Chapter 8
ASHER
God bless the chief, who let me change up my shifts on such short notice to see Laura.
Weekends with her are only the beginning.
Soon, I’ll put a ring on her finger, and I’ll see her at home every time I get off a shift.
My heart swells in expectation at the thought.
I’m already looking into wedding rings, and I hope to God she won’t think it’s too early.
It is early, I know, and my co-workers have already teased me to no end when I mentioned this. No matter. I’ve never felt anything of the sort. Never been this obsessed, this amazed at a woman. There’s no point in losing any more time.
And I did the math. I’ve saved enough to take over her loans. When she comes to live with me, she can dedicate herself entirely to her music. No woman of mine will be forced to work a nine-to-five job she hates. I want to make her happy, and she will be happy in every area of her life.
“Shit, you are head over heels, eh?”
I look up to find one of my co-workers, Edward, grinning at me. Arching an eyebrow, I smile back. “What gave me away?”
We’re in the gym inside the station. Firefighters have to exercise every day to make sure no one will suffer from our lack of stamina.
I had been pulling some weights when Edward walked in, and he points at the phone I propped up on the bench next to me.
“You finished your set some five minutes ago.”
I look down at my phone, and he’s right. The set’s over. I chuckle, putting the weight down. “Guilty. Can’t get her out of my mind.”
“Can’t wait to meet her,” he replies, and as he closes his mouth, someone knocks on the door.
I raise my head to find the chief opening the door into the gym. He meets my eyes and juts a thumb over his shoulder. “There’s a John Kim in the office for you.”
Kim? What is he doing here? I get to my feet, grab my towel to wipe off my sweat, and head to the office. Kim’s pacing back and forth, a phone in his clutch. Did something happen? Shit, did something happen to Laura? My heart races, the adrenaline of having to save her igniting my blood.
“Kim?” I call out. “Everything alright?”
He turns to me, and I see pure wrath in his eyes. They burn when he pulls his elbow back, and his hand closes in a fist. Time slows down as I frown. Is he trying to punch me?
Kim’s hand comes at me, but I dodge easily. He moves again, but I move away and reach up to grip his wrist. Easy now, Asher. You don’t want to break his bones. He might be an ass, but he’s still Laura’s father.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I ask him, shoving him off.
He stumbles back and bares his teeth at me. “You fucking ruined my daughter!”
I scowl. “Ruined her?” She looked amazing last I saw her. He shoves the phone in my face. I blink and step away so I can read the screen. My brows drop in a deeper scowl when I see what’s there. “You’ve been reading our messages?”
“She’s my fucking daughter, Grant. She’s the heir of a family with a good name. Do you have any idea what you just did when you fucked her? You ruined her future. She could have gotten married to a nice, rich husband who would care for her, and now she’s fucking ruined.”
“What are you talking about, Kim?”
“Who will want a girl like her? A girl who can’t control her urges, a slut...”
The second the word leaves his mouth, my body moves on its own.
And I know I shouldn’t; Kim’s smaller than me, weaker than me, but I have no choice.
I punch him so hard that he flies off against the desk, toppling over it.
He grunts as he comes back up, fire in his pupils. I close my hands into fists.
“Don’t you fucking dare call her that,” I roar, ready to punch him again and again until he learns his lesson. “You’ve already mistreated her her entire life. Don’t you fucking dare.”
He bares his teeth at me, and I know he won’t pull back. Kim readies to make another move when the alarms of the station blare above us. The hatred slips off, and the sense of urgency takes over. I point a finger right at Kim’s face.
“This isn’t over,” I roar.
“It definitely isn’t,” he says back, but he doesn’t stop me when I move away from the office.
We were like well-oiled machines here. Everyone trained hard, and we all keep on our toes. We know that every second matters when it comes to saving lives. I put on my jacket and pick up my protection gear, then move to the fire engine, already raring to go.
“Where?” I ask Edward as he joins me. Kim’s walking out of the station at the same time, a glower on his face.
“A three-story office building on Magnolia Street.”
My heart sinks. I whirl around to Kim and from the look on his face, he heard it. He races to his car, parked outside, and I jump on the fire engine, fear flooding my veins. It’s the building she works at. Is she safe?
The drive takes two minutes, but they’re the longest two minutes of my existence. My jaw clenched, I’m ready to jump from the engine the second we park and look for her.
We stop by the curb, Kim’s car parking right behind us. He jumps from his car at the same time I do, and we look up at the building in unison.
Fire escapes the window on the third floor, the glass shatters from the heat. Smoke billows out, black smoke, the kind that poisons your lungs. I race for the people gathered on the sidewalk, combing the crowd.
She’s not here.
Kim joins me, reaching for a girl with wide eyes. “Where is Laura?”
She shakes her head, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. “I don’t know. Jeff saw the fire when he went for a smoke break. She hasn’t come out.”
I dart into the building. My coworkers scream for me, but I don’t stop.
Putting my helmet on, I know every second matters now.
My steps make the floorboards creak as I rush into the smoke.
It already takes the second floor, seeping through the boards.
It’s hot as hell when I approach the stairs that take me to the third floor.
Thoughts swim in my head, and I curse myself for not insisting Kim should have sprinklers, extinguishers, fucking anything.
I can’t bear the possibility of losing her. She can’t die. Fuck, she can’t die like this.
The door is closed, and I reach for the knob.
With my gloves, they won’t burn me even being metal.
I turn it and twist it, but the door doesn’t open.
Fucking locked. Theories flood my brain.
Kim saw Laura messaging me, got angry, locked her in, and went after me.
It’s the logical explanation. He never expected a fire would start in the building.
Rage tries to take over, but the urgency of it drowns it out. I need to see her; I need to make sure she’s fine. Reaching for the ax I carry, I hack at the door. It comes apart easily, and I shove inside the room, squinting at the smoke to look for her.
The heat here is unbearable. Even with my gear, it makes sweat lick down my back and concentrate on the nape of my neck. The heavy smoke makes it hard to see, but I don’t need to take a step into the room to find her.
Laura lies down on the ground, covering her face. I kneel next to her and turn her over. Is she awake? Please, let her be awake. She doesn’t respond when I touch her, her eyes closed as tears race down the sides of her face. The sight is so painful I think I might die on the spot.
Please, God. Please. Don’t take her.
I pick her up, cradling her against my chest so she won’t inhale as much smoke.
Taking the stairs two on two, I reach the second floor, then make my way to the exit in seconds.
Thank God I’ve been here before. Thank God I remember the layout.
Water pours through the windows just as I leave the building.
Kim’s there, reaching for me as I exit. “Is she alright?” And there’s a desperate quality of worry across his face, regret making him bunch his brows.
I can’t answer. I can’t lie and tell him she’s fine when I don’t know.
So, I stride to the ambulance that has just parked and put Laura down on the stretcher.
Pulling my helmet off, I’m able to see her face in daylight.
Soot covers her cheeks and her legs, and her parted lips don’t reveal any breath.
My heart shatters. Overwhelming pain is all I feel as the paramedics rush her into the ambulance. Kim joins them as I stay there, frozen and broken, and they drive off to the hospital. Fear, greater than anything I’ve ever felt, rushes into my veins.
She can’t be dead. Can she?