Echoes of Secrets (Obsidian MC #7)

Chapter Twenty

Evie

“Evie,” Ollie whispers, his voice shaky but determined. “I think the storm’s stopped.”

I don’t know how long we’ve been buried under the weight of this building, but it’s been long enough for the dust to settle, leaving an eerie stillness in its wake.

“You awake?” he asks.

I fight to force a sound out of my throat. “Mmm,” I manage, though it’s a struggle to take each breath. Every inhale feels like dragging air through shards of glass, but I push through. Ollie needs strength, and everything in me screams to give it to him.

Even if I’m running out of strength myself.

“I can hear them,” he says softly. “Somewhere above us. They’re getting closer... but not close enough.”

Turning my head to where I know his arm is, I reach out with trembling fingers. I can’t do much. Just barely touch the tip of his fingers. But it’s something.

“I’m so scared,” he admits, his voice cracking with fear.

Tears stream down my face, hot and endless, but I don’t have the air or energy to sob. My cries remain trapped in my head, silent screams that echo in the dark.

“It’s… okay,” I gasp, each word a battle. “They’ll… save us.”

“ EVIE! ”

Mitchell’s voice.

It cuts through the suffocating rubble like a lifeline. Relief floods me, but it’s tinged with terror. He sounds far away, too far.

“Mitch…” I whisper, the name barely audible.

“Is he your person?” Ollie asks, his voice not much stronger than mine. “He’s always been nice to me.”

A weak smile tugs at my cracked lips. “Love… him.”

“Stop talking, Evie,” Ollie whispers urgently. “Save your air.”

He’s right, but it’s so hard to stay silent when the crushing weight on my chest presses harder with every shallow breath. My body feels like it’s shutting down piece by piece. I can’t feel anything below my waist, but the upper half of my body is screaming in agony.

But pain is good. Pain means I’m still alive.

Mitchell will find us. I just hope I’m alive when he does.

Mitchell

The world feels like it’s grinding to a halt, each second dragging out into an eternity as the chaos unfolds around me. Firefighters swarm the site, their shouts cutting through the steady hum of the floodlights. Police cruisers line the perimeter, red and blue lights flashing in the darkness of night, and every set of hands available is working to clear the wreckage of what was once the clubhouse.

Twelve hours. Twelve fucking hours since the building came down on top of Evie and Ollie.

My hands ache, raw and bleeding, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop. Evie’s somewhere under all this, and if I stop, if I lose focus for even a second, I’ll lose her. If I haven’t already. We haven’t heard a single sound from either of them. The thought sends a wave of panic surging through me, making my chest tighten until I can barely breathe.

“Mitchell!” Blaze’s voice cuts through the noise, drawing my attention. He’s standing a few feet away, his face grim but resolute. “We found a pocket near the southeast corner. It might lead to them.”

I don’t wait for more. I’m moving before he’s finished speaking, shoving past anyone in my way. Blaze falls in step behind me, along with Steel, Venom, and King. They’re all just as soaked, just as battered, and just as determined.

When we reach the southeast corner, Ghost is already there, working alongside a firefighter to stabilize a large piece of debris.

“Mitchell, back off for a second,” he commands, his voice sharp. “We need to clear this carefully, or the whole thing could collapse.”

“Fuck that,” I snap, shoving forward. “She’s under there, Ghost! I’m not standing around while she’s buried alive!”

King grabs my arm, holding me back just enough to keep me from charging in. “You can’t help her if you get yourself crushed,” he says, his voice steady but firm. “Let them clear it first. Then we’ll dig.”

Every muscle in my body vibrates with tension, my fists clenching so tightly that my nails bite into my palms. “She’s not built for this,” I grind out. “She’s hurt. And Ollie… he’s never been comfortable enough to come here. What the fuck was he thinking, coming to the clubhouse by himself in the middle of a storm?”

Steel steps up beside me, his face etches with exhaustion. “We’re going to get them out,” he says, his voice low but steady. “You know that. Just hold it together a little longer.”

Steel had to be forced away and tended to when the ambulance arrived. There was a long slash across his forearm, and he was bleeding severely. He would have bled out had they not stitched him up.

Blaze hauls away a chunk of drywall with a grunt, his movements sharp and angry. “Once we get them out, we’re finding out who’s responsible for this,” he growls. “And then we’re going hunting.”

“Focus,” Ghost snaps, his tone like a whip. “Evie and Ollie first. Rage can wait.”

Knox checked the security cameras a few hours ago and learned that the storm wasn’t the one responsible for the building collapsing. He watched as someone came in during the storm and set charges in a few different spots around the building. A small detonation in the right spots is what caused the clubhouse to fall. He’s working on finding out who did this. If Evie dies, then I’ll make this fucker pay. Slowly. Viciously.

Either way, they die.

The minutes drag on, each one a lifetime. The sounds of digging, the rumble of machinery, and the occasional crack of shifting debris fill the air. My head pounds with every heartbeat, my hands trembling as I claw at the wreckage.

Then, a firefighter’s voice rings out. “We’ve got something!”

Everything stops. My breath catches in my throat as I scramble toward the sound, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it’ll break through my ribcage. The firefighter shines a flashlight into a small opening, revealing a pocket of space just big enough for one person to fit through.

“Evie! Ollie!” I shout, my voice raw. “Baby, please fucking answer me.”

