Chapter 4 - Lucas
I adjusted her over my shoulder as I took her through the front doors and outside. I kept walking, making sure we were a few feet away from the house before putting her down. I instantly grabbed my phone, knowing I needed to call Ayden. We only had a few minutes before the fire would engulf the entire kitchen and a few more minutes before it would start at the rest of the house.
I could feel her step away, and I quickly grabbed her wrist, stopping her as she turned to the house. I knew exactly where her plan was; while I sensed the house was obviously important to her, I wasn't letting her go.
"Don't even think about it," I snapped. "I did not just drag your ass out here for you to run back inside."
"Every second we are out here, it's only going to grow bigger," she yelled at me. Her bright blue eyes were filled with tears and twisted me up. I couldn't stand it when a woman cried, and I wasn't good at handling them.
I ground my teeth together. "Okay, what were you exactly planning to do?" I asked. "Do tell me, how were you going to stop that fire because it looked like you didn't have a damn clue when I got in there. You were just waving your hands at it, feeding it more air."
She clearly was upset, but she didn't have an answer. She sighed as I looked at my phone. "Who are you calling?"
"My boss," I said.
She made a face. "Why don't you call the fireman first? They are who I need."
I sighed, pinching my eyes. "I am. I work for the fire station." I turned my head away. It only rang twice before Ayden picked it up. "Lucas? Why are you calling the work line?"
"Fire at West Flint Avenue, house 415," I said, looking at the house. "Fire started in the kitchen. We probably have a couple of minutes before it starts out of that space."
I looked at Gina, who had swallowed, and I could see the panic in her eyes. She chewed on her cheek and started biting at her lip, a habit I remembered her doing when she was younger.
I remember when she would walk around the hallways, keeping her head down and her eyes focused, but her teeth would scrape over her low lip as she walked. Her shoulders tense, waiting for something to happen.
"We're heading there now. Is anyone inside?"
"No, the house is empty."
After Ayden said a few things, I ended the call and stuffed my phone back into my pocket. "If I go look, will you remain here?" I asked, not needing her to think she could be heroic and end up getting hurt.
"Do I have a choice?" she asked, rubbing her hands on her pants. Her fingers fidgeted as she stood, bouncing her left foot.
"No," I said, letting go of her wrist. I headed back towards the house and walked around the house towards the back. I saw smoke filling the dining room and looked at my watch. The guys would be here in a few minutes, and I hoped it was enough time.
This house had been abandoned years ago, but it was once a beautiful place. I knew that Gina's family owned it, but I didn't know the whole story about how it ended up abandoned. I was pretty sure no one in the family wanted it since they would have to travel, and the house was left alone.
I stopped near the kitchen when the windows shattered and glass flew all over the air. I quickly ducked down, pulling my hands up to shield myself.
Broken glass meant the fire was growing, and I needed to get back. I turned to head back to the front when I spotted Gina hurrying towards me.
She froze as she spotted me, and I scowled. "You listen worth shit," I hooked her arm, practically dragging her alongside me to make sure she was out of the way.
"That's because I heard glass break," she said. "You can't just leave me alone near a fire and tell me to stay put. No normal person stays put."
"No normal person walks into an abandoned house and turns the stove on," I snapped back.
"It wasn't supposed to turn on," she growled.
I stopped us a few feet away from the house near the gates and sighed. This was not how I wanted to spend my day. I knew I should have gone home and gone to bed inside to grab coffee.
But if I had...what would have happened to her? What would Gina have done if I hadn't arrived? The thought sent a cold shiver down my spine.
Gina kept her eyes on the house, and I wondered what was going on in her head. Now that we had a moment, I suddenly questioned why she was there—why she was in town.
There was no way she was given the house; even if it were abandoned, her family would never let her have it unless she was the last person.
I then heard the sound of the fire truck going, and I turned, spotting it coming down the road. I moved, waiting for the guys to pull in. Ayden quickly jumped out first, his eyes looking at the house.
"Fire in the kitchen. She turned the stove on."
Gina rolled her eyes, throwing her arms up. "Yeah, throw me under the bus, why don't you? Again, I didn't think it would turn. It was a reflex, okay."
I looked over at her. "I'm not doing that. I'm telling them what happened, Gina. Because each fire is different."
Gina turned away, and I looked back at Ayden. "It could be further than the kitchen at this point. It blew out the windows."
