Page 149 of The Ruthless Note

It’s Cadence. I'd know those long legs from a mile away.

I grab her arm. “Come on!”

This close to the fire, the smoke is unbearable. I can’t even see my own feet in front of me.

To my annoyance, Cadey digs her heels in. She shakes her head intently. “I can’t!”

“What the hell, Brahms? You want to stick around and watch this place burn?”

Thankfully, there’s no visible flames chewing at the door, but that doesn’t mean I want to be around when or if it happens.

“What if Serena is still in here?” She coughs.

“I’ve looked in every classroom so far. She’s not in here.”

Brahms still tries to resist me.Stubborn as hell.

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lift her off the ground and secure her against my chest.

“We need to leave now!”

She smacks my arms and fights to be free. “Dutch, I can’t leave my friend.”

I stare down at her. Even in a freaking fire she has to be hard-headed.

In the middle of our low-visibility staredown, an explosion booms from the music room next door. The impact shatters the windows in the room we’re standing in.

Cadey screams.

I drag her down to the floor and cover her with my back to keep any of the glass shards from falling on her.

The tiny missiles shower my head. They tear through my soft white shirt and sting my back, but I grit my teeth and bear it.

The fire’s starting to creep down the hallway now, spreading from the music room to the rest of the classes on this floor.

Brahms is coughing so hard she’s going to hack out a lung.

“We’re leaving,” I growl at her.

Crawling to my hands and knees and then my feet, I reach out to her. She hesitates before grabbing my hand. Together, we race out of the building.

More people are outside, lining up around the front door. Their faces are all pinched in concern.

Cadey runs to the nearest security guard. “Excuse me, sir. Did you see another girl around this high with dark hair.” She lifts a hand. “She’s probably wearing a PE uniform and has dark eye makeup.”

“I haven’t seen her.” He glances over his shoulder. “Bart, did you see another student leave?”

“Yeah!” Bart yells.

Cadey’s eyes widen. “When?”

“Much earlier. I thought she was the only one inside, she was running so quick.”

Brahms’ knees go weak and she stumbles. I’m there in an instant, my hands gripping her shoulders.

“See?” I murmur against her hair. “She’s fine.”

Cadey melts against me in relief. I hold her close and steer her away from the front door. When I’m satisfied that we’re out of range for any more explosions, I slow down.