Page 3

Chapter

Two

This was bad.

Really bad.

The kind of bad you didn't always survive.

Jake stared in horror at the ferocity of the flames dancing about in front of him and Alannah.

Blocking their only exit.

There were no other ways out of the basement.

It was go up the stairs or nothing.

And it couldn’t be nothing.

Not while he had his best friend with him.

This was exactly why he’d been keeping his distance from Alannah.

It wasn't to hurt her feelings, it wasn't because he didn't miss her, it wasn't because he wanted to shut her out of his life, and it wasn't because he didn't think she was strong enough to handle his family’s mess and stand beside him offering him her support.

It was because he hadn't wanted to put her in danger. Didn't want to put her life at risk the way he was doing right now.

He never should have come.

Only it was too late to take it back now.

“We’re going to die,” Alannah whimpered beside him, and her terrified words ripped him out of the panicked stupor he’d slid into.

“No,” he said the word fiercely as he whipped around and grabbed Alannah’s shoulders and pulled her up onto her knees. “No,” he said again, only this time he roared it out.

Like they smothered everything else, the flames seemed to dampen his words, but they didn't—couldn’t—dampen his determination.

They weren't dead yet, which meant there was still a chance he could get them out. If they couldn’t find a way through the flames, they’d go back to Alannah’s office since it was furthest away from the fire, hide in there, and pray that his brothers or the firefighters got to them before smoke inhalation did.

“Don’t give up on me, okay?”

Alannah’s golden-brown eyes seemed to glow in the dancing orange light of the flames. They locked onto his and stared at him with an intensity he hadn't felt in a long time. Maybe ever. It was like she was reaching down into his very soul to see if he honestly believed they stood a chance.

After a moment, she gave a small nod. “Okay. I won't give up. What do we do?”

Fear for his best friend and the very real possibility of death he’d brought right to her doorstep almost impeded his ability to think clearly and logically.

The thick smoke slowly filling up his lungs didn't help.

But he needed a clear head.

Alannah needed him to have a clear head.

Forcing himself to focus, to shove away the fear like he’d learned to do when he joined the elite Delta Force, Jake fell back on his training. After so many years working in Delta and then for Prey Security, this should be natural, and he allowed his instincts to take over rather than his fear.

“We need something to cover us so we can make a run for it,” he announced, scanning the room that was quickly being destroyed by fire.

“The flames haven’t taken over the whole staircase yet, they’re mostly in the childcare playroom.

If we can get through them and onto the steps, we stand a good chance at getting out of here. ”

It was a long shot. The flames were already devouring the room, and the fire was only growing stronger with each passing second.

But the fire alarm had gone off, so he knew firefighters were on their way, and he’d called his stepbrother Cade and told him what was going on, so he also knew that his brothers were on the way.

He couldn’t give up hope yet.

All he had to do was trust that his team would have his back and do his part.

“There are blankets we have for the doll’s crib,” Alannah suggested. “They’re not that big, but they’d at least cover our heads and shoulders. Oh and there’s a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Its small but better than nothing.”

Perfect.

They could grab them, take them to the kitchen, run them under water, then cover their faces, grab the fire extinguisher, and make a run for it.

A risky plan, but all they had right now.

“That’ll work,” he told Alannah, and she offered him a small smile. Scared as she was, she was doing her best not to let panic consume her, and he was so proud of her. “You stay here, and I’ll go get them.”

“I know where they are,” she countered. “It’ll be quicker for me to grab them.”

No way was he allowing them to get separated because, in the thickening smoke, he might not find her again. Leaving her in a spot he could backtrack to was one thing, but they weren't splitting up like that.

“Together. We’ll go together,” he declared.

Not sure if it was his imagination or not, but he was sure Alannah relaxed at that suggestion, and he realized she felt safer with him around.

Not surprising since he’d always been her protector, but something that he was positive was going to change once she learned that all of this was absolutely his fault.

Then she’d hate him.

If they survived.

His best friend hating him but alive and safe was infinitely preferable to her dying with him powerless to stop it from happening.

“Tell me where it is, and I’ll lead. Same as before, you’ll hold onto me,” he instructed.

