Chapter Six. #2
My sisters formed a chain and passed the victims off to one another as they got them out of the small alley and onto the main street.
Women and children emerged first, and then men.
It was no surprise when Sapphire and Sparrow came out last with a guy.
They were all gasping for air, and when I tried to take Sapphire’s weight, she waved me away.
Sparrow, however, took Maid’s help, and we led them out of the alley.
I stopped and helped the guy as he stumbled into a wall.
Sirens screamed as the fire department finally arrived, followed by two cop cars. Several people were lying in the street as Stitch hovered over them, aiding where she could. Obviously, she couldn’t heal them; it would raise too many questions, but she could help them breathe.
“What the fuck happened?” a uniform demanded moments later, approaching us. “Were you behind this?”
“What the hell?” I snapped as my sister’s heads all turned.
“A guy said it was arson!” the uniform continued.
“Yeah, it was, but by those assholes there!” I pointed at the hogtied gang members. Eight of them in total.
“What the hell?” the uniform exclaimed, hurrying over.
“Don’t free them!” a girl in a waitress uniform cried. “They started the fire!”
“Sapphire,” a voice I recognised said, and I turned to see Wylde crouching near Saph, a look of intense worry on his face as she hacked and spluttered.
Sapphire
Really? Wylde was in my face again?
“Detective,” I muttered and coughed hard. He rubbed my shoulder and looked around, spotting Sparrow spluttering and heaving in gulps of air.
“You, Vengeance, right? What the fuck happened?” Wylde demanded.
“We don’t know. I got a message from Sapphire saying some gang members had attacked the Mexican Hat, and she and Sparrow were inside.
As we turned the corner, we spotted four members and tackled them, tying them up so they were unable to escape.
We couldn’t get in the front, well, you can see why,” Vengeance motioned to the flames, and I nodded in agreement.
“Coming around the back, we found four more people who put up a fight. We beat their asses and realised they’d padlocked the door, we broke the chain and got people out,” Vengeance finished.
“Did everyone get out?” Wylde asked me. “Just nod, Sapphire, don’t speak.”
I nodded.
“Why isn’t she on oxygen?” Wylde demanded to see a paramedic.
“She told us to deal with the women and children first,” the guy said, changing direction and approaching.
“She is a fuckin’ woman!” Wylde exclaimed. The paramedic nodded and went to put a mask on my face, but I pushed him towards Sparrow. She needed it more, and Stitch couldn’t help us right now.
“Jesus,” Wylde cursed and disappeared. He was back moments later with an oxygen tank and a mask. Before I could argue, he fitted it over my face, and I drew in a beautiful lungful of fresh air and promptly choked again.
“There are more ambulances on the way; everyone here needs to get to the hospital,” the paramedic said as he passed us carrying the toddler Sparrow had saved. Her mother raced behind her, tears streaking her dirty face. She spotted Sparrow and then froze before rushing over and hugging her.
“If it weren’t for you, Ruby would have died. I can’t thank you enough; you saved her life,” she gushed before racing after her daughter.
“They were the last out with Warrick,” another cop announced, approaching and pointing at Sparrow and me.
“Thanks, partner. How is Warrick?” Wylde asked as he held the mask over my face and captured my gaze.
“The same as these two and refusing aid until everyone else is cleared. I’m going to take him in my car to the ER,” the cop said.
“Cassidy, take these two as well; they need help urgently,” Wylde stated as he rose to his feet. Before I knew what was happening, he bent down and swung me up into his arms.
“Hayden, put me down!” I yelled in shock.
“Shut up, woman. For once, do as you’re told!” Wylde snapped and, carrying me in his arms, began marching away.
I gazed over his shoulder at Vengeance, who looked uncertain before she began to laugh. I glared at her as Cassidy bent and grabbed Sparrow. Unlike me, Sparrow curled into his arms like a purring kitten. Slut!
“Wylde!”
“Oh no, Sapphire, you called me Hayden; that’s not something I’m forgetting anytime soon,” Wylde chided as I leaned my head on his shoulder. I didn’t feel up to arguing with him as I fought not to cough up a lung.
