I covered my ears to stifle the loudness of the incessant noise while at the same time scooting out of the booth.
“Fuck,” Salem yelled as she attempted to slide across the leather seat.
I lowered my hands and held them out to her. She grasped them and I pulled.
Wyn did the same thing for Hadley.
Our table was in the back of The Diner, so there were several other guests ahead of us. They shuffled without any sort of haste—not until the sprinkler system built into the ceiling popped loudly and then turned on, showering everyone in the room with rancid brown water.
That got everyone moving, like livestock herded through bad weather.
I looked over my shoulder.
Hadley’s expression was one of concern, as was Salem’s.
This was not a false alarm.
My heart kicked up in fear.
Salem grasped my hand. “There’s another emergency exit this way.”
Salem led the way with me behind her, Hadley trailing me, and Wyn bringing up the rear.
There was yelling from the direction of the kitchen, but I couldn’t make out words because people were shouting over each other and the alarm continued to wail. A firetruck siren blared in the distance but crescendoed as it drew closer.
The emergency exit spit us out into the back alley and gave us a clear view of The Diner. Flames licked the roof from a window high in the kitchen that had broken from the heat. Smoke billowed into the sky, illuminated by flames.
“Oh my God,” Wyn murmured. “It’s worse than I thought.”
The four of us trekked through the back alley, heading away from The Diner toward General Merc and then around to Silver Street which was currently being blocked off by policemen as they waited for the firetruck to arrive.
The firetruck parked in the middle of the street and volunteer firefighters spilled out of the vehicle. They pulled out a long hose and dragged it toward The Diner.
Customers and patrons from other establishments stood by as the firefighters attempted to contain the flames.
I heard my name being called and I turned, trying to locate the source.
Brooks was running toward me; his face etched with fear. He elbowed his way through the crowd that was frozen to the sight unfolding in front of them.
When he reached me, his hands cradled my face as he looked me over. “You’re okay.”
“I’m okay,” I said.
His lips crashed into mine, as if he needed physical proof that I was safe. When he pulled back, I saw Cas and Declan inspecting their wives with the same level of concern that Brooks was showing me.
Wyn stood idly by, her face stricken with sadness.
When I met her gaze, she sent me a wobbly smile and turned away.
My heart ached for her.
She didn’t have a Brooks to check to see if she was all right. If she was safe.
The firefighters finally had the flames under control and soon they snuffed it out. Thankfully it hadn’t spread to the neighboring buildings.
“That could’ve been really bad,” Salem said.
“It looks pretty bad already,” I said. “What do you think caused the fire?”
