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Creases of concern form on his forehead. “Do I keep you awake?”
“Not at all. I’m not usually asleep myself,” I tell him.
Ten minutes later, I hear Debbie’s van in the driveway. I fling the front door open and wave at Debbie. As I watch Isaac sprint from the car to the house, fear grips me. We cannot lose the custody case. We would be nothing without him. Isaac makes us a family. Without him, we’d be lost. Please God, don’t let them take away Isaac from us. He throws himself into my arms, and I hold him tight.
“You’re hugging too tight, Mila,” he says while wiggling to get out of my grip.
“Sorry, buddy. Is it my fault that I missed you so much?” I ask him.
He giggles and enters the house.
“Who is home first today?” Brad says and lifts Isaac to him.
“Dad! You’re home early,” Isaac says. “I’m hungry,” he continues without breaking a beat.
“Come on; we’ll get you something to eat.”
I stand and watch my boys walk hand in hand to the kitchen. Brad explains to Isaac about the change in shifts.
“Does it bother you that I won’t be here tonight?” Brad asks.
Isaac shakes his head. “No Dad, I’m fine. Mila will be with me, won’t you, Mila?”
Tears fill my eyes. I nod. “Of course, I will.”
My throat closes up. Luckily the boys continue with their conversation. I’m glad because I cannot manage a single word.
Chapter 39
Brad
It has been so long since I’ve done a night shift. The night drags. I keep glancing at the time. I manage to catch a two-hour nap. I glance at my watch one more time as I’m playing poker with the boys. Six. Just an hour to go, and I’ll be home. I’ll have enough time to shower and drop Isaac at school. Then Mila and I can get ready to go to court. The fire station alert bell goes off, and we all let out a groan. Nothing pisses us off more than a call out just when a shift is about to end.
Still, we jump to our feet as more details emerge. There’s a house on fire, and there are occupants in it. We get ready, and in minutes, I’m in a fire truck headed to the burning house. The address of the burning house comes through the radio. My blood freezes. I must have heard wrong.
“Fuck,” someone says.
“That’s my house,” I manage to yell. “Step on it!”
The truck is not going fast enough. Please, God. No, please. Nobody speaks as the truck races toward my home.
I see it then when the truck enters my street. Thick grey smoke has engulfed the whole house. I get off the truck before it comes to a complete stop. My pulse jacks. I run up to the steps of the porch. Voices shout behind me. I hear none of them. Isaac. Mila. Please, God. Help them be safe.
Hands grip each side of my arms. My team. Someone grips the door and pushes it open.
“Mila!” I shout through my gas mask. Behind us, men with hoses aim at the flames in the kitchen. I think quickly. “I’ll go through the back.”
I race out of the house, down the porch, and go around. Men with hoses water down the house from every angle. I see them as soon as I reach the back. Isaac’s terrified eyes peering through a window too small for him to squeeze through.
“Dad!” he shouts. He looks away. “Dad’s here.” His voice is loud above the hiss of the fire.
Two planks of wood are nailed across the door like a cross. That’s the reason the door won’t budge, and they can’t get out. One of the guys hands me an ax, and I go at the planks nailed to the door like a madman. It feels like a lifetime before we break them and the door bursts open.
I grab Isaac and Mila. “Are you hurt?” I ask as I hurry them away from the burning house.
Mila is crying. “I saw him. It was Clay.”
My blood goes cold.
***
Somehow, we manage to make it to court with minutes to spare. There’s no time to change into clean clothes, and Brenda snickers at us as we enter the courtroom. We stink of smoke, and our clothes are caked with soot and ash. I keep Mila’s hand in mine. I’m still shaking. I came so close to losing Mila and Isaac. It wouldn’t have taken long for the smoke to overwhelm them. I can’t think about that now. All I know is that I can’t ever take another night shift. I have to be there to protect them, even though Mila’s ex won’t be free for a long time.
It didn’t take long to get him. He was hanging around waiting to verify that his plan had worked. His intention was to kill Mila. He’d kept shouting through the window that if he couldn’t have her, no one would.
