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Chris met my gaze in the rearview mirror, concerned.
“I’m not able to reach Henry,” Chloe blurted out between breaths.
“Okay, we’ll find him,” I said, telling myself that this situation wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it was.
“I saw it on the news twenty minutes ago. There’s a fire in his college. And I’m afraid Henry is trapped—because why else wouldn’t he answer his phone? His wheelchair can’t make it if the elevators are shut down?—”
“Where are you? Shall I send a cab for you?”
“I’m on my way to his college, but I’m stuck in traffic. I just need to hear from him. It’ll be forty-five minutes before I reach the college.”
“What’s the name of his college?” I asked.
Chloe gave me the name, and I hung up soon after, giving Chris instructions to drive us to the college. In the meantime, I remembered that I knew someone on the college's Board of Trustees—one of my business partners, Desmond McKinley—and made a quick call. Ten minutes later, I got an update from Desmond.
“It’s a fire,” he said. “So far, no one’s been harmed, but they’re evacuating the entire campus while they battle it. They’re searching for the young man right now—Henry Nichols, is it?”
“Yes,” I said, feeling worried. “I hope he’s okay. His sister hasn’t been able to reach him.”
“Understandable since he is in a wheelchair and has possibly lost access to his phone. I’m disappointed in the college that they wouldn’t prioritize taking care of him first. I’ll speak to the dean about it once I hear back about Henry.”
“Tell them to call Chloe,” I said. “I’ll give you her number if needed, but she’s the one who needs to hear the news first.”
There was an interesting grunt from Desmond, and he agreed. “I’ll need to hear more about this sibling duo from you later.”
Thanking him, I was about to call Chloe when I looked out the window and realized we’d reached the college campus.
Flames burned through the windows of the red five-story building, and smoke billowed in huge clouds from the top of the building. Firefighters fought the fire—battling both the heat and the flames.
I got out of the car, telling Chris to wait for me in the vicinity, when I noticed the slew of fire engines and paramedics on the road.
Hoping no one had gotten hurt, I looked around at the crowd of students who had taken shelter in the track across from the college. Camera crews rushed around, and young people were onphones, anxious looks on their faces as they spoke. To the side, I could see some people being treated.
Not a single sign of Henry.
I saw a yellow cab arrive, and from it emerged a trembling, shaking, tearstained woman.
My woman.
“Chloe,” I called, and she turned.
She had mascara running down her cheeks, and her hair was not brushed, but she was still beautiful. She fixed her bright blue eyes on me while I strode up to her.
“Sean.” She uttered my name like a plea for help, and when I reached her, I pulled her to me for a hug.
“They’ll find him,” I repeated, attempting to lighten my hold on her, but she stepped away. “It’ll be okay. I bet you’ll get an update soon.”
Chloe raced up to the cordoned-off area, and I followed while she tried to find someone who would listen to her, but the police officer ordered her to step back. She didn’t obey and seemed to be evaluating the strength of the yellow tape when she began coughing from the smoke.
I gently pulled her back. “He’s right, Chloe. We can’t have you running into the fire.”
When she didn’t speak, I tilted her chin up and saw tears streaming down her face. “I can’t have anything happen to him,” she said, sounding distraught.
“Hey,” I said, placing a kiss on her hair. I looked into her eyes. “He’s fine. I promise you.”
“You don’t know that,” she said.
Her lips were still pressed together tightly when she stepped back to look at the college. Her eyes were scouring the grounds, the building, and the windows, trying to see if she could spot Henry from down here.