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“Oh,” she said faintly, seeming off kilter from that statement. But a moment later, she’d shaken it off, standing next to him as he eased the door open.
He stuck his head out, eyes widening as he saw the fire down by his room. The red and orange flames were crackling loudly and spreading every second. Quickly running his eyes down each room in the hallway, he was relieved to see the doors to each Enforcer brother and sister standing open. They’d all made it out then, thank God.
“Okay,” he said, turning to Tarun. “The front is blocked by the fire,
but we can get to the back stairs. We’re going to make a run for it. Straight outside, baby, as fast as you can. I’ll be right behind you, but if for some reason I’m not there once you get outside, you find an Enforcer and you don’t leave their side. Got it?”
“Luke—”
“Got it?” he repeated, voice hard.
Features firming, hiding the fear that had been creeping across them, she nodded once, sharply. “Got it. Take care of yourself, no matter what happens.”
Leaning in, he kissed her once, quickly and hard, hoping everything he felt for her was right there on his lips. “I will. Now go!”
Tarun turned and began rushing down the stairwell. When she was close to the bottom, she paused, looking back at him. “Wait. We should have warned the other Enforcers! We need to go back.”
“No, it’s fine,” he replied quickly, motioning for her to keep going. “I looked, and their doors were all open.”
His mind flashed back to the glance he’d taken of the hall, and his feet slowed on the steps. All the doors had been open… except the door two down from his. His room had looked engulfed by the flames, so that room… fuck, it was going to go soon—if it hadn’t already.
Tarun turned back to him with a frown, like she had a direct line to his feelings and knew his worry just doubled. “What is it?”
He hesitated, not wanting to bring her name up but unable to find a way around it. “Georgie. The door to her room was closed. I’m just…”
“I get it. Go get her. I promise I’ll find an Enforcer and stick to them.”
“But you said—”
“These aren’t exactly normal circumstances, Luke. Besides, I trust you. Go save her, just be careful.”
Leaning up, she kissed him before turning and running down the stairs and outside. God, what a woman.
Turning, he took the stairs two at a time to get back upstairs, urgency washing over him. He looked down the hallway, heart dropping when he realized the flames had spread and were almost to the door of the room Georgie was in.
Crouching low to avoid the smoke, he made his way to the door and grabbed the doorknob, cursing when it burnt his hand. He didn’t have time to find something to use as a buffer. Fuck it. Bracing himself, he rammed his shoulder into the door. It took two tries before it splintered open, and he rushed inside, looking for Georgie.
He scanned the room, not seeing her at first and thinking she’d already gotten out. He was just about to leave when he heard a cough from the other side of the bed. Rushing over there, he found her sitting on the floor, crouched over and rubbing her ankle.
“The hell are you doing in here, Georgie? You have to be aware there’s a fire. Why didn’t you run and get out of here?”
She grimaced, looking up at him with tear streaks down her sooty cheeks. “I tried, but I think I twisted my ankle when I got out of bed. I can’t put any weight on it. I was just starting to crawl to the window to call out when you got here.”
“I’m gonna pick you up and carry you, okay? I have to crouch down away from the smoke, so it might be awkward. Hold on tightly and don’t let go.”
She looked at him with adoration in her eyes that made him uncomfortable. “I’ll never let go, Luke.”
Taking a breath, he ignored her words and stooped down, easing her into his arms. Keeping low while carrying her was awkward, but she was human. Inhaling smoke wouldn’t do much to him, because his shifter healing would kick in and take care of any damage quickly, but she didn’t have that advantage. It would be a lot worse for her.
As he carried her through the hallway and then down the stairs, his mind raced. He’d thought he’d made his lack of interest in her clear, but she obviously wasn’t really getting it. He hated to hurt her feelings, but he wasn’t sure it could be avoided at that point. He was going to have to explain to her that it wasn’t going to happen. It never was, but now that he found Tarun, it definitely wouldn’t.
They finally reached the outside, and he walked to a rock some distance away and sat her down. The Enforcers were fighting the fire as best they could as they waited for the fire department to show up. He glanced around, looking for Tarun, his heart in his throat until he saw her standing with Damara.
Assured she was fine, he joined the others in fighting the fire. By the time the fire department showed up and left, the fire out, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to hold his mate close.
He was about to do just that when Blake approached him, looking even wearier than he felt. “I just did a walk through. The bar and restaurant are fine, as are most of the bedrooms, although they’ll need a thorough cleaning.”
“That’s good, though. I’m glad the whole clubhouse wasn’t destroyed.”
