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Back Strangers She Knows Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. Dedication
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. BPA
  61. Author Bio

“Not yet. I have to go to the house. I have to tell her…” The world spun.

He picked Kellen up and ran with her to the Coast Guard helicopter. “Stay with me. Hang in there.”

“Not the helicopter. We’ve got to go back to the house and tell her…” Pain took Kellen’s breath away.

The helicopter had come prepped for medical emergencies.

As gently as he could, Max placed her on the stretcher the Coastie had pulled out.

She gave a small moan, caught her breath and said, “Sorry. Sorry. I didn’t mean to. So melodramatic. I couldn’t help it. We need to go to the house and—”

“Lady, we’ve got to get you to the hospital now.” As the Coastie stuck a needle in her arm, he introduced himself, “I’m Bill Stevens, medic.”

“No.” Kellen had to convince them. “We’ve got to tell her—”

“She’s hallucinating,” Bill said.

Max and the Coastie lifted her in.

They shut the doors.

The drugs took effect. The pain receded and so did the world, until all of a sudden they were in a hospital emergency room and doctors and nurses were working on her hand and her burns at the same time. She came to complete consciousness, hovering on the edge of agony.

“Give her more pain relief,” someone said.

“Not yet. Max. I have to speak to Max.”

Right away, he was there, leaning close to her face. “She’s still there,” Kellen told him.

His brown eyes were anxious. “Relax, honey. You killed her. Remember? Mara is dead.”

“Ruby Morgade is not.” Kellen respected Max’s intelligence above all things, and she trusted him to put the pieces together, but before she could say another word, the darkness took her under.

50

“As soon as Kellen told me Ruby Morgade was living here, alone, I sent a medical team to assess her. I also sent a cook and a housekeeping team, and a team to assess the damage to the house.” Max piloted the helicopter, the recently repaired Di Luca Robinson R44 Raven II, off the coast of California, across the Pacific and toward Isla Paraíso.

From the back seat, Rae asked, “How did you know, Mommy?”

“That Ruby was alive?” Kellen turned to Rae and Verona in the back seat. “She saved my life.”

“I knew it.” Rae sounded fiercely proud, as if Ruby was her own personal champion to exalt. “So I was right. Someone did come into my room and stroke my forehead. Luna knew her!”

“That’s right. That’s why Luna didn’t bark.” Kellen’s voice broke a little.