Page 47
Chloe
“The fire has been contained.” The news anchor's voice cut through the room.
I shot off the couch. “We need to go to the station.”
Drake already had his keys out. “Let's go.”
We ran for his rental car. I yanked the passenger door open while Evie dove into the back. Drake peeled out of the driveway before I even had my seatbelt on.
“Take a left at the light.” My voice cracked. “Station 22 is on Mockingbird.”
Drake's hands gripped the wheel. “How far?”
“Fifteen minutes. Maybe ten if you run the lights.”
“I'm running the lights.”
The scanner had gone silent after that announcement. No updates. No names. Just that the fire was contained. Four hours of hell, and now nothing.
My phone stayed stubbornly quiet in my lap. No texts. No calls. Nothing from Zarek.
“He's fine.” Evie leaned forward between the seats. “You know he's fine.”
I couldn't answer. My throat had closed up completely.
Drake blew through a yellow light. The speedometer climbed past sixty. Residential streets blurred past the windows.
“There.” I pointed at the red brick building ahead. “That's it.”
The parking lot overflowed with cars. Families crowded the entrance. Drake pulled into a loading zone.
“Go.” He threw the car in park. “We'll find parking.”
I ran. My sneakers slapped against concrete as I dodged between groups of people. The glass doors loomed ahead. Inside, chaos. Wives clutching phones. Parents pacing. Children crying.
Gus stood near the dispatch desk, surrounded by desperate faces. His uniform hung limp with sweat. Dark circles shadowed his eyes.
I pushed through the crowd, Evie and Drake catching up behind me. My heart hammered so hard I thought it might explode.
“Gus.” His name came out strangled. “Where's Zarek?”
Gus's face changed when he saw me. He held up a hand to the other families and pulled me aside.
“He's at Parkland Hospital.” His voice dropped low. “Rosie Fletcher worked on him at the scene.”
“What happened?” The words barely made it past my lips.
“Three of them got caught when the roof came down. They all made it out.” Gus wiped sweat from his forehead. “Zarek walked out on his own, then collapsed twenty minutes later.”
My legs turned to water. Drake's arm shot around my waist, keeping me upright.
“Rosie's one of our best paramedics.” Gus grabbed my shoulder. “She rode with him in the ambulance. Said his vitals were strong.”
“How long ago?” Drake's voice stayed calm while mine disappeared completely.
“Maybe thirty minutes. They're probably still doing intake.”
Thirty minutes. He'd been hurt for thirty minutes and I didn't know. Thirty minutes of tests and needles and God knows what else while I sat at home watching TV.
