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The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly as the smoke grew thicker, heavier, choking the life out of the air. My lungs screamed for relief, and each breath felt like razor blades slicing through me. My vision blurred as sweat and smoke stung my eyes.

Finally, I burst through the doorway. The night air slammed into me like a bitch slap. It was still thick with smoke, but it was better than the suffocating furnace inside.

Onyx bounded ahead of me, her sharp barks slicing through the popping and roaring fire. She circled Cooper’s lifeless body, sniffing at his bloodied uniform and brushing her nose over the dirt as if trying to piece together what had happened.

I staggered away from the steps and lowered Whitney to the ground. “ Okay, buddy. Just breathe,” I said, dropping to one knee beside him, yet watching the front door for Tory.

Come on, Tory, where are you?

Whitney groaned and his hand weakly clutched my arm. “The files . . .”

“I know,” I snapped, shoving myself upright. “I’m getting them now. Don’t you dare pass out on me.”

Behind me, the fire roared louder and its heat seared through my sweat-soaked shirt.

Tory burst through the entrance like a force of nature, her arms loaded with two archiving boxes. Flames licked at the doorway behind her, casting flickering light across her soot-streaked face.

“Tory!” I shouted, my voice cracking as I raced toward her. “Here, let me.” I reached for the boxes.

“I’m fine!” she yelled, her voice raw and breaking as tears carved streaks through the grime on her face. “Get more!”

She didn’t wait for me to argue, shoving past me toward Whitney and the Tesla.

Damn it.

I pointed at my dog. “Onyx. Stay.”

Her ears pressed back against her head, showing she was not happy with that command.

My chest tightened as I sprinted into the inferno.

The smoke was thicker now, clinging to my lungs like poison, and the flames had devoured even more of the room.

Every step was agony, burning debris biting into my bare feet.

The heat felt alive, a ravenous beast, and it was everywhere . . . above, beneath, and all around me.

I pushed forward, forcing my body past the pain, dodging the flickering tongues of fire that snapped at me, threatening to devour everything in their reach.

The air was so hot it felt like my skin might melt.

By the time I returned to the pile of boxes, they were partially buried under fallen ceiling debris. I yanked two free, straining against their awkward weight.

As I turned to leave, something rolled free from one of the boxes, hitting the floor with a hollow clunk .

My heart stopped. A skull.

“Fucking hell!” I froze, staring, as the empty eye sockets seemed to glare right back at me.

What the hell?

Gritting my teeth, I shoved the skull into my shirt, and as its rough surface pressed against my chest, I gripped the boxes and marched back up the hallway. Each step felt heavier than the last, and the fire raged around me, licking at the walls and ceiling with unrelenting fury.

Halfway to the exit, I stumbled into Tory.

“What the hell are you doing? Get out!” I yelled, my voice raw and shredded from the smoke.

“One more load!” she shot back as she shoved past me, heading deeper into the flames.

“Tory!” I bellowed, my frustration boiling over, but she ignored me, disappearing into the thick, choking smoke.

“Fucking hell!” Rage and panic twisted in my chest as I charged toward the exit with my lungs screaming for air.

Bursting outside, I staggered down the crumbling steps, my legs barely supporting me as I dumped the boxes onto the dirt. The skull tumbled free, rolling to a stop next to Cooper’s lifeless body. Onyx trotted over to investigate.

I turned and sprinted back toward the inferno, forcing my burning lungs to keep going.

“Tory!” I shouted, my voice cracking.

The fire had grown even more feral, and its heat was an unrelenting force. Flames licked along the walls, devouring what little was left of the hideous wallpaper.

Through the smoke, Tory stumbled toward me with her arms loaded with two more boxes.

“That’s your last load!” I yelled as she passed me.

She didn’t reply. Didn’t even look at me. But I didn’t stop to argue. I rushed into the room where the remaining boxes were piled in the corner and grabbed as many as I could manage.

The heat was unbearable, the air so thick with smoke that every breath felt like swallowing shards of glass. My lungs screamed, my throat burned, and my vision blurred, but I kept moving .

The scorched floor burned my bare feet, and each step was a fresh jolt of agony, but I forced myself forward, gripping the boxes as I stumbled toward the exit.

As I reached the hallway, there she was again. Tory. Running back to the boxes.

“Goddammit, Tory,” I growled.

Flaming debris rained down from the ceiling. Chunks peeled from the walls. The collapsing hallway groaned like it was in agony. I adjusted my grip on the boxes, waiting for her to emerge, every second stretching into eternity.

“Come on!” I yelled, but she wouldn’t hear me in this roaring chaos.

Through the smoke, she finally staggered out of the room with another load of boxes clutched to her chest.

“Go! Go! ” I shouted.

I could barely breathe, and the smoke was so thick I couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead. Flaming embers scorched the soles of my feet, but I gritted my teeth and pushed forward.

Finally, I burst through the entrance. I stumbled down the steps, legs shaking, and dropped the boxes onto the ground.

I spun around to help Tory.

She wasn’t there.

A massive crash exploded from inside the building.

The deafening roar of collapsing timber hit like a shockwave as part of the roof caved in, flames shooting into the sky like a beast unleashed.

My heart plummeted.

“Tory!” I screamed as I charged back into the inferno, my gut twisting in panic.

The fire was everywhere now. Devouring everything. The walls groaned as ancient wood cracked and splintered. Burning debris collapsed across the hallway, turning the passage into a gauntlet of flame and destruction.

“Tory!” I shouted again, desperation tearing at my chest.

