I get an instant visual of a long, ugly burn scar covering most of her arm. I shudder, my belly twisting into a torturous knot. Ares had some burn injuries. They were nasty, red and oozing as blisters formed over seared flesh. Took a while for them to heal, and the scars remain.
“But it really isn’t too bad,” Klein rasps.
“Right.”I don’t believe you. “You really don’t sound good.”
“It’s just the shock. I don’t think I inhaled much smoke. I managed to get out pretty quickly.” She lets out a wheezing sound.
The muscles in my jaw tighten. “Klein, go to the hospital.”
“But there are so many people more seriously injured than I am. Mrs. Choi didn’t get out until an hour after I did.”
Good God, Klein isn’t listening. She isn’t going to go because she doesn’t think she merits getting checked out, not when others might need to be prioritized. Probably because her family is horrible. The kind of people who asked her to join them at a restaurant where she couldn’t eat and then sided with total strangers. They’ve done a number on her self-esteem—to the point she doesn’t think her injuries are worth being looked at.
“Send me your location,” I say as I gather my fob and start to head out of the office.
“What? Why?”
“Because you need somebody to make sure you’re all right. Don’t do anything, and don’t go anywhere. Wait for me.”
“But what about your morning appointments?”
If I could, I’d reach into the phone and shake some sense into her. “Who cares? Amélie can cancel them.”
She gasps. “But you can’t justcancelthem. Ryder Reed is coming to see you!”
He’s one of the hottest stars in Hollywood, and one of my best clients because he loves to consult me on all sorts of things—and unlike Ted, he actually listens to good advice. “So? He can reschedule.”
“But—”
“Klein, don’t argue. It’s nonnegotiable.”
Chapter Twelve
Ailee
“Hello, Ailee. Here.”
I lift my head from the phone and see Zoe holding out a bottle of water. “Oh, thank you!” I take a long, grateful swallow. “You’re a lifesaver.” My throat feels so much better already. It’s been parched—I haven’t had a drop since leaving the building. The morning air is slightly cool, the acrid scent of burned concrete and belongings lingering like a miasma. Who would’ve guessed a building this tall could go up in flames so quickly? It’s almost like somebody doused the whole structure with gallons of gasoline.
The fire also consumed a couple of smaller buildings near the apartment, but the firefighters managed to get it under control and kill it.
“You look a bit dazed,” Zoe says before sipping her own water and pulling the lapels of her bathrobe tighter against the morning chill. She tilts her jaw at my phone. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just texted my roommate, then called the office to let them know I’m not coming in today.” I look down at myself. I’m in mismatched shoes—one coral flip-flop and one black sandal—and an old white T-shirt and boxer shorts with red and pink hearts, no bra. I cross my arms across my chest and try not to worry too much about work.
Josh ended the call so abruptly, like he’s really upset. He has certain habits he sticks to—starts his laptop and reviews a doc or two, then has me lay out his day and update him on any changes while he sips the iced latte I bring from the break room.
Or maybe he’s upset that I was solateto call him.I should’ve been at work an hour ago. But I was in absolute shock, having witnessed the entire twelve-story building go up in flames. Now I know why people remain frozen when they’re faced with a certain unimaginable danger. Your brain just gives up on you, like it’s too overwhelmed to process.
The sprinkler system apparently failed. The smoke alarms didn’t work either. The elevator quit operating—for good reason, since it probably wasn’t safe. If Zoe hadn’t banged on my door when she did, I might’ve been stuck on the fourth floor until the fire trucks arrived to get people out. Then I would’ve really been hurt, enough that I might not have been able to call work at all. Zoe said she couldn’t sleep and was reading some romance novel when she smelled the smoke and grabbed me. Now I feel like I owe her a lifetime’s worth of romance novels.
The EMT didn’t even check us out, since Zoe and I were among the first group of people to evacuate. But my throat feels scratchy from being near the burning fire and not having had anything to drink for hours.
“Do you have a place to stay?” Zoe asks, her eyes shifting to the husk of the building.
“I guess… I’ll figure something out. You?”
“My company’s arranging for a hotel until I can find a new place.”