“We have a storage cabinet right over there.” Alannah pointed back toward the way they’d come, further away from where the fire was claiming everything in its path.

If they didn't get out of there sooner rather than later, it was going to claim them too.

Shoving that horrific thought out of his mind, Jake began crawling toward the storage cabinet. The reassuring feel of Alannah’s small hand clutching his ankle was the only thing that kept him grounded.

Being in danger wasn’t what had him so close to losing control, he’d been in situations worse than this over the years, it was that this time Alannah was with him.

She was so sweet, bubbly, and loving toward everyone.

Sometimes he worried she cared too much because there was no shortage of people who would take advantage of someone with such a giving heart.

A lesson Alannah had learned several times over even though it never seemed to sink in.

They reached the storage cabinet, and with Alannah’s help, Jake quickly located and retrieved a couple of the blankets. She was right, they weren't that large, but they would cover their heads and hang a little way down their backs, and that was probably the best he could hope for.

After that, they trailed their way down the hall to the kitchen. “Where’s the fire extinguisher?” he asked.

“Under the sink.”

Staying low he quickly opened the cupboard door, but there was nothing there. Just a few cleaning supplies.

“Its not there,” he told Alannah.

“It has to be. It’s always there.”

“Unless whoever set the fire took it with them.”

Since there was no point worrying about it right now, they had to keep moving, try to gt out, Jake had Alannah remain down on her hands and knees where the smoke was at its thinnest, while he stood and ran the blankets under cold water.

When he had them as wet as he could get them, he readied himself to make a run for it. With the growing heat and the smothering smoke, the blankets weren't going to stay wet for long, and the wetter they were, the better the chances they wouldn't set alight when they ran through the flames.

“Alannah, I’m going to put one of these blankets over your face, take your hand, and then we’re going to make a run for it. I don’t want you to stop, not for anything. Okay?”

Jake needed to know she wasn't going to panic and fight against him the second they got closer to the flames because they were only going to have one chance at this.

“O-okay,” she agreed, her voice wobbling.

“Trust me, sunshine. I will do everything in my power to get you out of here alive.”

“I trust you, grumpy,” she said, her voice stronger this time.

Her trust in him when he was directly responsible for them being trapped in a fire meant more to him than he could express, and he didn't fight against the urge to grab her hand and haul her up and into his arms.

Hugging her tight, he turned the faucet off, covered her face with one of the wet blankets, draped another over each of her shoulders, then put the fourth over his own head, making sure he didn't block his eyes so he could see where he was going.

Then he took her hand again and ran, dragging Alannah along with him.

He didn't stop, didn't hesitate.

Not even when they re-entered the playroom and were met once again with the full force of the fire.

In the two minutes or so it had taken for them to get the blankets and wet them, the smoke had thickened, and with orange-red flames giving out the only light it looked and felt like being in Hell.

There was one moment when Alannah tugged on his hand, and he was sure she was going to try to pull herself free, unable to handle getting so close to the flames. He was prepared to throw her over his shoulder if he had to, but thankfully, she didn't try to tug herself out of his grip.

Heat rushed at them, enveloping them as they ran through the flames toward the stairs, but Jake didn't stop.

Couldn’t stop.

He had to get Alannah out.

The temperature soared, and the smoke was so thick he could barely breathe.

For a moment, he was sure they weren't going to make it.

That he’d finished off what the fire had started.

But then they were through, on the stairs, and he was pulling Alannah up the stairs along with him, aware from the weakening hold she had on his hand that she was struggling.

“Only a little more,” he encouraged her, unsure if she heard him over the roar of the fire.

Finally, he reached the top of the stairs. They’d done it. They were all but free.

At least, that’s what he thought.

Until he reached for the door handle and found it wouldn't turn.

Locked.

It was locked, and they were trapped with the fire already barreling its way toward them.

October 13 th

1:13 P.M.

Why didn't Jake open the door?

With her mind fuzzy and sluggish, Alannah found it difficult to think, and she couldn’t figure out why if they were at the top of the stairs, Jake didn't just open the door and let them out.