Suddenly, people are running past us as sirens roar in the background, lights flashing from the road.
“No way,” Sebastian breathes.
I look at him, wiping tears and snot from my face with my sleeve. His eyes narrow as he peers to the right side of the barn, and he stiffens at my side.
I follow his gaze.
There in the snow is a figure. I catch sight of auburn hair in the dawn light.
“Fiona,” I stutter.
We watch in shock as she drags herself farther from the burning building, and then I scramble to my feet with Bastian right beside me.
“Fi!” he screams.
She collapses into the snow right when we reach her. She’s in nothing but underwear and a T-shirt. I fall to my knees and pull her into my lap, cradling her against my body. I can feel her heart beating rapidly as I clutch her.
“She’s alive,” I say, looking up at Seb, hope blooming cautiously in my chest. I push her tangled hair from her dirty face.
Seb pulls off his jacket, and I help him wrap it around her body.
Charlie skids to a halt and drops down beside me, burying her face in Fi’s hair. The sun rises, and we watch as the barn burns to the ground, casting the clearing in a dancing, bright orange glow. Inside, the screams, which I’ve now deduced are Dennis’s, have gone silent.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
FIONA
Someone’s stroking my hair, and his voice is familiar.
Brantley.
“Will she be okay?”
Sebastian.
“You don’t need to worry.” I don’t recognize the third voice, but he sounds kind. “We checked her vitals and other than the burn on her foot and some scrapes and bruises, she’s just fine. But she is half dressed, so we’ll probably have to do a rape kit when we get back to the hospital.”
My head swims as my surroundings come into focus. “What the fuck is going on?” I groan.
“Fi,” B breathes and pulls me against him.
I blink and look around “Careful, big guy. My head is killing me.” I’m lying on a stretcher in the cabin driveway. There’s a fire truck on the road with a huge hose snaking toward the barn. From the way people are calmly walking around, I assume that the fire is out.
“Here, honey.” I look up at the EMT. He has a short beard and pretty hazel eyes. He smiles as he hands me some pills and a small cup of water. “That will help until we can get you to thehospital in Brighton.” He gives Seb and B a look and then looks at me. “Do you want to talk to me in private?”
I shake my head and clear my throat. “No, it’s okay.”
He stares at me for a moment and seems satisfied with my answer. “My name’s Ben.”
“I’m Fiona Flowers.”
“That’s a beautiful name. Do we need to do a rape kit, Ms. Flowers?” he asks slowly.
I swallow. “No, he didn’t rape me.”
“I see.” Ben writes something on a chart, and then holds it to his chest as he assesses me. “Well, you need to save the details for the police, okay?” I nod. “We’ll get out of here as soon as the fire truck packs up.”
Ben pats my shoulder and starts to walk away.