I stepped back as the guys moved, pulling the hose out and connecting it to the fire hydrant a few feet away behind an overgrown shrub.
The guys went in, and smoke poured out of the house as they opened the front door. I ground my teeth together. I wasn't sure what this house meant to Gina, but the thought of it burning down didn't sit right with me. The panic and fear in her voice told me it meant something.
"You're a firefighter," she asked.
I glanced at Gina, who stood a few feet from me. Her arms were crossed as she stared at me. I looked her over, making sure she was still okay. I could see she was shaking, trying to hide it. Her blue eyes looked calmer, but I could still see some concern in them.
"Yeah, I am," I said.
She gave me a single nod and looked back at the house. "Do you think it's bad? Do you think....it's completely ruined now?"
I shrugged one shoulder. "The kitchen is probably shit now. But from what I saw, it was going to need to be remodeled anyway."
Just then, I spotted Miles waving me over from the front door. I moved, crossed the yard, and hurried over towards him.
"How's it look?" I asked, looking inside. The entryway and dining room seemed fine, but I couldn't really see inside. I could smell it, though; the aftermath of a fire left a strong scent.
"Not terrible, but not great," Miles said, shaking his head. "The kitchen is fucked. The counters, the walls, and the ceiling are ruined. It's going to cost a pretty penny to get this all fixed up."
"Just the kitchen," I asked, wanting to make sure. It would suck, but a kitchen could be fixed.
"It was pretty much just the kitchen, thank god we got here quickly."
I felt a little relieved and then turned, realizing that Gina wasn't next to me. I turned back to where she had been standing, but she wasn't there.
I looked at her car, which was still here, meaning she hadn’t gone far. I hurried off the porch and scanned the front lawn, not seeing her. I then started around the house and went towards the back. Gina sat in a chair with overgrown flowers all around her.
"Hey, Miles just said that the kitchen isn't looking good, but everything else might be okay."
Her lips remained sealed, and she nodded her head. As I walked closer, I realized she had tears trailing down her face.
"Your house is going to be okay," I offered, hoping it would make her feel a little better.
She half chuckled and shook her head. "It's not my house."
"Oh," I stuffed my hands into my pocket. "I just figured… since you were here."
She licked her lips and wiped at her eyes. She sniffled and shook her head. "I mean, it should be as I'm the only living relative, and it's my family, but of course, my family sucks and wants to make my life a living hell, even in death."
I felt my stomach twist up, and she swallowed, taking a deep breath. She placed her hands together. "I can't inherit the house unless I'm married, which I'm not because everyone, including you," she pointed at me. “Have pointed out that no one would ever want me, and my life is worth nothing."
I frowned. "I never said you weren't worthy of anything, Gina."
"Didn't you?" she asked, tilting her head. "You certainly didn't make my life easy. You bullied me, humiliated me, and rejected me."
I frowned, knowing what she meant. I had been friends with her brother a lifetime ago. I only traveled down once or twice a year to see my folks, and even then, I made sure the visits were short. I didn't like being there.
"It's just a house," I offered. "It's not the end of the world."
Her face went cold. "It's not just a house, Lucas. It was everything. It was..." She stopped and looked away. But I wanted her to finish.
"It was what?"
Her eyes went cold. "It was a way for me to finally start over. It was everything I needed." She looked at the house, taking in the broken window. I could hear the guys talking inside, each discussing something that was wrong.
She ran her hands through her scalp and sighed. "So, it really doesn't matter what happened to this house. My great-grandmother, Eddy, died, and instead of giving it to me, she made it clear that I must be married to have it. So, I lied and said I was going to get married."
I scowled. "Well, that doesn't seem fair."
"My life isn't fair," she said simply. "Chris isn't going to let me have it even if the fucking kitchen is no longer usable. I'm not married, so I might as well just drive myself back home to go into a dark hole until everyone forgets about my lie."
I stared at her, feeling that tug to be near her. She was my mate, and I'd never given her anything good. I'd treated her like garbage, and I knew I was partly to blame for everything happening to her. I needed to somehow fix it.
She gripped onto her pants, her nails digging into the fabric. I felt an urge to hold her, to cradle her and tell her I'd fix it. I'd fix it all.
I stuffed my hands into my pocket and sighed. I knew how I could fix it.
"I'll marry you," I said, the words out before I could even think them over.