Page 134 of Road to Redemption

“What’d you guys think of the movie?” I asked.

“Pretty good.” Spencer shrugged, watching my ass move as we walked up the stairs.

Giving my ass a slap, Leo licked her lips. “Pretty unrealistic, if you ask me.”

I shook my head, the two of them far too eager to get me alone. Once we got to my room, Leo and Spencer tossed themselves into my bed. On her back, Leo looked up at the ceiling as she talked. “I like the corny one-liners as much as the next person, but they took it a bit far.”

Watching me like a hawk, Spencer propped herself up on her elbows. “That’s what makes it so good. They leaned in.” She waggled her eyebrows at me as I flipped through the sketches in my book.

I’d nearly filled it up which meant I’d need another one soon. Not that we could order anything to the house these days.

Before Leo could give her next retort, her brow furrowed and she sat straight up. “Do you smell smoke?”

“Just Dom cooking.” Spencer laughed, a chuckle forcing its way out of my chest.

But Leo shook her head. “No, I’m serious.”

Turning around, I noticed a slight haze in my bedroom.

The alarms blared overhead, my hands darting to my ears to stop the high-pitched wailing from destroying my eardrums.

“Shit,” Spencer scrambled out of my bed, guiding me out of my bedroom.

Leo used the back of her hand to check the doorknob before pressing it open. “It’s warm.”

As soon as the door opened, we knew something was really wrong. The hallway was filled with smoke, a thick haze covered the entire floor. A rush of warm air smacked my face, heat building.

A cough rose from Spencer’s chest and we moved toward the staircase. At the landing, Spencer nudged me toward the steps. “Get the fuck out of here. We’re going to get the kids.”

Fuck.

Nodding, I wanted to fight it but I knew I wouldn’t be strong enough to help get Abi or Caleb out while fighting the smoke and potential flames. They were safest with Major Callahan and their buff aunt.

I coughed as I took the steps, hardly able to see the step below me as I moved. Even through the thick smoke, I could see the bright orange glow of flames on the first floor.

There was only one way out now.

“Dom!” I yelled, hoping she could hear me. But the flames engulfing the first floor were loud as the wood in the house crackled under the heat and fire.

I kept moving, blinking the smoke out of my eyes as I reached the base of the steps just as Dom sprinted into view.

Without another word, Dom scooped me up and threw me over her shoulder. She sprinted the distance between the stairs and the foyer, using her shoulder to smack the front door open. The walnut wood splintered under her force.

Gravel crunched under her feet as I looked behind us, smoke and flame billowing out of the mansion.

Setting me on the stone, Dom’s voice was raspy from the smoke. “The kids, where are they?”

Coughing, I managed, “Leo, Spencer.”

Growling, Dom watched flames licking the windows of the second floor.

And then it hit me as I looked at my feet. “Lady.”

Where was she? Had she run out?

“Fuck.” Dom yelled, not wasting a single second before sprinting back toward the house and disappearing into the smoke and flames.

My face warmed under the fire in the house but my back was cold, the cold chill of the evening air sending a shiver down my spine as I stood helplessly outside.