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“Don’t leave the loincloth behind.”
“We’re gonna need to put our jackets on to get home,” Ty says.
“But after you have some fun, right?” Dax teases. “Get back to Frat Cat, and we’ll see you at the after-party. But don’t wait for me. I plan on having a good time.” He gives that signature Dax wink before slipping back into the crowd.
Ty and I say our goodbyes to the guys, then hop in the car, and I drive us back to his frat. As I pull up to fraternity row, I notice bright blue lights flashing from inside Sigma Alpha. Tension rises in me as we get closer and hear the alarm blaring inside.
“What the hell is this?” I ask.
“The fire alarm. Jaxon stayed in to study.” I can hear the worry in Ty’s voice. “But he’s not out here.”
“You think someone from one of the other frats might’ve pulled it?”
“Kind of a dumb prank if no one’s around to suffer.”
Good point.
He pulls out his phone and calls Jaxon, but it goes to voice mail. He grunts. “Fuck.”
“Okay. We should grab Frat Cat and his meds and check on Jaxon.” Ty nods, but I can read the concern all over his face, so I rest my hand on his thigh. “Hey, we got this. Everything will be okay.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
We get out of the car and jog to the house.
“Maybe we shouldn’t split up,” he says.
“We need to check for Jaxon, get Frat Cat, and get the fuck out of here as fast as we can.”
“Just be quick, and don’t be a hero,” Ty says, taking a kiss before we start up the stairs.
Dax’s room is one floor above Jaxon’s, so I head up, noticing a funny smell—chemical almost, and maybe a bit like rubber. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and when I reach the top of the stairs, I see gray smoke at the end of the hall, creeping toward Dax’s room.
Holy fuck.
There’s a voice in my head telling me to get the fuck out of here, followed by Ty’s,“Don’t be a hero.”But I imagine Frat Cat in Dax’s room, frightened as the smoke creeps around him. If we leave, the fire department won’t be able to get to him in time. If there’s something I can do, I need to do it.
“Ty! Ty!” I call out as I dash for the room, scanning Dax’s key card. I doubt Ty heard me, though, and besides, he needs to get Jaxon the hell out of here.
As soon as I open the door, I see smoke everywhere. Must’ve seeped in through a vent. I fear I might already be too late as I hurry in, barely thinking straight, just in a panic, searching for our sick cat.
“Frat Cat,” I call. “Come on. Uncle Lance is here.”
There’s not as much smoke in the room as in the hall, but it’s enough to make me cough as I search around frantically, squatting down and searching under the bed before discovering him tucked in the corner. Poor guy.
“Come on. I got you, little fella.” My coughing intensifies. “We gotta get out of here. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to do this.” He doesn’t budge, so I crawl under and pull him to me.
As soon as I’m out from under the bed, I notice the room’s now filled with smoke, stinging my eyes. I blink, intending to open them again, but my eyes are too irritated. Fuck. This was a really shitty idea, but I can’t regret coming in to save Frat Cat.
“Holy shit!” I hear Ty say in the hallway as I tuck Frat Cat under my shirt, hoping it’ll provide a barrier between him and the smoke.
I hear a cough, and then Ty’s, “Lance? Lance!”
“I’m here!” I call back. “I can’t see.”
It’s not long before we’re both coughing, and I push to my feet, moving toward where I think the door is, trying to keep my shirt over my nose so I won’t breathe in too much of the smoke. But I can tell there’s still plenty getting in.
“I’ve got you! I’ve got you, Lance. Follow my voice.”