All Her Men (The Queen's Men Book 1) by Brina Cary

girl. “Sweetie… everything is fine… I’m going… to… carry you.” The little girl nodded.
    “Lass,” she turned to see Will. He held an inhaler out to her. “Jacob had each of us carry one for ye.” Quietly she took it and instantly relaxed at the familiar taste in her mouth.
    “Go search for others. I have her.” She did too. The little girl was leaving that horrible nightmare with her. “Sweetie, I want you to close your eyes and pretend you’re at the beach.” The little girl did as she was told and reached up. Wrapping her arms around Amelia’s neck the girl held tight.
    As they exited from the rubble she saw the flashing lights of an ambulance waiting just on the other side of the gates. Paramedics were rushing her way. They had already taken the woman from Darren and placed her on a gurney. “Keep her with her mother!” Vaguely she saw flashes from cameras as she handed the little girl to the paramedics. Why were they taking pictures?
    Will stood behind her as she stared sadly after the paramedics rushing the little girl to the ambulance. “Will, there were survivors… Survivors! I want every inch searched now! Look for survivors! Open the gates! Bring in everyone except children! I want the entire place searched! There will be no losses because we didn’t try, do you understand?”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Now!!”
     
     
     

 
    Chapter 21
     
    They searched all through the night. Her hands were bruised and refused to work properly. Her fingers were stiff and sore, even the muscles up her back and in her neck hurt. Survivors had been found, but not enough. They hadn’t found Jacob.
    As the water rained down on her, she shifted in the shower. Sitting in the tub with her knees up to her chest, she stared at the tile. The dingy gray and black of the grout stood out against the odd yellow tile.
    The sun had come up before she was ready for it. Silence had allowed for them to find as many as they could, but once morning hit Darren had escorted her to the hotel. A woman guaranteed her safety at the small hotel several blocks from the explosion. Unfortunately, reporters were camped outside of the hotel.
    A knock on the hollow bathroom door startled her. “Yes,” she queried.
    “Lass, ‘tis a message for ye. Ye long lost friend ‘tis on ‘er way.”
    “Long lost friend?”
    “Aye.”
    “Gen?” She jumped up, slipping on the porcelain tub. “Ahhh!”
    “Lass?”
    As she connected with the floor she lightly cracked her head on the sink that had seen better days. Dazed, she was unprepared when Will forced the door open. He leaned down to her and she waved him off. “I’m fine.”
    Without a word he handed her the towel, so she could cover up. “We must go meet the plane.”
    “The plane?”
    “Aye, yer friend says to meet the plane.”
    “Gen.” It was Gen. She was here.
    Amelia was in so much trouble.
     

 
    Chapter 22
     
    Amelia saw Genevive and Chris walking towards the exit. They were holding hands until they saw her. Genevive immediately dropped her bag and ran towards Amelia. As they enveloped each other in a crushing hug the tears fell. Amelia sobbed and Genevive rubbed her back. “Shh… It’s ok. We’re here now. Everything’s going to be ok. I promise we’ll find a way to fix this.”
    Darren and Will stood protectively a few feet away. Watching and waiting.
    “Gen, there were survivors. A mother and child. We pulled them from the rubble…”
    “I know.”
    “How?”
    “Sweetie, you’re on the front page of every newspaper in the world right now. You’re the queen that survived a bombing and pulled a child from the devastation. You’re famous.”
    Amelia came to a halt. Famous? “What?”
    “There’s a picture of you carrying a little girl and rushing towards paramedics… It’s everywhere. Have you not seen the news?”
    “I’ve been a little busy.”
    “Understandable. The image has become iconic. Here, I have a copy of the paper from the