41. Noah
Chapter 41
Noah
I couldn’t fucking sleep. So I paced and fought the urge to punch through the walls.
Thank God Tess was at Mom’s for a sleepover. I was in no position to care for her tonight.
I dropped and did a set of pushups, then another, trying to exhaust myself. When that didn’t work, I yanked headphones over my ears and tried to focus on a parenting podcast.
But I could not shake the feeling that something had broken tonight.
Her face.
The memory of her expression crushed me.
The way Vic went from triumph to utter shame in an instant. How her loud, buoyant personality was turned off in the blink of an eye.
I lay on the couch and attempted to close my eyes. I didn’t have the mental energy to walk the ten steps to my bed. The bed we’d squeezed into together so many summer nights. A bed that had started as penance and had become a haven.
Sleep . Just fucking sleep .
I focused on my breathing, working to shut out my racing thoughts. But as they quieted, a strange sensation crept over me.
It was… eerie.
Pulling a pillow over my face, I resisted the compulsion to run downstairs and pull her into my arms.
Where the fuck did Denis get that recording?
My brothers had held me back from crushing his skull, and then my concern for Vic had taken over.
She powered down.
The light behind her eyes went out. In the truck on the way home, she was nothing but a shell of herself.
She stared out the window silently. Once we’d made it into the building, she’d gone into her apartment and locked the door.
Leaving me alone in the dreary hallway, desperate to help her, but utterly helpless.
The looks, the whispers. All of it.
And her sister’s face.
God, those terrible people thought they’d won.
I feared they were right.
Vic had been blossoming for months, and this weekend, she’d triumphed. The town stuck up for her. She’d become such a vital part of this place, and she’d accomplished so much for our community.
Fuck.
It was too muggy to sleep.
I stood with a grunt. I’d get a glass of water, then I’d pace and finish this podcast. Toddler brain development was fascinating. I may as well get ahead on things. I was too keyed up to even think about sleeping.
I was bringing my glass to my lips when I felt it again.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
Fuck. Something was wrong.
I went into Tess’s room to turn on the AC unit, desperate to cut the oppressive heat.
As I stepped over the threshold, I smelled smoke.
Between one heartbeat and the next, my brain had cleared.
In the next instant, the smoke detector began to screech.
I ran into the main area of the apartment, searching for telltale signs of fire.
The stove wasn’t on. There were no candles. What the fuck?
My heart seized.
Downstairs.
I stuffed my feet into my boots, then I threw the door open, leaped over the banister, and ran down the stairs. The closer I got to Vic’s apartment, the denser the smoke was. It was coming from her apartment. Why hadn’t her smoke detectors gone off? The building was old, but I’d replaced the batteries in hers when I’d checked mine a month or two ago.
The first floor was dark and smoky. With the neckline of my shirt pulled up over my nose and mouth, I splayed my hand on her door. It was warm but not hot to the touch, so I grasped the knob and pulled. The door wouldn’t budge. It had been dead-bolted.
I twisted the knob again and pushed as hard as I could. When that did nothing, I threw my shoulder into it. I let the calm settle over me. I could get her out.
Heart racing, I ran outside and darted to my truck. I yanked on the tailgate and popped the toolbox open. Axe and respirator in hand, I ran back into the building. I barely had my respirator in place before I was swinging.
I had no idea how the door had been jammed or tampered with, and I didn’t care. I swung with everything I had and was halfway through the solid wood when I heard her cries.
“Vic,” I shouted as I cleared away shards of wood. It was too dark and smoky to see anything inside the apartment. “I’m coming.”
I hacked at the barrier between us, my movements methodical.
“The windows won’t open,” she shouted, her voice high-pitched and panicked.
I swung a final time, then kicked, sending wood and debris flying. When I stepped through the gaping hole, I finally laid eyes on her. She stood on the other side of the kitchen, arms wrapped around her torso, her face a mask of horror in the light of the flames that devoured the ancient linoleum floor.
“It’s okay. I’m here.”
