his ear.
“The chopper will be here within ten minutes with a rescue basket.” Drake called out. “They’re coming back from the hospital at Palomar. Let’s get your lady ready for transport.” He shoved his phone back into his cargo pants.
God love Drake Avery, he just took it at face value that Miranda was alive. They made their way down to her, careful not to knock any debris loose that might land on her. Mason reached her first, but Griff was there within seconds.
“She’s alive,” Mason grinned at him, his fingers on the pulse of her neck.
“Miranda, can you hear me?” Griff asked urgently.
He ran his hands gently over her body for signs of injury. How could her pearls be resting perfectly around her neck? It seemed wrong.
Her wrist was obviously broken, and there was blood at the back of her head. Carefully, Griff guided his fingers around her head, probing softly, until he got to the back of her skull. He almost cried in relief when he felt the back of her skull and found that it wasn’t crushed, there just seemed to be a cut and swelling.
Thank you, God.
Did he see and eyelash flicker?
“Miranda. Oh Baby, you were supposed to take better care of yourself.” His voice broke. “Honey, I’m here for you. Now, I did my part, you do your part and stay with me, okay? You promised.” He brushed a kiss against her cheek. “You promised, Miranda.” His voice broke.
Griff heard the whomp whomp of the helicopter. Drake was kneeling against the side of the cliff and waving. Griff saw someone stick their hand out of the chopper and wave back. Soon, the helicopter lowered a rescue stretcher. Mason and he steadied it.
Griff wanted to be the one who placed Miranda in the basket, but ultimately it was Mason who did it with Griff’s help. They ever so gently placed Miranda into the pallet and strapped her in. Griff tugged on the rope and gave the team in the helicopter a thumbs-up and they raised her up.
He scrambled up the cliff, determined to be at the hospital as soon as humanly possible.
8
Three Years Earlier
“Mom’s awake.”
Griff jerked at the feel of his Nick Hales’s big hand on his shoulder. Before he acknowledged his friend’s words, he soaked in Miranda’s still form in the hospital bed. He couldn’t believe how much worse she looked after surgery. Her face was swollen, and her eyes looked like she had been in a bar fight. Seeing the rise and fall of her breathing calmed him down.
He stroked her lower left arm, which was all that was available to him to touch and hold. Her hand had a clip to monitor her pulse clamped to it, and there were so many IV’s and wires attached everywhere else, she seemed like some kind of science experiment. Finally he turned to glance over his shoulder at Josiah Hale’s son.
“How’s your mom doing?” Griff asked. As much as he worried for Miranda, he knew that Scarlett had been in critical condition.
“Good. They had to take out her spleen. Dad said that without Liam organizing your team on-site, she wouldn’t have made it.”
Nick paused and looked at Miranda. “How’s Miranda doing?” he asked solemnly.
“They say the surgery went well. Now is the time for waiting.”
“And you hate waiting.”
Griff nodded.
Both men’s eyes turned to the door before it even opened. Griff had recognized the sound of Shelly’s footsteps prior to her coming inside the room.
She nodded a smile at Nick, then turned to Griff.
“Griff, you heard what the doctors said, Miranda’s not going to wake up for a couple of days. Why don’t you go home and get some rest?”
He looked up into the eyes of the kind nurse. She’d been on duty since Miranda had been brought into ICU. Griff knew that she was newly-married, and was planning on having a dozen children.
“I just can’t stand the idea of her waking up without a friendly face around.”
“Are you saying my face isn’t friendly?” Shelly asked, her hands on her hips. Griff gave a wan smile.
“You’re beautiful, Shel,” but his eyes darted back to Miranda. He couldn’t help it. He needed to keep her in his sights. “Can she hear me?” he asked.
“Ah Honey, I believe she can.”
Griffin stood up and bent over the bed. He brushed a kiss against her swollen cheek and whispered in her ear. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, Miranda Slade. I can’t wait to see your blue eyes again.”
“Griff, you really need to get out of here and get some rest,” Shelly said gently.
“I can’t.”
“Yes you can,” Nick inserted. “I hate to tell you this, but you’re smelling kind of ripe. Now, unless you’re thinking that some kind of body odor aromatherapy is going to bring her around, do the girl a favor and shower before she wakes up.”
