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She nodded, words tumbling out. “Someone tossed a firebomb in through the window and locked us in.” Then she doubled over in a fit of coughing.
She felt Gabe’s hand on her back.
After a minute, she regained control and straightened up. They stood there in the courtyard staring at one another, until something in the burning apartment popped, and Gabe looked away, letting go of her arm.
“This whole place will go up.” He said to Danni, “I’ve got to get people out.”
“Natasha!” Danni, throat raw, exclaimed when she remembered her friend, pointing toward her apartment.
Gabe checked his watch. “She should still be at work. I’ll check.”
“Go.”
Gabe sprinted toward Natasha’s apartment.
Danni and Matt moved farther away from the fire as both hacked and coughed from breathing too much of the acrid smoke in the apartment. Minutes passed before she began to feel better.
“Need water, Danni?”
On one knee, she looked up to see Jess Ramos bending down. He handed her a bottle of water and knelt down, concerned expression on his face. She drank some water, then passed the bottle to Matt.
“What are you doing here?” she rasped.
“I was having lunch with Estes down the street, best taco truck in town. We heard the call on the scanner, thought we’d come see if we could help since we were so close. Both of us know this place has a lot of security bars.” He looked up. “I’ve got to go help Estes and Fox evacuate people. Don’t know what’s taking fire so long.”
He jumped up and hurried off, taking control as he’d been trained, Danni thought.
Danni took a moment to look over Matt. It seemed to her he’d really injured his shoulder.
Her gaze traveled around the plaza. Gabe and Estes were getting people out, and bewildered apartment residents were beginning to mill around. The fire had moved quickly from apartment6. Thick smoke poured from the windows and every so often she could see leaping flames. They’d gotten out just in time. She could see Gabe and Estes above the flames, on the second level, knocking on doors.
Gabe had just saved her life. Danni digested that fact and realized she still loved Gabe. He was her white knight. She’d worked so hard telling herself her dispassionate apology solved all the issues between them, and it just wasn’t the truth. In spite of the time apart and the acrimony of their divorce, she knew why she’d said yes to his proposal in the first place. He was selfless and brave, the only man for her. Had she come to the realization too late?
Strength and breath returning, Danni stood. She’d called 911 and expected to hear sirens by now. She wondered, like Jess, what was taking them so long.
She turned to Matt, who was taking another swig of water. “You okay?”
He nodded. “My shoulder’s not, but I am.”
She saw a couple of people wrestling with a garden hose. One man leaned on a cane and he didn’t look very stable on his feet.
“I’m going to try and find some way to help.”
Matt waved his good arm and she hurried to help the people with the hose. When she reached them, she recognized Natasha, looking as if she’d just gotten off work.
“Tasha, can I help?”
Frowning, then relaxing when she recognized Danni, Natasha nodded. “Please, Danni. Mr. Curtis and I are trying to untangle the hose to start spraying some water. What happened?”
Danni grabbed some of the hose, pulling loose a big knot. “Long story.”
She recognized Mr. Curtis as Natasha’s neighbor and remembered he only had one leg; he was unsteady on his prosthesis. He freed the last knot and then turned on the water. Natasha had to steady him when he almost lost his balance. Danni and Natasha pulled the hose across the courtyard and sprayed a thin stream of water on the fire. Danni saw Estes and Gabe ushering people down the stairs while Jess was still pounding on doors. The fire continued its rapid spread, raging up as fire was wont to do. The apartment above 6 was fully involved and in a few seconds the apartment next to it would be too.
Matt came over and tried to help, but Danni could tell his shoulder pained him.
Then Gabe stepped in. “You guys help move people back, away from the flames. I’ll handle the hose.”
Danni and Natasha did as he asked. Estes and Ramos joined them.
“Everyone is out,” Estes said.
“Are you sure?” Natasha asked. “Mrs. Green in apartment 8 is confined to a wheelchair. I don’t see her out here.”
“No one answered there,” Ramos said. “I’ll go back and force the door.”
He and Estes jogged for the apartment. Danni guessed they had barely a minute before the fire spread farther. As she watched Gabe try in vain to put a dent in the fire with a garden hose, she finally heard sirens, the sound of approaching fire trucks.
Fire pulled up as Estes and Ramos forced apartment 8 open. Ramos went in first, followed shortly by Estes. Both came out amoment later, pushing an elderly woman in a wheelchair.
