“Gladys, is that you?”
I smiled with relief. “We talked about this, Parker. The name’s Dani.”
“Ah, man, Dani. Tell me I heard wrong. You didn’t go back in, did you?”
“You met me, Parker. What do you think?”
He didn’t snicker like before when he’d found me frustratingly entertaining.
In fact, Parker didn’t say a word. That couldn’t be good.
“When are you guys coming?” I asked.
“Listen, Dani,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. I could tell by the way he was breathing that he was on the move. “If you can get out, you need to do it right now.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“I shouldn’t be telling you this because it hasn’t been made public yet, but the engineers have deemed it too unstable for us to go back in. The building is swaying. The rest of it can come down on top of you at any minute. You have to get out of there.”
Tears rushed to my eyes. “I can’t.”
“Look, I know you don’t want to leave your neighbor, but you can’t save him. You have to think about yourself. You’ll die in there.”
“Well, then I’m going to die,” I said, my words wrought with emotion. “Because I have no way out of here.”
RJ blinked in rapid succession. “What do you mean?”
“When I was shoving the backpack through the hole, it caused a cave-in. I fell through like freakin’ Alice in Wonderland. And now there’s no mountain of debris for me to climb anymore.”
The look of horror on RJ’s face said it all. This whole time he’d thought I was free to go, that when things got really bad for him, or if he died, I’d make my way out into the land of the living. But now he knew the truth. There was no way out. We were both going to die in here together.
15
RJ: Time’s Up
Maybe it had been the fever talking, but I hadn’t fully understood the sacrifice Dani had made for me. This whole time, she’d known what was going to happen to her if the rescue team didn’t arrive, yet she’d stayed immeasurably calm, playing card games with me and shaving my damn face. But I wasn’t the only one who needed comfort in this storm. Dani needed it too and had never said a word. What sort of superhuman strength did this woman have?
I felt sick. This was all wrong. It couldn’t end this way. At least not for her. Just the thought of Dani’s bright light going out spurred me to action. I didn’t know who this Parker guy was, but it was clear by his instructions to her that he cared about her well-being, and that meant he and I were on the same page.
Taking the walkie-talkie from Dani’s hand, I raised it to my mouth and pushed the button. “Parker, this is RJ Contreras.”
Silence.
I added, “You heard right.”
“From AnyDayNow.”
“Yes.”
“Did Dani put you up to this?”
“Dude, I’m about to die. Does it sound like I’m playing games with you?”
“Oh, shit. No. Sorry, I just… I thought Dani was making it up to get me to come rescue you… I mean there’ve been unconfirmed reports on the news, but it’s all based on the podcast Dani did with Misty Swallows.”
I turned to Dani. “You had time for a podcast?”
“How else do you think I got your fans out here?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a tweet?”
“I have fifty-eight followers, RJ. Nothing I have to say is going to go far.”
Shaking off the surprise, I redirected my attention to what was most important.
“Listen, Parker, you and I have the same goal. Dani needs to get out of here. I know it’s too unsafe for you to come down here and get her, but can you leave a ladder in the hole so she can climb out herself?”
Parker cut out long enough that I worried we’d lost the connection.
“Parker?”
“I’m here. Sorry. Most of our trucks have already moved out. I’m looking to see if any unit might have an extension ladder. Hold on.”
The sound of Dani’s crying tore at my heart. I pulled her to me and she buried her head in my neck while we waited to see who lived and who died.
Static preceded Parker’s voice on the walkie-talkie. “I got one. Bringing it over. But she needs to come out now. We’ve pushed everyone back and are evacuating the buildings in the vicinity. Listen, I can’t stress this enough—a collapse is imminent.”
“I hear you. Just have the ladder in place. I’ll get her there.”
“No.” Dani sobbed, grabbed hold of my face, and staring me straight in the eye, she said, “I told you. I’m not leaving without you.”
“And I’m not leaving here…ever. Don’t you get it, Dani? I’m going to die here, but you don’t have to.” My voice broke into a thousand pieces. I was a man facing my own mortality, and the last thing I needed was more regrets. “Please don’t put your death on me.”
Dani’s jaw tightened, her eyes blazing with anger. “Then don’t put your death on me.”
“Without you, I’d probably already be gone. I know what you’ve done for me. You sacrificed everything to come back in here and help me. You gave me hope. You made me laugh in this hopeless situation, and I can’t possibly be more grateful to you. But it’s time. There’s nothing more you can do for me. Please, if you care about me at all, you’ll go.”
Dani was a mess of emotions, and my heart hurt watching her struggle. I knew what I was asking her to do. I was sentencing this beautiful, caring, loving woman to a lifetime of guilt. But there was no other option because Dani Malone’s light needed to stay on.
Parker interjected. “Are you still there?”
I tipped Dani’s chin up and kissed her lips. “Do this for me?”
Her eyes met mine and there was a resolve in them. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she nodded.
I pushed the button. “We’re still here. Get the ladder ready. Dani’s coming out.”
We spent the next few horrible minutes saying goodbye.
“Hey,” I said, cradling her neck. “It’s okay.”
I’d never been a crier—barely showed any emotion at all half the time—but there was no reason for restraint now. This was it. The end of the road. Once Dani left, I’d be alone, waiting to die. And that moment couldn’t come fast enough, because once she left, I’d already be dead.
“No, it’s not okay,” Dani cried. “None of this is okay.”
With my thumb, I swiped at her tears, placing a tender kiss upon her lips.
“I need you to do me a favor.”
Dani tipped her head up, her eyes red and swollen. “For you, RJ, I’ll do anything. Always.”
Her response took me apart piece by piece. My whole life, that level of devotion from a woman was all I’d ever wanted. A loyalty my mother had never been willing to extend to her youngest child. Sure, I’d gotten it from my fans, but none of that was real. They didn’t love me. They loved the idea of me. And now there was Dani, the woman who’d risked it all. In these last moments with her, I felt her heart beating against mine, and I knew I was loved.