Free 3 Days by Krista Madden Page B

gun on myself,” Jared interjected, a hint of annoyance in his tone. “Now that you’re here, alive, maybe he will stop talking about it at night, and I can get some sleep!”
    The idea that Blaine had been thinking about me, worrying about me, made me blush. He pulled me into his chest and rested his chin atop my head. I could stay like this forever, in the safety of his embrace, the soft beating of his heart thumping in my ear. He still smelled amazing, like fresh air and pines. Blaine ignored Jared’s comment and whispered, “Thank God you are all right. I am so sorry for hurting you.”
    I couldn’t speak, move, or even blink. I just stood there, inhaling his scent deeply and sighed. And just like that, all was forgiven.

     

Chapter 23
    It was a short reunion, not much else was said. As soon as I was able to calm myself and stop shaking, we noticed the sun was lower in the sky. Blaine led the way into the garage, where a free-standing tornado shelter stood in the back corner. Shelves, and their contents, lay surrounding it on the floor. The garage had been demolished, by the Intruders no doubt. Standing in front of the storm shelter, he pulled the latch to open the thick, steel door. “Hop in,” he said, motioning with his thumb.
    Was he kidding?! This thing wasn’t large enough to hold his body alone, if he thought all three of us were going to fit inside it, he must have been crazy. Seeing the apprehension in my stance, Jared leaned in, pulling up on the small rug lining the bottom of the shelter and yanked on a metal loop. I watched in amazement as he opened a trapped door. By the look of strain on Jared’s face, it must have been made of steel and concrete. Reaching up on a shelf near the ceiling of the shelter, he grabbed a small kerosene lantern. Once the lantern was lit, he proceeded to step down into the hole. It took him six steps before I couldn’t see his head anymore. My jaw was on the floor, giving Blaine a look of astonishment. He smiled and jerked his head in the direction of the door. “Go on, get movin’,” he coaxed.
    Feeling blind in my new surroundings, Jared grabbed my hand to help me down off of the last step. Blaine followed behind me, closing the storm room’s door along with the hatch. Once we were locked in, he grabbed the lantern from Jared and crossed the room. When he lit the second lantern, I was able to get a better look at the space around me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. We were standing in a large cement room that had to be about ten by twenty feet, at my best guess. On one end, there were two deep holes in the wall, resembling bunk beds. They were lined with carpet inside, and a thin mattress covered the bottom of each. At the other end of the room there was a wall, covered entirely by shelves, which contained items including food and other supplies. At one end of the longest wall, there was a shower curtain hung and tied back on one side. It concealed a recess in the wall equipped with a toilet. The bathroom , I thought.
    Aware that my mouth was gaping, I composed myself and quipped, “Um, you forgot the kitchen sink.”
    In response to my antics, Jared began to laugh hysterically, then lifted the lantern in the direction of the opposite corner from where we were standing, illuminating a large basin sink. I couldn’t help but join in as the boys snorted and snickered in laughter. It felt good to finally laugh again. It had been nearly two years since the last time I remembered laughing so hard.
    We caught our breath as Blaine pulled a chair out from the table and offered me a seat. He and Jared then sat opposite of me at the table. Blaine spoke first. “So, what do you think?”
    “I think you’ve been busy.” I smirked, looking around the room. “This must have taken you a while to build.”
    With that, Jared let out a snort of amusement. Not getting the joke, bewilderment struck my expression.
    “What? This? I didn’t build this,” he chortled, “this house