HeroRevealed Read Online Free PDF Page A

men.
“Now, we’ll send you down nice and slow. Holler if the ground shifts, or when
you’re near the bottom.”
    “Right.”
    A crowd had gathered on the other side of the yellow police
tape and more cars streamed up the road. Cedar was a pretty sleepy town
overall, and news of the cave-in traveled as fast as a text message. With so
many eyes on her, the pressure to execute this rescue flawlessly weighed on her
as if she’d clipped an additional fifty pounds to her belt.
    Suck it up, Briggs . You were hired to think
on your feet and do the impossible. Now’s the time to prove you’re the man.
    “How are you doing, Stacy?” she called out as she neared the
entrance.
    “Fine?”
    “I’m coming down. Get as far away from the opening as you
can.”
    She dropped a bag of supplies down first. The thud as it hit
the bottom sounded way too far away. Adrenaline and a brisk breeze sent a
shiver along her arms as she took that first careful step off the edge. Her
hips scraped the sides of the rough walls and her breasts made for a tight
squeeze until she was completely submerged in blackness. How one teenager, let
alone two, managed to fall down the shaft confounded her.
    “Stacy, how the hell did you two fit through this hole?” she
hollered. “What were you doing?”
    “We were running and Jason tackled me, and the next thing I
knew we were falling. It was really dark and scary. Still is.”
    “Hang on, sweetie. I’m almost there.”
    Gravel and dirt hit Brett in the face as she dropped inch by
inch. She closed her eyes and concentrated on keeping her breathing slow and
even.
    Her feet swung from side to side as she breached the tunnel.
“Slow down. I’m near the bottom,” she instructed through the radio at her
shoulder. “Stop.”
    She unclipped the line and turned toward the lamp’s soft
glow to inspect her surroundings. The tunnel was about four feet high and eight
feet wide.
    The young girl had a bruise on her forehead but her eyes
were clear and her pupils dilated properly when Brett flashed them with light.
Her wrist looked swollen and had limited mobility. In the bag was a sling that
Brett used to set the sore arm before approaching the boy.
    “Okay, Jason, how are you holding up?”
    “All right, I guess,” he answered with a weak shrug.
    He lay flat on his back, a purple sweatshirt pillowing his
head. His dark hair and face were grimy and he shivered in the damp soil with
what Brett hoped were the chills and not shock.
    “Which leg hurts?” she asked.
    “The right one.”
    With her knife she cut up the length of his denim-covered
shin. “If you shift into a wolf, won’t that heal your injuries?”
    He managed a small grin. “I’m not really a werewolf,
Sheriff.”
    “I know.” She winked. “Just thought you might need a
reminder.”
    A giant black-and-blue bruise circled his swollen knee like
a bandana. Only an x-ray would confirm whether or not it was broken, but until
then, Brett was going to treat him with the utmost care. From her bag she
withdrew splints and straps and began to immobilize his leg. She kept him
talking, pausing every now and again to update the crew of Jason’s condition
and her progress. When his leg was wrapped to her satisfaction, she carefully
slipped the harness around his hips.
    “Stacy, I’m gonna need your assistance to steady him while I
lift.”
    “Okay.” She kept her left arm tucked to her side as she
helped Brett get Jason to his feet.
    The slack in the rope tightened, which helped keep his
weight off his leg, but he moaned and hissed as he was raised slowly in the air
like a piñata.
    Brett and Stacy ducked under the slate roof as gravel and
earth rained down in small bursts. The trickle turned into a steady stream as
Jason cleared the opening and the weight of the paramedics assisting him
further upset the unstable ground.
    The harness dropped back down and Brett helped Stacy pull it
into place then stepped back to watch the next act of Cirque de