Count on Me (Bayview Heights Trilogy) (33 page)
Read Count on Me (Bayview Heights Trilogy) Online
Authors: Kathryn Shay
Tags: #troubled teens, #Kathryn Shay, #high school drama, #teacher series, #teachers, #doctors, #Bayview Heights trilogy, #backlistebooks, #emotional drama, #Contemporary Romance
Though their turnout gear was heavy, they needed the fireproof protection of helmet, bulky coats, pants and bunker boots. Air tanks, of course, were vital.
They went slow, all six of them. When they’d gone about twenty yards into the room, Gabe spotted a stairway leading to the second floor. “White, take Sands up with you. See if Truck 5 needs some help on search and rescue. O’Malley and Ramirez go left on this floor. Wellington, you’re with me.”
They separated and Gabe said a brief prayer that his group would be safe. He led the way through another corridor and reached an open doorway. The basement. “Stay here, Wellington, while I test the steps.”
As soon as Gabe went down a step, he realized it was spongy. But when he took a few more, he realized the staircase was too unsteady to hold up. They’d need ropes and backup to check the basement.
A loud boom rocked the building, then a second one. The entire structure shook and the steps shifted beneath him. Gabe realized they were going to cave before he could get back up. When he turned to signal Wellington, he bumped right into her.
In seconds, the staircase collapsed and they fell with it.
Table of Contents
Chapter Excerpt from America’s Bravest Anthology, “In Too Deep”
