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“Is everyone out?”
“Yes. An ambulance is coming to check them over.”
“Okay. I’m on my way.” She hung up, her heart pounding as she dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, then headed for the door. She paused just long enough to make sure she had her warmest jacket, mitts, and boots, knowing she was going to be out in the cold.
As she walked into the garage, she called Hudson in case he wasn’t aware of what was going on. Chances were that the fire alarm hadn’t gone off in the hotel if the fire was at one of the cabins, which were a short distance away from the main buildings.
“Kayleigh? What’s wrong?” He sounded like she’d woken him, which reinforced her assumption that the alarm hadn’t gone off in the hotel.
She hit the button to open the garage door, then headed around to the driver’s side of her car. “There’s a fire at one of the cabins.”
“Are you kidding?”
Kayleigh heard muttering as she started up her car and backed out. “I’m on my way to the resort. Gary, the night manager, said he’s called 911, so hopefully they’re on their way already.”
“This is crazy.”
Was it crazy? Or was it just a continuation of what had already happened? If it was, the escalation was crazy. To go from theft to restaurant sabotage to fire.
“Is the cabin rented?” Hudson asked.
“Yes. All the cabins are rented through Monday.” It was something she’d been trying not to focus on because there was nothing she could do about it. “Gary is aware of the reservation status of each of them, so he’ll make sure the guests are accounted for.”
“I’m heading down there now,” Hudson said.
“I’ll be there shortly.” Kayleigh didn’t want to hang up, but she needed to focus on the road.
As she drove, she prayed that the situation wasn’t as bad as her mind was imagining it to be. They’d had a fire at the resort before, back when she’d been a teen, bussing tables at the restaurant.
That time, it had been because of a guest’s poor handling of a fire in the fireplace of their cabin. Being that the alternative was arson, Kayleigh hoped that it was maybe something similar this time.
Although, regardless, it was going to be a traumatizing experience for all involved.
Her heart rate hadn’t settled at all by the time she pulled into the resort. She could see the flashing lights of the fire engines and an ambulance further down where the cabins were located.
Rather than park in the underground lot, she stopped her car under the porte cochere at the entrance of the hotel. No one would tow her car since everyone who worked in the security department knew her plate number and the make and model of her car.
She jogged toward the fire engines, sticking to the side of the road so she wasn’t in the way of any vehicles moving around the resort. It was a good thing that their maintenance department made sure that all the roads within the resort were cleared properly during winter.
As she neared the cluster of vehicles and people, the reality of the burning building smacked her in the face. Her steps slowed as she stared at the tragic tableau.
The weight of everything she was responsible for pressed down on Kayleigh, and for a moment, she struggled to draw the cold night air into her lungs.
She felt like she couldn’t keep going. She couldn’t be what everyone needed. She just wasn’t capable.
Kayleigh bent over, hands gripping her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
She had to pull herself together, because even if she thought she wasn’t capable of handling everything, she still had to. She had to figure out a way to deal with it, or she was going to lose everything she’d worked for.
“Kayleigh?” Hudson’s voice alerted her to his presence a moment before his hand landed lightly on her back.
She took a deep breath before she straightened, pulling on strength she didn’t know she had to face him. “How is it?”
“It could definitely be worse,” Hudson said. “Everyone got out, so there are no casualties.”
“Was anyone hurt?”
“A couple appear to have a bit of smoke inhalation, but it doesn’t seem to be serious enough to warrant an immediate trip to the hospital.”
