“I promise.” There was absolute confidence in those words.
Jena let out a relieved sigh then winced at the pain it caused. The room was closing in on her. The air becoming increasingly stuffy. She had to get her mind off it—before she went insane.
“You’re sure Abby’s okay? And Katy? Was their house damaged?”
“They’re fine, princess. The only person who was hurt was you.”
She barked out a tight laugh, jerking her ankle and making it throb. “They’re going to start calling me Calamity again, aren’t they?”
“They never stopped, princess.” His voice was soft. His worry clear. He was trying to distract her. She appreciated it. With her eyes closed, she could almost imagine she wasn’t trapped underground. That she was cuddled in the dark with Matt.
“They’re moving the digger across now. You’ll feel some rumbling, and some dust will fall once it starts, but don’t worry about it. Magenta says you’re safe, and she knows what she’s talking about. She’s dug up some old plans of the mine and there’s definitely an air shaft above you somewhere—that will help us to get to you. We have a drill attachment for the digger. You’ll be out in no time.”
“Will it make a hole big enough for me to climb out?”
“Of course it will.” To Jena’s anxious ears that sounded an awful lot like a “probably not”.
“The doc wants to know if you’re allergic to anything,” Matt said.
Jena half laughed, half growled. “Dark underground spaces.”
“Funny.”
“No, nothing. I’m not on any medication. Except the pill. Which is probably something we should have talked about before we had sex without using condoms.”
There was silence, then lots of muffled laughter.
“Jena, there are a lot of people around here and they can hear you.”
She wiped a hand over her eyes. She didn’t care about eavesdroppers. Invertary was full of them anyway. You couldn’t sneeze without someone knowing about it. She blinked back a bout of sleepiness. How was it possible to be in pain, yet so incredibly tired at the same time? She wanted Matt. She wanted his arms around her. She wanted his strength and comfort. She wanted his deep brogue whispering in her ear. If she had anything left in life, she’d give it all to have him with her. Touching her. Soothing her.
“Tell me you love me again,” she said. Please don’t be the last time I hear it. Please.
“You’re trying to embarrass me, aren’t you?” He didn’t sound like he minded.
Jena smiled through a sudden sharp pain. “No, I just want to hear it.”
“I love you, Jena. And I’m keeping you.”
She laughed, but it sounded strained. “You had to add that last bit, didn’t you?”
“Because it’s true. I can’t wait to get you out of there, princess. I’m never going to let you out of my sight again.”
For once, Jena wanted nothing more. All she wanted was Matt. The man she needed. The man she loved. A sigh left her at the acknowledgment of something she’d known for weeks.
“Now, can we stop talking about personal stuff in the middle of a crowded field?” Matt said. “Or is this payback for Magenta’s turn in the mine with Harry? It wasn’t my fault the whole town turned out to listen to them make out.”
Jena had no idea what he was talking about, but made a mental note to ask Magenta when she got out of the mine. If she got out of the mine. She wiped her damp forehead. She couldn’t decide if she was hot or cold. Weird.
“I need to tell you something else.” She took a deep breath, forgetting that her ribs were damaged. The pain robbed her of breath, making her action pointless. “I love you, Matt,” she said.
There was a whoop. Then a growl.
“You say that now? Princess, your timing stinks.”
She swallowed hard. “You’re not wrong there. I wanted you to know now. In case…” Her eyes welled up. The tears fell. She hiccupped back a sob.
“Don’t you dare say anything else. We’re getting you out of there. You’re going to be fine and you’re damn well going to say those words to my face.” He sounded angry and desperate.
“They destroyed my house, Matt.” She wiped her tears away.
“I saw. You can stay with me. I want you to stay with me.”
“Your house is butt ugly, Matt.”
There was laughter.
“Well, you can fix it up and we’ll look for a new house together.”
Together. She liked that, but it made her wonder. Why did he want her? She had absolutely nothing to offer. She was homeless. Penniless. Now she couldn’t even work. Being a dance teacher with a broken leg was tricky.
