She thought about how lucky she’d been to come across Riggs’s cabin. About how worried she’d been when he was sick. How peaceful he looked when he slept, how handsome when he smiled, and how he could turn her on with a simple laugh.
She’d miss the way his calloused hands felt against her skin. How strong and masculine he looked while chopping wood. How he baby talked to Baxter to coax him closer so he could pet him. How protective he was.
The way he felt inside her, how his eyes had sparkled when he’d admitted he wanted four kids.
She’d miss literally everything about the man.
It wasn’t fair that she’d been able to get away from Susie, find this bunker, and survive a freaking avalanche, only to die from lack of oxygen.
She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live. She wanted Riggs. Wanted to explore Newton. Wanted to see his apartment in the small town.
Tears fell from her eyes, and her stuffy nose made it even harder to breathe.
Carlise sat up. She wanted to be like the kick-ass heroines in the romance books she translated. She wanted to be able to find her way out of this situation on her own and show Riggs that she wasn’t helpless. That she could make it in the rugged woods of Maine.
But instead, she was going to die.
God, she hoped it wasn’t Riggs who found her body when the snow melted. She didn’t want him to have to go through that after everything else.
Sighing, Carlise grasped her updrawn legs, ignoring the twinge in her shoulder, and closed her eyes, resting her cheek on her knees. Breathing was definitely harder now. And she was so woozy. Maybe from blood loss.
She could almost hear Riggs’s voice in her head. Telling her how much he loved her, how proud he was of her. How brave she was.
It was official—she was dying. There was no way she could hear Riggs’s voice. Her brain was playing tricks on her. She was hallucinating for sure.
A second later, she lifted her head, going perfectly still.
No—she could hear Riggs’s voice!
It was muffled, and she couldn’t understand what he was saying, but it had to be his voice!
She dropped her arms from around her legs, got to her hands and knees, and started crawling in the direction she thought the door was.
She slammed her head into something hard, making nausea swirl in her gut.
“Don’t puke, don’t puke,” she admonished herself out loud. It felt weird to hear her own voice. She’d stopped talking to herself shortly after entering the bunker. But somehow, it gave her strength. She wasn’t dead yet, and she’d fight for her future with everything she had.
Putting her hand on the wall, she felt the metal shelves that lined one side of the bunker. She vaguely remembered what the space looked like from when Riggs had shown it to her the first time, and slowly, she made her way toward the end where the ladder was located.
That was when she heard it again—Riggs’s voice for sure.
“Carlise? Are you in there? It’s me, Riggs. Unlock the door. You’re safe. The avalanche is done . . . Susie?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly, she couldn’t speak. It felt as if there was no oxygen left at all.
For a moment, she panicked. If she didn’t get to that door, she’d die. And she was so close to seeing Riggs again! To feeling his arms around her.
She had to move. She couldn’t come this close to being rescued, only to fail now.
She started to stand with the help of the ladder, her shoulder aching. It felt as if it took every ounce of her strength just to lift her leg to the first rung, but determination rose within her. She could do this. She had no choice.
Carlise thought about her mom. How strong she was. How she’d survived for years in an abusive relationship. She wanted to make her proud. Wanted a chance to tell her how much of an inspiration she was.
Her shoulder screamed in pain as she stood a couple of rungs up the ladder and stretched her arm toward the lock. She couldn’t quite reach. She’d have to go up one more rung. She braced carefully, giving herself the leverage she needed to slide the lock.
She grasped the dead bolt and attempted to move it, but her arm was so weak and sore, and she was so light-headed. She couldn’t move it.
“Riggs,” she whispered, almost overwhelmed with despair. He was so close. Just on the other side of that door, and yet he might as well be miles away.
She wasn’t sure if he’d heard her weak voice or not, but she could hear him as easily as if he was standing right next to her, without a bulky door between them.
“Open the door, sweetheart. You can do it. I know you can! All you have to do is move that piece of metal a few inches. I’ll do the rest. The guys are all here, and Baxter. He led me straight to you. You’re safe. Do it, honey. For me. For our kids. For our friends. Please.”