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But Lucas got no farther than a step when a great whoosh engulfed the back of the building. Andrei had only enough time to react. He launched himself at Lucas, tackling the man to the floor once again as he covered him with as much of his body as he could, tucking his face in the other man’s neck. The ball of fire rushed forward, seeking oxygen to feed the ravenous flames. Heat scorched across Andrei’s back, drawing a pain-filled cry from his lips but he didn’t move as he continued to tightly clutch Lucas beneath him.
The fireball dissipated after a second, retreated to the back of the building where the bulk of the gasoline had been spread. Wincing, Andrei jerked at Lucas, getting the man moving again toward the door. Adrenaline pumped through Andrei, pushing aside the pain for the short term. As soon as he hit the night air, he raised his gun, expecting to find yet another attacker waiting for his companions but there was no one in the beat-up old Chevy parked in front of the warehouse.
They turned, looking up at the building that was now glowing brightly in the darkness as black smoke billowed out of every hole, crevice and broken window. Even as Andrei dialed 9-1-1, he knew there was no saving the building or the men inside.Chapter 7Lucas sat naked from the waist up on the edge of a bed in a private room in the hospital. He smelled of sweat, dirt, and smoke. A chill crept into his bones, gnawing at him. The hospital was cold, but then they were always cold, right? Helped to distract the patients from their pain. It wasn’t helping. His mind kept going around and around about how everything had turned to shit in a matter of seconds and only he was to blame.
The EMTs that arrived with the fire trucks and the cops had taken one look at them and immediately shoved them both into the ambulance, shuffling them off to University Hospital. He’d been separated from Andrei, who was looking worse for wear and had not spoken a single word beyond the occasional grunt since stepping outside the burning building.
A doctor appeared a moment after Lucas had been shown to the room and flashed him a small smile. “Mr. Vallois, I was not expecting to see you again so soon.”
“I’ve never seen you before,” Lucas grumbled, giving the man only a cursory glance. He needed to get out of that room and find Andrei, needed to know that he was okay and that the staff who were so quick to take care of him were actually helping his bodyguard. Guilt and frustration burned through him like acid, eating through his soul. Andrei was hurt and it was his fault.
“No, you wouldn’t remember me. I was the doctor who attended you when you were brought in a few nights ago with a concussion.” He pulled on a fresh pair of rubber gloves with a soft snap and positioned his stethoscope in his ears. “Don’t worry. I believe a nurse was notifying Dr. Frost of your arrival as he came out of surgery.”
“Fuck.” Lucas sighed. Why couldn’t this shit have happened on a night that Snow had off? The man was going to lose it. “Can you send someone to tell him that I’m not hurt?”
“Why don’t we just check to make sure that’s true first and then we’ll update Dr. Frost on your status?” The doctor pressed the cold metal disc to Lucas’s chest.
Clenching his jaw, Lucas closed his eyes and fought the urge to punch the man. His condescending words didn’t merit a response. His entire body ached, but that had more to do with his original set of injuries than anything new he’d sustained. He should have taken another painkiller more than an hour ago, but he wasn’t going to bring it up or the fact that his head was swimming. Sleep and a Percocet would have done wonders, but he was hours away from that relief. He endured the exam with his patience scraped thin as tissue paper, not speaking unless he absolutely had to and then he said as little as possible. By the end of his exam, the doctor was flushed and his hands trembled as he flinched under Lucas’s piercing gaze. The doctor scrambled to leave, mumbling something about updating their records, as he struggled to jerk the door open and slide out of the room.
And then Snow blew in, looking like the wrath of God. He wasn’t wearing his white coat, so he must have just gotten off duty. His blue button-down shirt made his eyes look like chips of frozen sky. He had on loose faded jeans, the ones that rode low on his hips. Snow’s laze-at-home clothes. Terrific.
