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“So are you guys taking requests?” I asked, eyes turning from Kettle, to Torren, and back to Kettle.
He looked at me skeptically.
“As long as it isn’t any of that shit I heard rolling through your car when I’m the one following you around, we’ll be good.” Porter glared at her.
I laughed.
“Hey, I resent-”
Kettle’s pager went off. Followed by about half the men in the room. Cell phones started ringing. Alarms started sounding. Then all the men receiving those calls were standing.
“Here, baby. Will you put this away for me? I’m getting a call out. Hang here with Baylee. I’ll come back for you as soon as I can, okay?” Kettle said as he handed me his fiddle and started running away without even a backwards glance.
In short order, eight men out of the twenty nine members of the Benton Chapter, four from the fire department, and four cops, were hauling ass out of the door.
I knew it was something big. Something so big, that they needed every off duty cop and firefighter on the force there, and they needed them quickly.
I shuffled back to the table with Kettle’s fiddle in one hand and Blaise in the other, until I came to realize that Baylee was on the phone with someone, as was Silas and Dixie.
With no other option, I laid the instrument down on the table where there was a clean spot and went to the playpen in the corner that Baylee had set up when she’d arrived earlier in the day to cook and prepare.
The baby stirred slightly with the movement, but fell back to sleep promptly, allowing me to put the fiddle away and then started clearing the plates and trash.
I was a worrywart, and with nothing else left to do but that, I started cleaning to try to distract myself.
Minnie started helping as well and in no time, every single piece of trash and food was cleaned away, and we started guiding the men that were left to replace the furniture back to its previous position.
“Get him out! Get him out!” Silas yelled into his phone. “Don’t let him go into his place. Don’t let him. Take him out before he can get there...forget the motherfuckin’ snake! Don’t let him go in there.”
The sound of Silas’ voice sent shivers down my spine.
I knew they were talking about Kettle. How many snakes could there be in Benton? Certainly not many. And absolutely none that anybody would risk their life for.
“I’m not saying don’t send anybody in there. Just don’t let it be him. You do it. I think...” Silas said glancing in my direction. “I think the sister was in there when they doused it. I saw her go in and not come out when I went over the feed.”
I dropped the pretense of pretending to listen and walked slowly to the bar where he was sitting with his laptop open in front of him.
On the screen was a live video of what was happening.
From the location, they’d set up a camera on the light pole across the street from Kettle’s apartment.
Although the fire trucks were mostly obstructing my view, I could tell Kettle’s apartment, as well as the one directly above Kettle’s, was on fire. Something shooting out that much flame had to mean the place was toast.
“I’ve got eyes on the back, too. She didn’t come out.” Silas explained roughly.
Silas head dropped, and he ran his hand over the back of his neck.
“Trance, there’s no way she could be alive in that. I’m watching the feed as we speak. There’s no way.” Silas explained.
We both watched, for what felt like hours, as men worked to put the fire out.
At one point, one fire engine moved to allow another one to move in closer behind it, and my breath hissed out of my lungs at seeing the apartment just...gone. Right then they were attempting to save the apartment beside Kettle’s. They were trying to contain what was left of Kettle’s to keep it from spreading to any apartments beyond.
My heart sank.
“What happened?” I finally asked.
Silas hit a few buttons, and then suddenly I was watching the feed from about an hour before.
