Page 7 of Burn

I sit up against the headboard; my brows push together.

That’s really weird.

“What is it, babe?”

Dave mumbles sleepily as I rub his back.

“Nothing. Scam caller.”

He grunts, and within a minute, he’s breathing deeply again.

I, however, am now wide awake. A cold weight settles in my gut. This isn’t just a scam call.

Something isn’t right.

I stand, unplug my phone, and head downstairs to make a coffee. I’m awake now. I’m leaning against the counter, rubbing my eyes, when my phone lights up again.

Blocked Number

I sigh and swipe to answer.

“Hello?”

There is a short pause before a woman speaks.

“Is this Lane Montedoro?”

The formality of it makes my heart drop.

Something is wrong.

I clear my throat.

“This is she…”

“I’m calling from Torhaven Mercy Hospital,” The woman says calmly and clearly. “This evening, we had Alexandria Donnelly brought in, and you’re listed as her emergency contact.”

The world shifts, and I reach behind to stabilize myself on the countertop. At the same time, the coffee machine kicks on, and a loud whirring sound fills the room.

“Yes…”

My voice is barely above a whisper.

“Do you know, Ms. Donnelly?”

“Yes,”

What the fuck happened?

“Alright. Well, Ms. Donnelly was in a fire at her apartment overnight. Are you able to come in?”

A cold sweat breaks over me as my pulse thrums in my ears. I slowly lower myself onto the cold tile floor, pressing my back into the cabinets.

Oh, my god.

“Is she okay?”

There is a pause. A pause so long that I know it isn’t good. Something terrible happened to her.