“But she doesn’t have anyone else. All of her friends are back East or on some film location, and her parents are dead.”
“We’ve got you covered,” a deep voice said. This time Griff was taken by surprise as he turned to the opened hospital room door. He spun around to see his former teammate, Jack Preston, and his fiancée, Beth Hidalgo standing beside him.
Griff swallowed twice, then he went over and thrust out his hand. Jack pulled him in for a hug instead.
“How’d you know to be here?” Griff asked Jack. He had no memory of him being at the crash site.
“There can only be two visitors at one time in the ICU,” Shelly said.
“Griff, Nick and I are just leaving,” Jack said. “Beth, come with us into the hallway for a moment, so we can fill Griff in on our plan.”
“Did Gray tell you?” Griff asked, referring to his lieutenant of the Black Dawn SEAL team.
“Hell, Man, everybody told me. You can’t take a turn around anywhere in Coronado without hearing about your woman, the Amtrak heroine.”
“Gray also explained she doesn’t have any family, and you were watching over her. We want to help you.” Beth’s smile was sweet.
“So, here’s the deal,” Jack continued. “Captain Hale filled Gray in, he wanted to be here first, but realized that he needed to start sending those of us with significant others. I can’t think of anyone better than my Beth to be here for your Miranda,” Jack said with pride and love.
“But you don’t know her,” Griff protested as he looked at the attractive Hispanic woman.
“I’ve met you a few times.” Beth’s voice was as gentle as the hand she laid on his arm. “You’re like a brother to Jack. You served together for years before he left Black Dawn to serve with Midnight Delta. I know what it’s like to rely on the kindness of strangers, and I want to pay that kindness back to Miranda.”
“Griff, you’re no good to her right now, you need to get some sleep,” Nick admonished.
Griff dug his truck keys out of his jeans pocket. “I’ll—”
He looked at both Nick and Jack’s raised eyebrows.
Ah hell, his truck was back up in L.A. near the train station.
Nick laughed. “You are so out of it. Were you thinking your truck was here at the hospital?”
Griff nodded.
“Give me the key to your truck. It’s up near your folk’s place at the train station, right?” Nick asked.
Griff hesitated, looking over at Beth. “Jack programmed your number into my phone, G
riffin. I’ll call you immediately if something changes. I promise,” she said as she held up her cell phone.
“Thank you.” He watched as she opened the door to Miranda’s room and heard Shelly greet her.
“I’m going back to Mom’s room,” Nick said. He held out his hand. Griff took his house key off the ring and pocketed it, then gave over the keys to his truck. Nick turned to go down the hall, then he paused mid-step and turned around. “Brother?” He looked directly into Griff’s eyes.
“Yeah?”
“I’ll never fucking forget what you did for my mother. Never.” Nick did a one-eighty and swiftly continued down the hall.
Griff let out a deep breath, then tilted his chin to Jack. “Let’s go.”
Jack nodded, and they headed to the elevator. Soon they were out in the warm night air. When they got to Jack’s SUV, the man immediately rolled down the windows. Griff grimaced. Nick was right, he did stink.
The last thing Griff remembered doing was buckling his seat belt, then Jack was nudging him. “Home sweet home.”
Looking up, he gave a tired smile. “Want to come inside?” he asked Jack.
“That was kind of the plan,” Jack grinned. “I’m your chauffer back to the hospital, remember?”
Shit, he was out of it.
The two of them trudged up the couple of stairs to the front door and Griff let them in. He offered Jack something to drink.
“Why don’t I just help myself to some water while you go get cleaned up?” Jack suggested.
Griff nodded, and headed down the hall to his bedroom. “I’ll be out in a few.” He damn near fell into the shower.
God, it felt good.
He leaned his head against the shower wall and pictured Miranda in the hospital bed and replayed what the doctor had said. She was going to need her family when she first left the hospital, and she’d need round-the-clock care for almost a month.
When Griff had explained that Miranda didn’t have a family, the medical team immediately started talking about in-patient convalescent care, and his had blood run cold. It went against everything he believed in, it sure as hell wasn’t where his Miranda belonged. She needed to be with people who cared. She needed to be with him.
Her Honorable Hero (Black Dawn Book 7) Page 9