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Night, Red.
I dropped my phone onto the bed next to my hip and stared at the ceiling. My mind was a whirl of thoughts, but I couldn’t concentrate on any of them. I was so tired, but I needed to wash the smell of fryer oil off my skin and out of my hair. I told myself I would rest for another minute and then take a shower. Just one more minute...
A strange smell woke me a while later.
Confused, I sat up and stared at my closed bedroom door. Was I imagining it or was that smoke?
Smoke!
“Shit!” I jumped out of bed, grabbed my phone, shoved it into my hoodie pocket and darted out of my room. As soon as I opened the door, I not only smelled smoke but I saw it. A quick glance downstairs, and I could see the orange glow of flames. “Oh my God! Janie! Wake up! The house is on fire!”
I rushed into the bedroom that Colt and Hannah shared and turned on the light. “Get up! The house is on fire!”
They both grumbled and whined, but neither did much moving.
“Colt! Hannah! Get up! Now!”
“Go away,” Colt whined and rolled over.
Bewildered by their behavior, I sprang into action and dragged Colt out of bed. At eight years old, he was heavy. Maybe sixty pounds. The adrenaline raging through my bloodstream left me feeling like the Hulk as I picked him up and sprinted down the hall and then the stairs. Smoke burned my eyes as I hauled him out of the house and down the sidewalk to a safe distance.
I didn’t even hesitate. I ran straight back into the house and right back upstairs to Hannah. I found her sitting up in bed, crying and coughing. “Come here! Hannah! Come here!”
She crawled toward me, and I swept her off the top bunk. She was much lighter than Colt, and she was able to walk. Even so, I picked her up and made the same trip out to the sidewalk. I placed her next to Colt and commanded, “Stay here!”
As I ran back to the house for Janie and Daisy, I realized I hadn’t called 911 yet. I nearly dropped my phone trying to pull it out of my hoodie. I dialed quickly, my fingers shaking, and raced back into the house. The smoke was thick now, black and caustic. I covered my nose and mouth with my arm and ran upstairs.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
“Our house is on fire!” I coughed and rattled off our address. “Please hurry! It’s spreading! Janie!” I screamed. “Get up! The house is on fire! Get up!”
The dispatcher continued talking, but I couldn’t speak to her and get Janie and Daisy. I jammed my phone into my pocket, rushed to the crib and scooped up Daisy who had started to cry. I covered her with a blanket and hurried to Janie who had finally struggled to her feet. She wobbled, and I worried she was going to collapse.
“Come on, Janie!” I grabbed her arm and led her out of the room. She stumbled along beside me, and I decided to go down the stairs first. I tugged her after me, keeping a tight hold on Daisy with the other hand. “Hurry!”
By now, the kitchen was fully engulfed in flames. The heat of the fire was terrifying on my skin. My eyes watered, and my lungs burned. The door. We just had to get to the door.
When we burst into the night, I inhaled a blessedly clean breath of air. The drizzle had started again, and the cold drops of rain felt so good on my hot skin. I pulled Janie with me to the sidewalk where Colt and Hannah sat, both of them crying and coughing. Daisy wailed into my ear, and Janie stood speechless and shocked, staring as flames shot out of the living room windows.
As for me, I swallowed down my fear and the urge to cry. My whole life was burning to ashes in front of me, and I had no idea how we would ever recover.
And, somewhere, in the back of my mind, I knew that this was no accident. Something terrible had happened here tonight, and we were all in danger.
Chapter Two
Nine Weeks Later
With a slight groan, Danila Cherevin stretched his aching back and legs. Fourteen hours in a cramped economy seat! The next time he saw Ilya, he was going to kick him right in the ass for being so cheap with this return flight.
Moira, the old woman who had been sitting next to him on the flight, glanced at the overhead bins. She had a stooped back and skinny arms like a bird. He'd put her bag up before takeoff, and there was no way she was getting it out on her own.
“I’ll get it for you, Moira.”
“You’re such a sweet boy, Danny.” She smiled up at him in that grandmotherly way.
He bit back a laugh at her compliment. He was the farthest thing from it.
Once they were off the plane, he and Moira made the trip to baggage claim together. He handed Moira her bag. “It was nice crossing the Atlantic with you.”