“I can’t contribute anything right away, Matt, I can’t even teach dancing for a while.”
“That’s okay, princess. I don’t care. I only want you. Don’t worry about anything. I’ll contact immigration and get you an extension on your visa. They’ll understand under the circumstances that you can’t work straight away.”
Jena’s head was woozy. She wasn’t sure what Matt was talking about. “What visa?”
“Jena.” Matt sounded like he was trying really hard to be patient. “What kind of visa do you have?”
She shrugged, then groaned when her ribs protested. “I don’t know. They stamped my passport at the airport when I arrived.”
“You’re here on a visitor’s visa?” His voice was unattractively high-pitched. “The standard visa only lasts twelve weeks. You’ve been living here illegally since it ran out, Jena.”
“Oh. I assumed it would be fine. After all, I bought a house. Doesn’t that make me a resident?”
“No. Crap, it really doesn’t. We need to fix this or you’ll get deported. I’m going to have to marry you.”
There was howling laughter and cheers. Jena was dizzy. The pain was making her see double. She’d never been good with pain. Some people had really high tolerance for it. She wasn’t one of them.
“Did you just propose?” Jena found it hard to focus.
“No. I told you we’re getting married. Probably this week. Otherwise you’ll get kicked out of the country.”
“I think that’s a bit extreme,” Jena told him. The noise above her head was getting louder. “Nobody knows I don’t have a visa, so who’s going to kick me out?”
“Jena, try to remember for five bloody minutes that I’m a cop.”
“Oh, yeah.” Were the earth walls spinning, or was it in her head? “What if I don’t want to marry you?”
“I didn’t ask. We’re doing it.”
Part of her knew she should be mad at him. Instead she just felt strange. “Matt, I don’t feel so good.”
“What is it? What do you feel? Are you bleeding from anywhere?”
“No, I just feel weird. Is the ground moving?”
“Jena, take deep breaths. You’re going to be okay.” He sounded panicked and very far away. Jena swayed in place. Her ribs made her groan. Her ankle jerked and she whined with pain.
“Jena, listen to me, hold on. We’re nearly there.”
“Love you, Matt,” Jena said softly.
And then she lost consciousness.
“Jena? Jena?” Matt looked at the men around him in panic. “She’s not answering.”
“She’s probably passed out,” the doc said.
“What if there’s gas down there? Lack of air? Magenta, what do you know?”
Magenta tossed her bobbed black hair and peered at him, her eyes rimmed with thick black eyeliner. “There’s air. There’s no gas. Trust me. I know. This mine isn’t anywhere near a gas seam. Especially this close to the surface. They didn’t use gas of any sort in the mine.”
“Right, okay.”
Harry patted him on the back. It didn’t help. Punching Frank a time or twenty might have eased him a little, but right now the only thing that could make a dent in his stress level was getting Jena out of that hole.
“We’re through,” Grunt shouted.
There was
a cheer. Matt made a move to rush across the beams to the grassy island. Magenta put her hand on his arm. “We’ve got this. You’ll get in the way.”
Matt wanted to roar. Instead he nodded. He put his hands on his hips and bowed his head. It was the worst feeling in the world to stand back and do nothing when others were saving the woman he loved. He took a deep breath as he watched his friends work.
The digger had been removed. The drill-bit attachment they’d been using to get deeper was gone. The two large wooden beams stayed in place. A frame rested across them. Attached to the frame was a swing-like construction, with a harness. It hung over the newly drilled hole. The idea was for Jena to sit on the swing and be strapped into it. Then the men would winch her up. Gordon had put most of the contraption together while they waited for the hole to be dug. Magenta was the one to source the harnesses and safety rigging from her caving business.
Magenta strapped on a safety harness and a hard hat. “Okay, I’m going in.” She winked at Harry and jumped into the hole, abseiling down to Jena.
“She’s an expert,” Harry reminded him. “She’s also the smallest here. None of those ex-forces guys would get through the hole.”
