Page 2

They’d both smelled smoke coming from the other side of the door, only when they’d walked through the area to get to her office, there had been no indication of a fire or anyone about to start one.

What the heck was going on?

Right as Jake’s hand reached out to grab her door handle, the shrill sound of the fire alarm began to shriek through the building.

There was no doubt about it, there was definitely a fire out there.

Faulty wiring or something?

No.

That couldn’t be it.

She’d only just had an inspection of the building done to ensure everything was in tiptop working condition, and that had included the entire electrical system.

“Open the door, Jake,” she said urgently when he didn't fling it open so they could figure out what was going on and get out.

“Can't.”

The simple word shot like an arrow of fear straight through her chest, sending icy tentacles throughout her body.

“Wh-what do y-you mean?” she asked, her voice shaking as her entire body trembled.

It wasn't like she couldn’t figure that out on her own.

What else could he mean?

Can't meant he couldn’t open the door, only neither of them had locked it when they came in. She hadn't thought it was necessary, and she was anxious to help her best friend carry the burdens that were clearly weighing heavily upon him.

“I mean, someone locked us in here and started a fire to kill us,” Jake said.

Kill them?

Wasn't that quite a leap?

There could be any number of reasons why the door wouldn't open, and while she had, of course, assumed someone must have started the fire, she hadn't been thinking deliberately. She’d assumed someone had burned something in the kitchen, it was only right next to her office, so it was the most logical conclusion.

Who would want to kill her?

Her gym was successful. They ran a fabulous in-person as well as online do-at-home sessions. They had a great reputation, a wonderful clientele, they catered to everyone, and people could choose how to use the spaces there. There was no reason that anyone should want to hurt her.

Then it dawned on her.

The men Jake had spoken about. The ones he was clearly afraid of, and she wasn't used to seeing Jake afraid of anything. He’d always been her big, strong protector.

Ever since she was four years old, and he’d come wiggling through a hole in their joined fences because he’d heard her crying.

That day, he’d made her feel special when he’d picked a dozen flowers from her garden and somehow managed to weave them into a crown.

When he’d placed it on her head and declared her the flower garden fairy queen, he’d forever earned himself a place in her heart.

Today, he hadn't brought smiles and peace into her world. It was the opposite in fact.

He’s brought danger right to her door.

Not that she blamed him. It wasn't his fault that someone had targeted his dad and stepmom, and he and his brothers deserved answers, they deserved the truth.

She just didn't want to die for them to get that truth.

It wasn't until she saw Jake putting his cell phone back in his pocket, then reaching out to clasp her shoulders, giving her a gentle shake, that Alannah realized she’d been panicking.

Now that she did realize it, she found her breath was sawing in and out of her chest, and the trembling in her limbs had morphed to full-on violent shaking.

“Come on, sunshine, stick with me,” Jake soothed in a voice she rarely heard him use.

He was her best friend, but he’d come by the nickname grumpy honestly.

His face always looked like it was scowling, although she knew, in fact, he wasn't actually frowning at anything, and he had a gruff, no-nonsense way of speaking.

Usually.

But not today.

“I know you're scared, Alannah, trust me, I'm terrified having you in here with me, but I will get you out, I swear.”

“H-how?” she managed to force the word out past her chattering teeth.

“I’ll figure something out, but I need you to trust me, okay? I need you to calm your breathing down. Can you do that for me?”

It wasn't really a matter of if she could or not.

She had to.

If she wanted to live, she had to help Jake, not work against him by becoming dead weight.

Dragging in a shaky breath, she nodded. When he released his hold on her, she wanted to call him back, insist that he never let her go because he made her feel safe.

But she didn't.

She got her breathing under control while he prowled around her office looking for … something.

A way out, she guessed, only the door was the only one. This was the basement. There were no windows and only one set of stairs up to the first floor.

Only they couldn’t get to the stairs if they couldn’t get out of the office.

Focus, Alannah.

You're not the weak, pathetic, waste of space your parents are always insisting that you are.

Help Jake.

The pep talk worked, and she managed to calm both her breathing and the shaking. “What do you need?” she asked Jake.

“Something to break down the door. It’s locked. I called my brothers, so they’ll get here as quickly as they can. Firefighters will check the building, too, but I don’t want to count on someone else getting us out. Not when you're here.”

His words made her smile, her protective grumpypants was there, and somehow in her mind that meant everything would be okay.

Running over to a corner where she had a stack of new weights she’d been going to think about stocking in the small shop on the ground floor, she ripped it open and grabbed two. “Here, Jake, we could use these.”

“Perfect.” He took one, she kept hold of the other, and they both headed for the door.

While she hammered on it with her weight along with Jake, Alannah knew he was the one making progress. She was like the toddler who you allowed to help but really only wound up getting in the way.

Making his way methodically up the door, when he got near the top, he began to hammer in earnest, and soon he was able to smash right through her door.

Immediately, smoke billowed into the room, making Alannah choke as all the oxygen seemed to disappear.

“Damn,” Jake muttered as he grabbed hold of the hole he’d made and lifted himself up enough to see out it.

“What is it?”

“Someone has shoved one of those metal storage shelves you have up against the door.”

“So we’re trapped?” Try as she might to remain calm, Alannah could feel her heart hammering in her chest. They might be found in time by either Jake’s brothers or firefighters, but they also might not.

It didn't take long for smoke inhalation to take effect.

“The hell we are,” Jake snarled. Dropping back down, he picked up the weight he’d set down and hammered at the door again, stopping only once he’d made a bigger hole. “I’ll give you a boost.”

“We’re going to climb through the hole?” As badly as she wanted out of the room, they didn't know what was out there. Maybe they were safer inside.

“I’ve got you, sunshine.” For a second, Jake palmed her cheek, his fingertips feathered across her cheekbone, and Alannah got the weirdest desire for him to lean down and brush his lips across hers the same way his fingers had just caressed her cheek.

It must be the smoke affecting her brain combined with the fear of dying.

“Okay,” she agreed. Jake had been in Delta Force like his dad, before going to work for Prey Security’s Charlie Team. He knew what he was doing, and she had to trust him to make the best decisions for them both.

Grabbing her hips, he did more than just give her a boost, he lifted her so she could grab onto the edges of the hole in the door and then kept a hold of her as she pulled herself through it.

The air was thicker outside the office, the smoke hanging heavily in the room, and she choked on it again as she quickly climbed down the shelves so Jake could get himself out.

Already her eyes were stinging and watering badly, and it was difficult to breathe.

Reality was quickly sinking in.

They were on the opposite side of the basement to the staircase that would lead them to safety, and she wasn't sure they were going to make it.

Jake barely paused when his feet hit the ground. He just grabbed her hand and tugged her down to the floor.

“Less smoke and more oxygen down here. We’ll crawl to the stairs, I want you to hold onto my ankle and not let go. If we get separated down here, I might not be able to find you.”

His warning hung heavily in the air as he guided her onto her hands and knees, placed one of her hands on his ankle, and started moving. The last thing she wanted was to be alone in the thick smoke, fighting to breathe, confused and turned around. With Jake, she was safe.

Always safe with Jake.

It was awkward crawling with one hand on Jake’s ankle, but she wasn't letting go of him for anything.

Blocking out everything else, Alannah focused just on crawling, getting closer to the stairs, closer to safety and fresh air.

While it felt like it took them an hour, it was probably more like a couple of minutes at the most to work their way through the corridors and into the open space where the stairs were, and when they did, all the air left her lungs in a rush.

The entire childcare area at the bottom of the stairs was alight.

Flames danced everywhere.

Consuming everything in their path.

There was no way through them.

They were trapped.

They were going to die.