Through the smoke and chaos, she stumbled toward me, her arms loaded with boxes.

Her pale face was streaked with soot and tears, her hair plastered to her forehead with sweat .

I yanked the boxes from her trembling arms. “Go. Move!”

She stumbled around me, her steps unsteady, and I followed close behind as we raced toward the exit. The ceiling groaned above us, threatening to collapse even more as chunks of flaming wood crashed down, showering us in sparks.

We burst into the night air just as the building gave a guttural roar. Behind us, the last of the ceiling caved in with a deafening crash, sending a wave of heat surging past us.

The flames licked at our backs as I staggered down the crumbling steps and tossed the boxes onto the dirt. Tory bent over, hands braced on her knees, coughing hard and gasping for air.

I clutched her trembling shoulders. “Are you insane?” I snapped, my voice shaking with adrenaline, anger, and a flood of relief.

She looked up at me, her soot-streaked face breaking into a weak, defiant grin. “Guess I’ve got a thing for near-death experiences.”

I let out a breathless, disbelieving laugh, and gliding my fingers into her tangled, sweat-drenched hair, I pulled her into my chest.

“It’s high time you stopped testing your luck,” I muttered, shaking my head as I wrapped my arms around her.

She chuckled weakly, leaning against me, and together we stared at the inferno that had tried to finish what all those other bastards started. The flames roared louder, and another massive crash burst embers out of the broken windows, sending sparks spiraling into the night sky.

“Hey, hello . . . anyone care to see if I’m alive?” Whitney’s croaking voice broke through the moment.

I turned to him, releasing a low chuckle. “I see your sarcasm is still intact.”

With my arm still draped around Tory’s shoulder, I guided her toward him. “Tory, meet Whitney. Whitney, this is Tory.”

She crouched down beside him, offering a concerned frown. “You okay?”

Whitney managed a weak grin. “I am now. Lucky you got here when you did.”

Tory glanced up at me, her eyes meeting mine, and I was struck by how incredible she looked, even covered in soot, sweat, and still heaving with exhaustion .

“Jaxson and I seem to be riding a wave of luck lately,” she said softly, her voice laced with something I couldn’t quite place.

“Really?” Whitney shot me a Care to explain look.

Before I could answer, Onyx trotted over and nuzzled her nose under Tory’s hand. Tory gave a tired smile as she ran her hand over Onyx’s soot-streaked fur.

“Hope those boxes were worth it,” she said, raising a brow at Whitney.

He coughed hard and the sound rattled deep in his chest as his body shuddered with the effort.

“How did you find them?” I asked. “This place has been searched a dozen times over.”

“We need to get you to a doctor,” Tory interrupted, glaring at me like I was an inconsiderate asshole.

Whitney raised a hand, brushing her off. “I’m fine. What we really need is to get these boxes out of here and?—”

“Hey, what about that skull?” I cut in, indicating toward the skull resting by Cooper’s leg. “Where the hell did you find that?”

Whitney let out a tired sigh, leaning back. “Well, it was attached to the rest of the skeleton, but I didn’t have time to grab all of him.”

“Eww, that’s disgusting.” Tory cringed, standing and taking a step back from Whitney.

“The body was in the basement with those boxes. If I didn’t grab something of him for evidence, the whole skeleton would’ve gone up in smoke.”

“So B lit that fire?” Tory asked, frowning.

“Yep. After she killed him.” Whitney nodded toward Cooper’s lifeless body where flickering flames cast wobbly shadows over his bloodied uniform. “I can’t believe he was involved in this bullshit,” Whitney muttered, shaking his head. “I liked him.”

“Eddie Walsh was involved, too,” I added.

“Eddie?” Whitney’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? Where is he?”

“He’s dead.”

“Holy shit!” Whitney croaked. He shifted forward and spat on the ground, then his jaw dropped and his eyes flew wide. “Don’t tell me you killed him?”

“Okay.” I shrugged. “I won’t tell you.”

“He tried to kill us,” Tory said. “But Jaxson stopped him.” She looked at me like I was someone worth believing in. And damn if that didn’t undo me. “It was self-defense.”

“Bloody hell!” Whitney slumped back on the ground. “This is fucked.”

“Eddie shot Tory.” I pointed to Tory’s upper arm. “How’s your arm?”

She tilted her head, and the flames shimmered in her eyes like molten gold. “I’m fine.” Her gaze locked with mine and my damn cock tingled.

Christ. I need to get moving. ASAP.

“Listen.” I dusted my hands on my pants. “We have to get out of here.”

“Well, we’re not driving out of here,” Whitney said, pointing toward his Tesla. “She shot my tires.”

“Yeah. I saw that,” I muttered. “We have Eddie’s cruiser. I’ll get it.”

As I took off toward the tree line, Whitney’s grumble faded behind me. Onyx trotted at my side, her tongue lolling out of her mouth.

“Hey, girl.” I patted her back. “I’ll get you a T-bone steak as soon as I can. Promise.”

She glanced up at me, her tail wagging faintly, and she gave her nose a quick lick as if she understood every word.

As I sprinted toward the cruiser, weaving through the shrubs, my mind raced, replaying everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Everything was unraveling damn fast.

B hadn’t just lit that fire for the hell of it. She was intent on making sure that body and those files burned to ash along with the orphanage.

Which meant those files were fucking important.

It also meant they were worth killing for.

We needed to get out of here. Not to a cop station. But somewhere truly secure. Somewhere B couldn’t reach us.

I had a sinking feeling B was tying up loose ends.

And the three of us had just hit the top of those tangled threads.