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I can hear someone screaming too.
I don’t know what’s going on, but I need to get to my bakerygoddammit!
Something latches around my front, and I fight the piece of material holding me restrained. My eyes drop to my lap, and I realize I’m buckled in a car. I think it's Pebbles’s car.
Yes, and Pebbles is sobbing next to me.
If she’s crying, who is screaming?
Pain radiates through my throat, and I realize it’s me. I’m screaming.
The car eventually stops moving, and I’m frozen in place as I see my baby engulfed in flames across the street.
I can’t pull my eyes away. Tears threaten to blur my vision, but I refuse to let them mar the view of my livelihood as I watch it burn. Tall, thick flames and black smoke consume the building.
My bakery had been my dream since I was a little girl. I used to tell my nana all about it. I made it exactly the way we talked about it. She never lived to see it, but it didn’t matter because it was the exact image we both had. I did it for her.
For us.
The car door in front of me opens, and I wish it wouldn’t have. The smell of burning lumber fills my lungs as emotion equally fills my throat.
Ringer’s body blocks my view of the burning building, and I want to scream at him to fucking move. I need to watch.
I force myself out of the car and push him out of my way. I round the car and drop my ass to the curb across the street as I watch all of the firefighters and cops surround the building. I can see everyone from the other businesses on the sidewalk out of the corner of my eye, but I refuse to look away from the flames.
Ringer presses a kiss to my head before jogging over to where Tank and Flame have a sobbing Pebbles secured.
Why was she running towards the fire?
Why would she do that?
At Pebbless’ agonizing scream of Trigger’s real name, I’m pulled out of my daze.
Shit! Trigger was supposed to be at the bakery.
Fuck!Is he in there?
I can’t force myself to get up. My legs won’t listen.
Ringer heads back towards me and drops down next to me. “It’s going to be okay, Princess.”
“I know,” I whisper. “They are just things.”
“Trigger was taken to the hospital. Shaye and Eddy said he was burned up in a couple of spots pretty badly. He was awake when they took him.”
“What happened?” The sob that has been sitting in my throat, waiting to escape, pushes out as I look up at Ringer’s forlorn face.
“I don’t know, babe. But we’re going to figure it out.” He pulls me into his body and holds me as I silently cry over the destruction in front of me.
“We’re going to take Pebbles up to the hospital to see what the fuck is going on. You stay here with her. The cops and fire marshall need to talk to Lilah,” Flame’s deep voice breaks through the fog I’m in.
Ringer’s arm tightens around me. “I’ve got her. Let me know what’s going on with Trig as soon as you find out.”
“Got it. Open lines at all times, brother,” Flame calls out behind him as he helps Pebbles back into her car.
We sit on the curb for what feels like hours as the fire is controlled and put out. Eventually, Shaye and Eddy from Flame’s tattoo shop, as well as a few people from the diner, make their way toward us. We all sit in agonizing silence, waiting for the all-clear.
It’s determined that the bakery is the only business to sustain damage, so everyone else eventually goes about their business while Ringer and I wait to talk to the cops.
