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Chapter 20
Cade heard what sounded like a gunshot coming from the high school. He was working on aligning the front end of a Chevy truck and whirled around at the unexpectedness of it. What he saw made the oxygen freeze in his lungs.
Flames leaped from one of the vehicles in the school parking lot.
To his horror, he saw Hope racing after a teenage boy as the kid barreled straight toward the burning car. Hope was mere inches behind him, placing herself in imminent danger. He couldn’t let that happen. With a force stronger than his will or any fear for himself, Cade tossed aside the wrench in his hand as he took off after her. His heart pumped like a race car piston with the terror of what could happen if the car exploded.
As he hurled himself across the street, his legs moving faster than he thought possible, he saw another teenager, a girl this time, following both Hope and the guy. The boy quickly removed his jacket and started beating at the flames. His efforts were futile and put him and Hope at even greater risk.
Anyone could see it was useless, but that didn’t stop him. Nor did it deter Hope, who was desperately trying to drag the teenager away from the burning vehicle.
Terrified the fire would reach the gas tank and explode, killing Hope and the two students, Cade rushed as fast as he could, despite the pain in his leg. No matter the potential cost to him, he refused to let harm come to Hope. Images of his friends burning on the ground flashed through his mind. Not again. Never again. He’d rather die himself than watch someone else he loved suffer a horrible death.
Fire engines screamed in the distance as he reached Hope. Frantic now, he grabbed her around the waist and hauled her back. She stumbled and nearly fell in her struggle to escape him before she realized it was him.
“Get Spencer,” she screamed. “Get him away from the fire.”
Even before she finished speaking, Cade grabbed hold of the boy, dragging him away from the burning vehicle.
By that time, two of the other mechanics from the garage had joined him, and several of the high school staff had stepped outside of the building. They stood back, helpless to do anything but watch the scene unfold before them.
Safely away from his car, Spencer sank onto the pavement and buried his face in his hands. Callie stood over him with tears glistening in her eyes.
Looking to Hope, Cade was frantic to make sure she hadn’t been hurt. He ran his hands over her face and down her arms as if to check for any injuries, needing the assurance that she was okay. “Were you burned?” he demanded to know.
“I…I don’t think so.”
“You should never have gotten that close to the fire.”
“But Spencer…I needed to get to him.”
“I know…I know.” Cade stepped back and braced his hands on his knees and paused to catch his breath. His lungs burned from the effort it’d taken to reach Hope and the fear that had all but consumed him.
“You okay?” one of his coworkers asked, coming to stand at his side.
It was all Cade could do to nod. His entire body was trembling, not as much from the exertion, but the memory of another vehicle on fire in another place and time.
“I’m fine,” he finally managed.
He’d opened up a little with his coworkers, Jason and Boyd, over the last few weeks, eating lunch with them and shooting the breeze. Since his split with Hope, he’d taken to eating in his truck or making an excuse to drive off to collect his meal from McDonald’s. He wasn’t in the mood to be friendly, and rather than alienate Jason and Boyd, he’d avoided them.
The fire truck arrived, forcing them all to move back toward the building so the firemen could work. The bell rang, dismissing classes. The students poured out of the building. Most stood around and stared at the scene, talking among themselves.
With the fire truck there, the entire area around the school was in chaos. Smoke and fire billowed upward, clouding the sky, and the scent of burning leather lingered in the air. The firemen quickly put out the flames; all that remained was the thick water hose snaking from the truck and the smoking cavernous vehicle with the blackened interior. The fire chief broke away to speak to one of the school officials.
More sirens blared in the distance as law enforcement rushed to the scene. Several students had their phones out, filming the event: no doubt to post on social media.
They’d had a lucky escape. Cade had so much he wanted to say to Hope. She stood by the two students and he reached for her, pressing her against his dirty coveralls and his hurting heart. Pinned against his chest, she lifted her face to his, her eyes full of questions.
Rooted in the spot, Cade couldn’t have let her go had it meant life or death. He was starving for the sight of her. His need was so great, he remained frozen in place. Silently he pleaded, begging her to look away, to release him. In the same breath, he prayed she’d never let him go.
With her gaze holding his captive, she gave him a gentle smile.
“Hey,” she said, her voice husky as she broke contact and stepped back.
Her actions shook him.
For more than ten days he’d been fighting, angry with life, the world, and mostly himself. He’d been in a battle he knew he was destined to lose. His pride was all that had kept them apart. But pride was lonely and unrelenting in its demands, never comforting.