As much as I was coughing, I couldn’t help but take in his broad shoulders and the strength in his arms. I was also highly aware of the muscles in my chest, my body cradled against. Wylde—not Hayden—carried me over to his car, and someone in the back shoved open the door.
The guy who’d tried kicking the door in stared back at me, amused as Wylde carefully dumped me into the rear seat.
“Nice,” he murmured and coughed hard.
Wylde leaned in. “Do as you’re told and don’t cause Cassidy any issues; he’s got enough problems with his hardheaded brother.” Wylde sent the guy next to me a dark look.
“Bull,” the guy muttered.
“Fuckin’ firemen. Think they’re invincible. Warrick, do as you're told,” Wylde ordered.
I chuckled, which was a mistake, as a coughing fit wracked my body.
Wylde shoved the oxygen mask back over my face. “Keep it there.”
“He’s a bossy ass, always has been,” Warrick said through his own breathing mask. Sparrow was deposited carefully in the passenger seat, and I glowered. How come she got to sit up front? Cassidy climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Stay with the three of them, Cassidy. I’ll cover here. The captain will be okay when he realises Warrick was involved. Family comes first.” Wylde nodded at Cassidy and banged on the roof of the car, and Cassidy pulled away.
“You’ve known him long?” I asked Warrick after several minutes of silence.
“Yeah, since I was a kid. He’s an asshole but a good one,” Warrick complained as his brother laughed in the front seat.
“You’re just pissed because we’re making you get medical attention. You know as well as I do, soot in your lungs can kill. That fire was spilling toxins all over. Something was seriously wrong with it,” Cassidy retorted.
“It went up too quickly,” Sparrow stated.
“It did?” Cassidy asked.
“Arson, bro, no doubt about it, and I think the front was primed with accelerant. She’s right; it caught far too quickly for it to be natural,” Warrick said.
“Sparrow, my name’s Sparrow,” Sparrow retorted and coughed. I sat forward and gripped her shoulder as she succumbed to a long coughing fit. Cassidy clearly didn’t like what he heard, hit the sirens, and put his foot down.
“Keep that mask over her face,” he ordered as he blew through traffic.
I had no intention of removing it. One-handed, I typed a message to Stitch ordering her to the hospital. I didn’t get a reply, so I guessed she was already on her way. Sparrow seemed worse than Warrick and me, and I wondered if it was because she’d been closer to whatever accelerant had been used.
Sparrow coughed, removed her mask, grabbed some tissues and hacked something black into them. I exchanged a worried glance with my VP as I replaced her mask.
“Stay calm, Stitch is coming,” I murmured. Sparrow nodded, but I knew she was in pain and possibly starting to panic.
Cassidy pulled into the ER slot for ambos and hurried around to Sparrow’s side. Two nurses rushed out with gurneys, placed Sparrow on them, and raced away with her. I was trying to get out when Cassidy swooped me up and carried me inside.
“Got two more. These were closest to the fire and also the last ones out. They’re both hacking up lungs,” Cassidy announced as he approached a nurse.
“Bays eleven and twelve are free, put them in those,” the nurse said as Cassidy nodded. He stomped off, and I struggled to get down.
“Don’t fight me, Sapphire, I’m not nice like Wylde. I will dump you on your ass and watch you crawl to the bay,” Cassidy warned, and I scowled.
He placed me in twelve and went to help Warrick into eleven. A nurse bustled into my room and began taking my stats. She removed the mask that Wylde had given me and placed me in a hospital one.
“My sister, Sparrow, came in with us,” I said.
“She’s being tended to; we’re clearing her lungs, which are full of soot. She has a doctor with her. Now, do you have any burns or injuries?”
“I need to see Sparrow.”
“No, you don’t. You need to stay here and let us work. Otherwise, you’ll get in our way.” The bitch repeated her first question, and I shook my head as she began asking the normal questions: name, age, address, and so on.
Meanwhile, I kept looking for Sparrow and only relaxed when the nurse pulled a curtain aside and I could see she was in the bay next to me.
Minutes later, Stitch arrived and entered Sparrow’s bay and sat holding her hand as a doctor checked her over.
Great, everything would be okay now that Stitch was here.
I closed my eyes and let tiredness sweep over me.
Damn, what a long-assed day this had been.