“Magenta wouldn’t let them anyway,” Matt said.
“True.” Harry chuckled. It sounded tense.
The wait was endless. At last the signal was given. Grunt and Lake hoisted Jena up. Matt held his breath until he saw her honey-coloured hair appear in daylight. There was a cheer. Matt ran across the beam to get to her. No one and nothing would have stopped him. The men were laying her on the grass beside the doctor.
“Is she…” Matt fell to his knees beside her.
“She’s passed out. Probably too much pain.”
As the doc examined her, Matt did the same. Magenta had immobilised her ankle with an inflatable boot. She’d placed a brace around her neck for the ride out of the mine, to stop her head lolling and to prevent any neck injury. Her arms were strapped to her waist to reinforce her ribs. It was a good job. As Magenta climbed out of the mine, he gave her a grateful smile.
“She did good, Matt,” Magenta said as she unstrapped her safety hat. “She was in the right spot. The room was pretty stable too. There was plenty of air down there. She would have been fine for a while yet. I think her ankle got to her. It looks bad.”
Matt clenched one of Jena’s hands in his while stroking her hair with his other hand. “Will she be able to dance?” he asked the doc.
“I hope so,” he said. “Let’s get her to hospital and find out.”
Matt leaned forward and kissed her grubby, tear-stained cheek. “It’s going to be okay, princess. I promise.”
He stood aside to let the paramedics load her onto a stretcher. Matt followed them over the makeshift bridge to find his family waiting.
“We’ll go to the hospital with her,” his mum said.
The twins nodded.
“Grunt will take us,” Claire said.
Grunt wrapped an arm around Claire’s shoulders and she leaned into him. “I’ll make sure they’re safe. I’ll check in with you every half an hour.”
“Every fifteen minutes,” Matt said.
Grunt grunted. Matt ran a hand through his hair. He wanted to be the one to go with her.
“You can’t,” his mum said, as though reading his mind. “You need to arrest the bastard who did this.”
His eyes shot open as the twins told his mum off for swearing. His mum gave him a quick hug. “Don’t worry, son—we’ll take good care of her. After all, she’s about to become family.” And with the first smile he’d seen on her face since her husband died, she followed Grunt to his car.
Matt watched the ambulance until it disappeared. When he looked away from it, it was to find half the men in Invertary watching him, waiting for orders. He nodded his thanks.
“There’s been a sighting,” Harry said. “The domino boys saw Frank near the loch. They’re keeping an eye out.”
Matt took a deep breath. “Jason, Rusty, you follow the Glasgow boys to the hospital and hand them over to the local cops.”
The men nodded and left.
“Pete, Dougal, you two rope this area off. I don’t want anyone near it.”
“No problem,” Dougal said as he rolled up the sleeves of his surprisingly white shirt. Although he had teamed it with bright red tartan trousers, so he was still Dougal.
“The rest of you are with me,” Matt said. “Time for this to end.”
Grimly, the men climbed into their vehicles.
40
The men of Invertary and the women of Knit or Die, who weren’t ones to be left out, lined up along the shore of the loch. They watched in stunned bemusement as the most stupid visitor ever to come to the Highlands tried to escape by boat.
“Does he know this is a loch?” Josh watched Frank power away on the tiny motorboat.
Frank flashed a one-fingered salute to the watching crowd.
“There isn’t even a road over the other side,” Harry said. “There are only bushes, badass cows and old Gilbert’s hunting lodge.”
“He said he’s going to Glasgow.” Archie, one of the domino boys, took off his cap and scratched his head in wonder.
“Did anyone tell him a loch is basically a big puddle?” Harry said. “There is no exit. The idiot is landlocked. If he’s trying to get to Glasgow, it’s going to take him a while.”
Archie shrugged. “Might as well go get a bite to eat, then.”
The ancient domino boys headed for the pub.
“This is disappointing,” Matt said. “I really wanted to hit him.”
“You can still hit him,” Lake said. “You just need to wait until he figures out he can’t do anything but go round in circles. He’ll come back to town when he gets hungry.”