She wore a T-shirt and cotton shorts, her feet bare, her body trembling violently.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I devised a plan. I was in control. I knew what to do. I’d save my girl.
“Stand on that chair,” I said, inspecting her past the line of flames that was clearly caused by an accelerant. “Then jump. I’ll catch you.”
She nodded, her movements jerky.
The heat was overwhelming, the flames so close they singed the hair on my legs. I ignored it all. Vic needed me.
She climbed onto the chair, unsteady, and coughed. At the sound, I spiraled for a moment. Had she inhaled smoke? How much?
I pushed the thought from my mind. I couldn’t worry about that now.
“Jump.” I stepped forward, arms outstretched, ignoring the searing pain licking at my skin.
Without hesitation, she obeyed. As I caught her, a blistering sensation on my forearms forced me to back away from the fire quickly.
Holding her to me, I turned and pushed through the debris. In the hall, I set her down.
“Go outside and call 911,” I instructed, yelling so she could hear me through my respirator. “I gotta check the third floor.”
“Dylan is gone for the summer.” She clung to me, her fingers digging into my burned skin. “He’s not home.”
I cupped her sooty cheeks. “I have to check.”
With a nod, she turned. As she stepped outside, I spun and darted up the two flights of steps to Dylan’s apartment. I banged on the door, and when no one answered, I kicked it in. Quickly, I flipped on the lights and swept the place. Empty except for the screaming smoke detector.
Now that no one was in immediate danger, my thoughts shifted to Tess.
I adjusted my mask and headed back to my place. In her bedroom, I snagged the large box off the top shelf of her closet and the framed photo of her with her parents that hung above her crib.
With these precious memories in hand, I raced out of the apartment. The heat was increasing rapidly. I needed to get out of here.
As I hustled down the steps, my mind was filled with thoughts of Jack and Emily.
I promise.
I promise I ’ ll be okay. I promise Tess will be loved and cared for forever.
Sirens blared from nearby as I burst out into the night air and collapsed on the sidewalk.
My skin prickled in a way that told me I had relatively serious burns. I ripped off my respirator and took in our building. Our home. It was consumed in flames, so far gone there was no saving anything inside. A sharp pain cut through my chest. It had only been a few months, but this place had given Tess and me what we needed.
“Are you okay?”
Vic was kneeling next to me, shaking and pale and crying, hands cupping my face.
I pulled her into my arms.
“You saved me,” she whimpered. “I was so scared.”
“I’m here. You’re here. That’s all that matters.”
We remained there on the ground as the engine and ladder trucks pulled up and firefighters clambered out.
When Chief Mitchell stepped out of his truck, I hopped up and ran to him.
“Started on the ground floor. There was definitely accelerant. Place went up quick. No one inside. I swept the top unit.”
With a nod to me, he pressed the button on his radio and barked orders.
“The primary power is on the south side,” I said, my whole body trembling from adrenaline. “There may be risk to the neighboring buildings.”
Behind him, a firefighter in turnout gear was working to remove the cap from the nearest hydrant. I ran to help him and held the hose to the coupling so he could focus on using his wrench to open it up.
The police pulled up just as we got the hoses running.
The crews got to work, and, not wanting to interrupt their flow, I stepped out of the way.
As the EMTs approached, I ran back to Vic and picked her up. “She inhaled smoke,” I shouted.
“I’m okay.” She wiggled in my hold.
“No. She needs to go to the hospital.”
Her body stiffened. “I do not.”
With a grunt, I set her on her feet. But I didn’t let go. Grasping her arms, I shot her a glare. “She’s experienced trauma,” I said, keeping my tone even. “She inhaled smoke and needs proper treatment.”
The EMT eyed Vic, as if waiting for permission.
“Camden,” she said. “I’m okay. Just shaken up.”
“How about I get you some oxygen and take your vitals?” The EMT who Vic was apparently on a first-name basis with said.
Shoulders slumping, I gave in. It was better than nothing.
“Both of you,” he insisted.