For a moment, there’s nothing but silence. Then, faintly, I hear it. A weak cough followed by a soft, “Here...”

“Ollie,” Blaze shouts. “Is Evie with you?”

“Evie,” we hear Ollie whisper. “They’re here. Evie. Evie, wake up. Your man came for you.”

“Why the fuck isn’t she responding?” I scream, shoving someone out of the way so I can get to her faster.

Ghost grabs my shoulder as the firefighters work to widen the opening. “Let them do their job,” he says firmly, though his eyes betray his own worry.

I nod, barely able to process his words, as my eyes stay locked on the tiny space. Blaze grips my arm, his usual cocky smirk replaced with a look of raw emotion. “She’s alive, Mitchell. We have to believe that.”

A firefighter crawls back out of the opening and motions to the others in his team. “We can get to the boy first,” he says, his voice steady despite the chaos. “But the woman is pinned under a large piece of debris. We’ll need to secure the area and cut through carefully.”

“Just fucking do it!” I bark, my hands clenched at my sides.

Ghost pulls me back a step, his grip firm. “They’ll get her out. Don’t get in their way, Mitchell. You’ll only slow them down.

The firefighters maneuver ropes and braces, stabilizing the wreckage above the opening. The seconds drag into agonizing minutes before one of them slides in feet first. My throat feels like it’s closing up as I watch him disappear into the shadows.

When he finally reappears, he’s cradling Ollie, who’s barely conscious but alive. A wave of relief washes over me, but it’s short-lived.

“Get him to the ambulance!” the firefighter shouts to his team. Another steps in to help, and within moments, Ollie is being whisked away, his face pale and his arms and chest covered in both dried and fresh blood.

“Take care of him,” Steel calls out to the paramedics, his jaw tight as he turns back to the pile. “Now, Evie.”

I barely register Ollie being carried off as the lead firefighter crouches near the opening again, his expression grim. “She’s pinned under a large beam,” he explains, addressing the team but looking at me. “We need to cut it free, but we have to be careful. The entire structure could shift if we rush.”

I nod sharply, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Do whatever it takes. Just get her out.”

Another firefighter slides into the opening, carrying a small oxygen tank and water. He shifts around inside, then shouts, “She’s unresponsive, but she’s breathing. We’re administering oxygen now.”

The words hit me like a blow to the chest. Unresponsive but alive. For now.

I stagger back a step, my knees nearly buckling. Blaze steadies me, his hand gripping my shoulder. “She’s tough,” he says, his voice low but fierce. “She’s hanging on, Mitchell.”

The lead firefighter climbs back out of the wreckage, his face set with determination. “We’re going to work fast but carefully,” he says. “It’ll take time, but we’ll get her.”

“Time?” My voice cracks, the raw panic I’ve been holding back spilling out. “She doesn’t have time! She’s been under there for twelve fucking hours!”

“Mitchell!” Ghost’s voice cuts through my panic like a knife. “You’re not helping her by losing it now. Let them work.”

I force myself to nod, my hands trembling as I dig my nails into my palms. The team gets to work, sawing and cutting through the debris, small piece by small piece. Every sound, every crack of wood, every metallic grind sends my heart into my throat.

No longer able to stand, I crash to the ground.

Steel crouches beside me, his face pale but resolute. “She’s going to make it,” he says quietly. “She’s a fucking warrior.”

I don’t respond. I can’t. All I can do is watch, my entire world balanced on the edge of a knife as they inch closer to freeing her.

The firefighter working inside the opening calls out again. “We’ve got more debris cleared! She’s stable but still unconscious.”

“Keep going!” I shout, my voice breaking.

Another eternity passes before someone calls out that the beam pinning her is finally lifted away. A stretcher is passed into the opening, and I jump to my feet, holding my breath.

When they finally pull her free, I surge forward, but Blaze and Ghost hold me back yet again. “Let them check her,” Blaze warns. “You can’t do anything if she’s not stable.”

My vision blurs as I watch the paramedics work on her, shouting medical jargon I barely understand. They strap her onto the stretcher, hooking her up to an oxygen mask and IV.

“She’s hypoxic,” one of them says. “Let’s move now.”

“Is she going to make it?” I demand, my voice rough and desperate.

The paramedic doesn’t answer. His focus is on Evie as they load her into the ambulance. I shove past Blaze and Ghost, grabbing the edge of the door before they can close it. “I’m coming with her.”

“No,” the paramedic snaps. “You’d only be in the way. We’ll take care of her.”

Blaze grabs my arm and pulls me back, his grip like steel. I’m so close to snapping that the next time one of these fuckers holds me back, I might break.

“We’ll follow right behind them,” Blaze says.

I watch helplessly as the ambulance speeds off, its siren cutting through the night. The weight of everything crashes down on me at once, leaving me gasping for air.

“She’s alive,” Steel says quietly, his hand resting on one of my shoulders and Blaze’s hand on the other, grounding me. “That’s what matters.”

“She has to wake up,” I rasp. “If she doesn’t…” My voice breaks, and I can’t finish the sentence.

“Just go and be with her,” Ghost says, his voice steady and unyielding. “I’m going to get everyone else to King’s, and I’ll be right behind you.”

I nod numbly, my eyes locked on the fading taillights of the ambulance. For now, all I can do is hope.

“Get him in the truck,” King says. “I’ll drive.”