Page 48 of Through Any Fire (Any x #1)

Standing, I wince. My ankle is sore, but I ignore its protest as I palm Cal’s gun and circle the building, staying in the shadow of the walls. Other than the roaring flames, the night is quiet, and I’m afraid I wouldn’t hear someone unless they were right in front of me.

I continue, my gun sweeping the area in front of me with each step. Blood pounds in my ears as my vision tunnels, shadows from trees appearing to move in my periphery.

“You’re just seeing things. Focus .”

It feels like it takes too long to clear the corner of the building, and when I reach the front, I burst into a run.

The gravel vibrates under my footfalls, and I skid to a stop in front of the door. There’s a thick rope tied around the handles. With a cursory shove, I holster the gun in my waistband and strain to untie the knot, but it’s tied so tightly it isn’t budging.

“ Fuck .”

The skin on my hands rips with each tug, each pull on the rope. Smoke secretes from the slats between the walls, and hope drains from my chest as a memory of a young Cal flashes in front of me.

My heart is bound to break out of its cage with the way it speeds. Callahan sits in the driver’s seat, a hand resting on my thigh, and I can’t help the flutter of butterflies that take flight.

“So,” he says with a squeeze of my thigh, “you ready for this weekend?”

He’s been asking me to go to that damn lake house for weeks now, and I finally gave in.

He makes a good point: our families won’t know, and we’d be free to be us.

Without prying eyes, maybe we could finally take that last step.

I know Callahan has slept with one other girl—he told me when we first started secretly dating.

But he’d be my first, and I don’t think I’d have the guts to do it in his house or mine.

Plus, I want it to be special that first time.

I chew on my lip, nerves bubbling in my chest.

“Bunny?”

I scrunch my nose. “I thought I told you to stop calling me that.”

Callahan laughs, and it’s like he’s spinning gold. I’m enraptured by the smile that creases his face, the light shining behind his eyes.

“Why would I do that, Bunny, when it so obviously fits you?”

A scoff escapes my chest, but my cheeks flood with heat. Callahan Keane sees through my mask, sees through the biting sarcasm I employ to keep people at a distance.

“You don’t think so?” He boops my nose. “Not even when you slip away from me, prancing just on the edge of my traps? Or how incredibly adorable you look when your feathers are all ruffled and your nose scrunches up?”

A newly familiar heat gathers in my belly, and blood rushes to my cheeks.

My mouth parts to respond, but the car rolls to a slow.

On the shoulder, a car has crashed into a broad sycamore tree.

A thick branch has fallen on top of the roof, bisecting the car almost in two.

We’re off the beaten path quite a bit, and if we hadn’t been driving to the lake house tonight, who knows if anyone else would even be here?

I roll down the window, the night air crisp. I shiver.

Steam billows from under its hood, and a shaking voice cries from the driver’s seat, “Help! We’re stuck!” She sounds terrified.

Cal pulls off on the shoulder and throws the car into park. He’s quick, flicking open the glove compartment and pulling out a knife, shooting a wink my way. “What can I say? I should be a Scout if the Keane business ever tanks.”

He slips from the car right as I open my door, rushing right behind him to help him cut the driver out of her seat.

There’s two terrified teenage girls in the back seat, so I move to them first. The older one whimpers, clearly trying to stay strong for her mom and little sister.

Blood trickles from her temple, staining her auburn hair a deep crimson.

“It’s okay. We’ll get you out of here.”

The memory dissipates, and I dash over to the car and rip open the passenger door.

In the glove compartment, a sheathed knife sits.

I grab it. Smoke billows into the sky, and time moves slowly, feeling like hours pass as I cut through the coarse rope.

When it finally snaps, the rope falls to the ground, and I tug the doors open.

Caleb and the other guard spill outside. They collapse onto each other as they suck in fresh air. My hand moves to shield my eyes from the blaze, but Cal doesn’t appear.

“Where’s Callahan?”

Caleb continues to cough, and neither offers any answer.

My heart lodges in my throat as flames lick the walls of the building.

There’s still no sign of Cal. The seconds pass in agonizing slowness.

Then, Lucas comes running back toward the building, running from the gravel trail that leads to the forest. I should wonder where his car went and why he’s on foot, but can’t care at the moment.

“Cal”—I point to the burning building—“he’s still in there!”

Luc’s face blanches. When he doesn’t respond, my feet make my decision for me. In the next breath, I’m back in the burning building as smoke clouds my eyes. I squint, but it doesn’t help. Black ash and smoke fill my lungs .

“Cal!”

I inhale a billow of ash and cough, heading further inside the warehouse.

In the corner, I finally spot him. Cal is slumped over, enveloped in a cloud of smoke.

I move without thinking, slinging an arm under his body as I try to lift him.

An agonizing groan slips through my teeth as I struggle to lift him upward.

“Fuck,” I roar, tugging his arm again and surely hurting his shoulder, but I can’t seem to give a fuck about that if it means he’ll live. “Work with me, Cal!”

I try again, and suddenly, he goes flying toward me. Lucas appears, sweat dripping over his face as he pulls Cal’s body up. He slings Cal’s arm over his shoulders and drags him toward the exit. It’s all I can do to follow, eyes burning from the smoke, skin blistering from the heat.

Two strides later, we’re outside. I collapse onto the ground, sucking in precious, clean air as Cal coughs bedside me. Luc heaves loudly, a firm hand on his chest, and it’s then that I notice the blood on his hands, his face.

“Whose blood is that?”

My question sparks interest, and Cal turns his head to investigate.

Lucas shakes out his hands, a curse falling from his lips. “Mine. That damn Agapov,” he growls. “I almost had him, and then he slipped into the forest. Looks like he—either by himself or with help—took out the perimeter guards, then tied you in just as I was leaving.”

Cal and I look toward each other. This is the closest we’ve been since that night at the motel. I think we both understand in that moment, too.

We have to go after him.

The building behind us creaks, the structure falling in on itself as flames consume the last of it. The heat of the fire still blisters, still boils against my skin, and I throw a hand up to shield my eyes.

Luc comes loping back from our SUV, a tank of oxygen in his hands. He ignores Cal’s protests, slipping the mask over his face and twisting the knob. Cal’s hands tremble as he fights to pull it off.

“Her,” he demands, pointing to me, “Give it to her first.”

My head shakes on its own accord. “No, Cal, you were in there longer. You need it more than me.”

“I don’t care about me.” A deep growl escapes his chest, almost harmonizing with the fire. He tries again, but this time I stop him, a gentle hand holding the mask to his face.

“Cal.” Emotion strains with just the single word.

His eyes dart between mine, throat bobbing as he finally concedes. Though only for a moment. He takes three deep inhales then snaps the mask off his face. He stands, towering over me as he slips it over my face.

“You still have my gun?”

I nod, reaching behind me to give it to him.

Cal shakes his head. “Keep it. Shoot anyone who’s not us.”

He slams his mouth to mine. He tastes of smoke and sandalwood, and I fall into the kiss, but it’s over before I’d like it to be.

“Go.”

Cal nods, turning to Lucas, who passes him a gun from one of his holsters.

“Protect her with your life,” he commands Caleb.

He coughs but stands at attention and nods his affirmation.

I wave the guys over to the tank, offering the mask to the one I don’t know; he looks like he’s about to pass out.

Then I turn to watch Cal and Lucas disappear in the trees.

The fire crackles behind me, clashing with the crisp night air.

A shiver rolls down my spine, and I clamp my teeth over my bottom lip as fear threatens to overtake me.

They’ll be fine.

They have to be.