Tremors

“All right. Get dispatch to patch into my com link. I need direct contact with the lady if I’m going to find her.”

“Yes, sir.”

The members of Joe’s squad dispersed. Some left to task work with the engineers, surveying the damage to check for possible passages in which to search for trapped victims once a canine unit was on-site. Others would help tend injuries and route patients to the hospital as necessary. But Joe knew that every single member of his team would be on high alert, fully prepared to come in after him if need be.

He surveyed the garage once more.

The stairwell and elevator shaft leading to the upper levels were damaged beyond use, even if he’d been inclined to take the risk. Not much remained in the way of structural support. Joe had a bad feeling that the entire garage could go anytime now. Whoever this lady was, she was definitely living on borrowed time. He hoped like hell he could get to her in time.

The climb around and over massive piles of concrete and twisted metal took longer this time. There was no easy access to what remained of the third deck.

Joe paused to swipe the grimy sweat from his forehead. “Any luck on that patch?” he asked, knowing his question would be carried via his communications link to his squad. He needed more specific directions. The garage was pretty damn big and could accommodate a number of cars. The “far side” didn’t narrow things down much.

“Working on it, Cap’n,” came O’Shea’s voice.

He had to move with extreme caution now. The slightest shift in weight could cause a concrete avalanche. He let out an uneasy breath when he visually assessed the extent of the damage on level three. Getting to the opposite side wouldn’t be a simple thing.

Clenching his jaw, he started the perilous journey. His gaze narrowed as he scanned the piles of broken concrete and twisted iron for any sign of the SUV. The victim had said it was gray. Thank God for cell phones. If he was able to get her out, she would owe her life to that sometimes annoying device.

He reached for a piece of protruding rebar to pull himself up. The rubble shifted. Joe froze, not daring to breathe. A low growl filled the air half a second before the pile of rocks beneath him shuddered then dropped a good three feet. Joe held on to the support as best he could.

The grinding sound of concrete and steel was almost deafening as the rubble settled once more, flinging Joe forward. He struggled to regain his footing.

“Cap’n, you there?”

The worried voice echoed in Joe’s ear. “I’m here. Level three is in bad shape. I’m attempting to make my way across to the other side.”

“Stand by for the patch,” O’Shea said. “I’ve been giving dispatch down the road for taking their sweet time.”

“Standing by.” Joe reached up for a better handhold in the rock pile. One step forward, two back. The knot in his gut tightened a little more, reminding him that this was not good. He told himself he’d been in dire straits before. This wasn’t the first time he’d put his life on the line to save a vic.

But things were different now.

He frowned. Where the hell had that thought come from? Nothing in his life had changed. He still enjoyed being single, loved the hell out of his work. His life was perfect. He had no one to answer to except himself. No strings, no hassles.

An image of Lisa Malloy suddenly loomed large inside his head. Now, why the hell would he think of her at a time like this?

He swallowed hard and tried to focus on the goal, moving across this treacherous rock pile that had once been the third floor of the parking garage.

She’d changed something inside him. There was no denying that, no matter how hard he tried. She’d gotten to him in a way that no one ever had. He couldn’t figure it out. She was cute as hell, that was true. Had a great personality and was as dedicated to her work as he was to his, which gave them something in common.

But that’s where the common ground ended. She had marriage and kids on her mind—something Joe had no interest in whatsoever. Not that he didn’t expect to marry at some point in his life. But not right now. After all, he was only thirty-three. It wasn’t as if time was running out.

Just then his foot slipped and it took all his strength to prevent himself from falling. Joe glanced down at the jagged slope that dropped all the way to the lowest level. Ugly. And there was no way to determine where the rubble was stable and where it wasn’t. Falling or ending up being buried alive were two very real possibilities in a situation like this.

Maybe time was a little shorter than he’d thought.

This was definitely no time for distractions.

Not even desirable ones like Lisa.

His body instantly hardened at the memory of the last time they had made love. She got to him so easily, made him weak…made him need her. She was the first and only woman who had ever made him think beyond the moment…beyond the physical aspect of the relationship.

He almost laughed at himself. Relationships? He didn’t do relationships. Not Joe Ripani. Even the definition of relationship was too definite for him.

And yet, on some level, his and Lisa’s time together had felt exactly like that. Definite.

Though they’d parted ways a full three weeks ago, a twinge of something like hurt sliced through him even now. It was crazy. He shouldn’t be thinking of her anymore. He should have moved on without a second thought.

But no matter how hard he tried, he would wake up in the middle of the night with images of her haunting his dreams. With the taste of her lingering on his lips, and the need for her touch a palpable longing in his loins.

His heart constricted in his chest. He hoped like hell she was safe at the clinic. If she’d been trapped at home or on the street somewhere, she would worry herself silly over those animals. He’d never known a more dedicated veterinarian. He thought of Salvage and realized that it was that damn dog that had thrown him and Lisa together. O’Shea had rescued the injured mutt from a burning building, but Joe was the one who’d taken over routine care after the animal became the firehouse mascot—not that he minded. That’s what had put him in regular contact with Lisa.

If it hadn’t been for Salvage, Joe might never have ended up with his heart turning traitor against him. He was fully accustomed to waltzing on the edge of survival in his line of work, but this dancing on the fringes of emotional commitment was foreign to him.

What would a guy like him do with a wife and family? Later, when he was chief or something, it would be okay. But what kind of life could he offer a woman right now? He dived into dangerous situations for a living. It wouldn’t be fair to any woman, and certainly not to children. He didn’t want to leave a wife and kids behind if he suffered an untimely death. And unfortunately, that possibility came with the territory in his occupation.

Like now, a little voice taunted.

Adrenaline burned through him as his boot sent pebbles clattering down the slope. Nope, this was definitely not the kind of job for a man with a family. He was better off staying unattached.

No matter how much he would love to make Lisa a permanent part of his off-duty routine, it would never work. No-strings-attached sex was not her style. She would never be satisfied with an uncommitted relationship. He knew it. She knew it. Enough said.

The moment she’d asked that dreaded question, he’d known it was over. Those seven seemingly innocuous words had filled his usually brave heart with dread.

Where do you see our relationship going?

Wedding bells had clanged in his head, and dread had pooled in his gut. He’d had to break it off then and there. She’d been hurt, but it was far less painful than it would have been had they pursued the kind of relationship she wanted.

He’d done the right thing.

He hoped again that she was safe at home or at the clinic. Though he might not want to make anything permanent with her, he still cared…a lot.

“Cap’n.”

O’Shea. Joe hesitated, something in the tone of her voice giving him pause. “I’m here. Got that patch for me?” He needed to be speaking directly with the victim—needed any details she could give him to direct him to her position.

“I got it, Cap’n, but there’s something you should know before I put her through.” O’Shea’s voice trembled on the last words.

“Time’s wasting, O’Shea.”

A beat of silence passed before she said two words that would impact Joe as nothing else could. “It’s Lisa.”

A moment of pure panic slammed into his brain. “Lisa Malloy?” he demanded, as if there was any other Lisa in his life or O’Shea’s.

“She says it’s bad, Cap’n. Real bad. I’m patching her through now.”

“Joe?”