“Do you think the idiot will come back or try to walk through the gorse on the other side of the loch?” Josh said.
“Frank isn’t known for his brain, but he likes his shoes,” Joe said. “Kept telling me they cost more than my life was worth. He won’t damage his shoes.”
The men stood watching the boat in awe.
“I feel a bit lost now,” Matt said. “I was all worked up to hit the guy. It’s a bit of a letdown.”
Mitch patted him on the back. “If it helps, I’ll lend you Josh later on. He can wind you up until you’re ready to strike out again.”
“Happy to oblige,” Josh said.
Matt sighed and looked at Lake. “I’m going to the hospital. Can you deal with this?” He pointed in the direction of the idiot on the water.
“I’ll call when he runs out of petrol for the motor.” Lake’s lip twitched.
“The bomb site is under control,” Matt said. “The fire crew are there, but I’ll tell them to call you if they need anything.”
Lake nodded.
“I need more cops,” Matt said. “Ever since you foreigners came to town, I’ve been run off my feet.”
“You would be in a boredom coma without us,” Josh said.
“Good point.” Matt turned to his SUV. “Call if anything turns up.”
The men nodded then went back to watching Frank drive his stolen boat.
“What we need,” Josh said, “is some fries and a beer. Mitch, run over to the pub and get some takeaway.”
“Get it yourself,” Mitch said.
Matt shook his head with a grin as he climbed into his car. It was time to see his woman. As he drove, a plan began to form in his mind. He smiled wickedly as he flicked on the hands-free set for his phone. A couple of calls and it would all be in place.
“Where’s Matt?” Jena said when she came to.
Her head hurt. Her mouth felt like it had been washed out with sand and her eyeballs were scraped raw every time she blinked. It felt a lot like a hangover.
“He had to stay in Invertary and arrest Frank.” Heather, Matt’s mom, came into focus. She was smiling down at Jena.
Jena blinked, wincing at the scraping sensation. “
Where am I?”
“Hospital. Fort William,” one of the twins said as she grinned from the other side of the bed. “You broke a couple of bones when you were sucked underground by the explosion.”
The words made the memory rush back at Jena. She closed her eyes and groaned.
There was a smacking sound. “Good job, freakoid, you’ve upset her.” That had to be the other twin.
“Girls.” Heather used her mom voice, which was strangely reassuring. “One of you give Jena a drink of water and the other one fetch the nurse.”
A cup with a straw appeared in front of her face. She accepted it gratefully.
“Samuel, raise the bed,” Heather ordered.
The bed was promptly raised. Jena looked out of the corner of her eye to find Grunt grinning at her.
“Glad you’re alive,” he said.
“Thanks.” Jena shifted on her pillows, groaning at the ache in her side.
She looked down her body and took stock of the damage. Her ribs were strapped beneath the hospital-issue gown she was wearing. Her lower leg was in a bright pink fibreglass cast and her left hand was bandaged. She held up the hand. She didn’t remember that one.
“Nasty cut,” Heather said. “Same as your head.”
Jena reached up with her right hand and, sure enough, there was a dressing attached to her temple.
“Did they have to cut my hair?” Why she was concerned about her hair and not her broken bones she wasn’t sure, but it seemed the most important worry.
“No, dear, your hair is fine.” Heather patted her hand, and for a moment Jena felt as though she was being mothered. It was nice. Strange, but nice. It brought tears to her eyes. She worked hard to blink them away.
“It was nice of you to come,” she told them. “But you don’t need to stay. I’m sure Matt will be here when he’s finished knocking Frank into next week.”
“We’re staying,” Claire said. Jena knew it was Claire because she was sitting in Grunt’s lap.
“You’re a member of the family now,” Heather said.
Jena felt her bottom lip tremble. She felt stupid. Twenty-six years old and the thought of having a family made her insides turn to custard.
“I’m not. Matt and I aren’t even dating.” Her words came out all pathetic and trembling.
Calamity Jena Page 28