Riptide

flames on her arm even as the fire
    inched closer and closer, and at last the firemen had the safety net
    in place.
    Adam yelled, "Jump, Becca!"
    And she did, without hesitation, her nightgown billowing out
    around her, her long legs bare, the white sleeve of her nightgown
    smoking. She hit the white safety net, her nightgown tangling
    around her. It closed over her for just an instant, and then a fireman
    yelled, "We've got her. She's okay!"
    He watched her scramble out of the confines of the safety net,
    shake off the firemen. She ran toward him, and he saw the shock in
    her face, the blindness in her eyes, but he couldn't think of anything
    to say to her. Then there was simply nothing. He collapsed where
    he stood. The last thing he heard before the blackness closed over
    him was the huge roar of the collapsing roof and Becca's voice, saying
    his name over and over.

Chapter 31

    He was buried in pain, so deep he wondered if he'd ever climb
    out, but he knew he could deal with it, even appreciate it, because
    it meant he was still alive. Finally, after what seemed like beyond
    forever, he managed to gain a bit of control and forced his eyes to
    open. He looked up at Becca's smiling face. Ah, but the worry in
    her eyes, her pallor, it scared him. Was he going to die after all? He
    felt her fingers lightly touch the line of his eyebrow, his cheek, his
    chin. Then she leaned down and kissed where her fingers had
    touched him. Her breath was sweet and warm. His own mouth felt
    like he'd dived mouth-first into a box of dried manure.
    "Hello, Adam. You'll be just fine. I'll bet you're really thirsty, the
    nurse said you would be. Here's some water to drink. Take it slow,
    that's it."
    He drank. It was the best water he'd ever tasted in his life. He
    managed to say, "Thomas?"
    "He'll live. He told me so himself when he came out of surgery.
    The doctors say it looks good. He's in great shape, so that's a big
    help."

    "Your arm?"
    "My arm is okay. Just a bit of a burn, nothing serious .We all survived.
    Except for Mikhail Krimakov. He's very dead. He'll never
    terrorize anyone again or kill another person. I know you're in bad
    pain, the bullet went through your back, broke a rib. The other
    bullet went right through your arm. You'll be okay, thank God."

He closed his eyes and said, "It nearly killed me watching you on
    the roof with him. The flames kept getting closer and closer, the
    wind whipping your nightgown around your legs, whipping the
    flames higher. I wanted to do something, but I just stood there
    yelling at you and I nearly lost what sanity I had left."
    "I'm sorry, but I had to go after him, Adam. That's how he got
    into Thomas's house, from the end of a very long oak branch; then
    he jumped onto the roof and managed to get the trapdoor open and
    made it into the attic. When I saw him going down to the end of
    the hall where those pull-down steps to the attic are, I knew he
    would escape. I just couldn't let him do it. He got in that way, the
    chances were he'd get out. I had to stop him." She paused a moment,
    looking inward. "Then he wanted to die. And he wanted me
    to die with him. But I didn't. We won." She kissed him again, and
    this time he managed to smile just a bit through the god-awful pain.
    "Now, no more about it. I've done nothing but answer question
    after question for the FBI. Mr. Woodhouse keeps coming back again
    and again, but it's mainly to see Dad, not for any more questions. Do
    you know what Savich is doing? He's sitting in the waiting room,
    checking out churches on MAX to find one for us to get married in.
    He said he did that for another FBI agent who'd been shot, and sure
    enough, the other agent got married on the date and in the church
    that Savich picked. He said it was a special calling of his."
    "My folks?" Adam said. The pain was getting worse, that
    damned broken rib was digging into him like a sword, dragging
    him under, and he wanted to howl with it. The novelty of having
    himself distracted was losing its touch and wearing thin. But he
    knew he had to hold on, just a bit longer. He wanted to look at
    Becca, just look at her, hear her voice, perhaps have her kiss him
    again. He wanted her to kiss him all over, that would be very nice.
    He tried to smile up at her but it was a pathetic effort. Thank God

she was safe. He wanted to lie very quietly and keep knowing that
    she was safe and she was here and that was her hand on his face.
    "But Becca, I have to ask you to marry