AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Call 9-1-1,” Vaughn said as he threw the car into park before launching out the door. The fire consuming the tattoo shop was spilling out of the roof like some evil demon intent on swallowing the whole building.
People were fleeing the buildings on either side. Across the street, people had phones in their hands as screams erupted from inside. I called the emergency line.
“9-1-1, what is the nature of your emergency?”
“Fire, tattoo shop in the village. People need help. Trace the call.” I left the phone connected as I went to help. Vaughn had his shirt off as he tried to get the gating up. Above, a window opened, like the whole building sucked in a deep breath.
Then it belched fire like the dragon exhaling. Hot, still-burning debris rained down. Vaughn covered his head, but it didn’t save him from the fragments catching him in the head. He staggered, and I intercepted, dragging him away from it.
“Stay,” I said, before cutting across the street and into one of the still-open clubs. My ears were already ringing from the explosion and the shouting outside. The music inside was too loud and it just added to the ringing. The bouncer tried to stop me, but I caught his thumb and twisted. The guy went down and I quickly shoved him away.
There was a glass in case of a fire break that I’d shattered with my elbow. I pivoted to head back out with a fire extinguisher in one hand and an axe in the other. This time, the bouncer just raised his hands and backed off. He stopped the second guy coming to intercept me, too.
The screams were even louder when I got out there with sirens slicing through the night in the distance. Vaughn had already staggered back to the gate and dragged it up.
“Catch,” I said, and waited for him to face me before I tossed him the extinguisher. “Move.”
After adjusting my grip on the axe, I swung. It took three hits to knock the lock off the door. It pushed out but jammed again. Shoving the axe into the small opening, I wedged it open farther. Flames licked out to get to us, and Vaughn sprayed them with a fire extinguisher.
“The sprinklers aren’t turning on,” Vaughn said as we got the door dragged wider. Smoke bellowed out. The air tasted of heat, burnt flesh, and chemicals. The scent retched. A body was on the floor just inside. “Get her out,” he ordered, taking the axe.
I hauled her up and out. The feel of her pulse was barely there, although she was still breathing when I got her to the concrete. Patrol cars, fire engines, and more pulled up. I didn’t look at them as I went back for Vaughn.
He was farther inside. Flames spilled over counters and furniture, flowing like liquid. The walls were blackened, scorched from the blaze. The heat was unbearable. When I came across another, I hauled and carried them out.
Firefighters were going in now. I followed, even as the cops and other firefighters tried to protest. A hiss and gasp from above preceded the first frazzled spit of water from the sprinklers. More followed. The drops sizzled as they hit the ground. The water, like the air, was hot.
Didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. No, as long as Vaughn was in that building—I would be too.
Freddie
“Was tonight weird for you?”It had been the first question I asked when Jasper and I were in the car.
“No,” he said, lighting a cigarette after he started the car. “Put your seatbelt on.”
“It wasn’t?” I dragged the seatbelt over and clicked it into place.
“Nope,” Jasper said, lowering the window to let the cooler air in as he blew out a stream of smoke. It was much nicer out here, even with the chillier weather. “You looked like you were having fun.”
“I was—I mean, I did have fun. Still having it. Just—”
“It was weird?” Jasper checked as he pulled out of the private lot and then over to the side to wait for Liam and Boo-Boo.
“Yes,” I said. “And no. Boo-Boo looked so fucking good. And she was happy. She looked happy to you, right?”
My knee was bouncing, but Jasper didn’t comment on that. “She was happy, Freddie.” He bumped my shoulder. “Take a breath. She’s doing okay.”
Happiness had wreathed her, filling her smile with magic and her eyes with confidence. The transformation had been…I laughed. “She really is kind of a swan, coming into herself.”
“Not that she was ever an ugly duckling,” Jasper retorted with an amused smile.
“No, never.” Leg bouncing, I twisted back to see Liam’s headlights come on. Probably making out with Boo-Boo. Lucky bastard. It made Boo-Boo happy. We were all gonna make her… “Jas?”
“Yep?” He cut a glance at me as they passed us, then accelerated out to follow. We were sticking with Liam and Boo-Boo as escorts.
“She told you.” It wasn’t a question. We hadn’t talked about it directly. I hadn’t discussed it with any of them, not straight out. I’d spoken around it, yet never said anything about what she told me.
Confession had been for us, and I’d take it to my grave for her. But…
