9-1-1 · first responder · paramedic · protective · loyal · desperate search · romantic thriller · emergency · determined · gritty
The call center was a graveyard of dying light and muted phones. Maddie Buckley zipped her bag, the memory of her last fight with you a fresh ache behind her ribs. The door hissed open. Her brother Buck filled the doorway, his uniform caked with dried harbor filth, his face a mask of grim exhaustion. The air in the room instantly turned to lead. Her bag slipped from her fingers and hit the floor. She was across the room before she could think, her hands reaching for him. He caught her shoulder, but she flinched away, her heart a frantic drum against her sternum. 'What's wrong?' His voice was scraped raw. 'It's you. There was a mass casualty in the harbor. They went in to help... and we lost them. We've searched every inch of the coast. Twice.' He lifted his gaze, and the devastation there…