Chapter 31 #2
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Harrison said, rounding his truck.
Glass shattered above and another, smaller fireball erupted. The shattered pieces rained down onto the ground at the foot of the building.
“I’m going in to find Dash,” Emerson replied calmly.
“You’re an investigator now, not fire and rescue!”
“Did that stop you when it was Raimy?” Emerson barked, eyes wide.
Harrison growled with anger before answering, “No.”
His brother stormed off, leaving him to slide into his protective coat alone. After snagging his oxygen tank, mask, gloves, and helmet, Harrison returned. He clipped a radio onto Emerson’s waistband and attached the walkie to his collar.
“You ran out without communication, asshole,” Harrison muttered, snatching Emerson’s oxygen tank from him.
His brother helped him slide into it.
“You better make it out of there in one piece,” Harrison said, switching on the oxygen while Emerson pulled on his gloves.
Harrison shoved an axe into his chest. “Or I’ll kill you myself.”
“Calm your tits.”
Emerson grasped the axe handle and ran towards the outside exit doors to the emergency stairs to the left of the front entrance.
Pulling on his mask and helmet, he passed a group of firefighters dragging a hose into place to attack the fire from outside the building.
Just before he rushed in, Emerson heard his father screaming his name behind him.
Ignoring it, he kept going, working his way past a trio of men rushing to get outside.
He took the stairs two at a time all the way up to the fourth floor.
Bursting out into the hall, he found shattered glass lying everywhere.
Most of the walls of Keller Security were gone or left in pieces, making it harder to see the layout.
The ceiling above raged with flames. Bits and chunks of the ceiling dropped to the floor, engulfed.
Emerson pulled off his mask and roared, “Dash!”
He walked deeper towards where Dash’s office should’ve been and screamed his mate’s name again.
“Help!”
Emerson was almost sure it had been Dash’s voice he’d heard.
He raced towards it, dodging a structural support in flames.
At the back of the workspace, he found Jackson, Mason, and Dash trying to lift a beam.
Coming around, he saw a barely conscious Eliott trapped under it.
He snaked an arm under the beam and helped lift it a few more inches.
“Can you pull him out!” Emerson yelled over the flames, eyeing Dash.
Dash carefully let go. Emerson felt the beam give a little without his mate’s strength under it. Pushing to lift it again, Emerson’s body trembled. Dash dove for Eliott.
Emerson turned to Jackson who appeared to be straining under the weight of the beam. Mason on the other side looked as if in pain.
“Lift it higher!” Dash screamed.
Emerson glanced down at his mate’s wide-eyed panic.
Neither Jackson nor Mason had anything left to give.
He moved his shoulder below the beam, adjusted one hand into a better position, and pushed with everything he had in him.
The beam rose another inch or so. He roared, his body struggling and shaking under the weighty load.
“Got him!” Dash screamed.
Emerson moved himself from underneath and nodded to Jackson and Mason to lower it. As soon as they were all free, Emerson knelt and checked Eliott over quickly, not seeing anything major. Eliott looked up at him dazed, struggling to breathe.
“You’re going to be okay.” Emerson pulled off his oxygen mask and covered the omega’s face with it. He carefully lifted Eliott into his arms and spun to face the others.
“Let’s go!”
Jackson and Mason spun and raced ahead, dodging falling debris. Dash seemed frozen, though, eyeing Emerson.
“Go!” Emerson barked.
Dash immediately turned and trailed the other men out, Emerson taking up the rear.
They ducked more falling debris engulfed with flames.
Jackson held the doors to the emergency stairs open for Emerson to carry Eliott through.
Together, the four of them raced down the four flights and out into the fresh air—and organized chaos.
Striding straight past his father and twin to the triage tent, Dash laid Eliott onto a stretcher an EMT rolled his way. He pulled his mask off Eliott and backed up, allowing the EMTs to work. “He was pinned under a beam. There could be internal injuries.”
“Got it,” one of the EMTs said.
Emerson spun to find Dash, Mason, and Jackson approaching slowly, all coughing to clear their lungs. He surveyed his mate. Besides what looked like minor cuts and burns—Dash appeared relatively undamaged—but he’d still insist on a full check.
“Did you find Randall?” Jackson asked, leaning over and holding onto his knees. “Is he okay?”
“He was getting checked by an EMT when I went in. How did he get out?” Emerson asked.
“I carried him,” Jackson said before coughing again. “Dash and Mason stayed to look for Eliott. Randall’s vitals were stable, so I went back up to help, hoping he’d be alright.”
“Thanks for getting him out,” Emerson murmured, eyeing Jackson. “And going back to help Dash.”
Jackson rose to his full height and shrugged. “No problem.”
“You should get checked,” Emerson said to Jackson, waving an EMT over.
Mason was already being directed by another first responder and led away. Emerson turned towards Dash, grateful that his mate had made it out in one piece. He smiled, wishing that he could drag the man into arms and hold on tight.
“You, too. You need to get checked.”
Dash coughed, the sound raw. “I’m fine.”
“You’ve got cuts and burns.” He paused as Dash coughed a few more times. “And you need some oxygen.”
Dash shook his head. “There are others who need help more than me.”
“You are so mule-head—”
Emerson didn’t get a chance to finish his scolding. Dash’s eyes fell closed and he collapsed. Emerson raced forward and caught him before he hit the ground. When he’d said he’d wanted to drag the man into his arms, that hadn’t been the way he’d wanted it to happen.
After flinging off his helmet, he checked Dash’s vitals. He struggled to breathe as he realized Dash was in full cardiac arrest.
He ripped open Dash’s shirt and immediately began compressions, staring down at the face of the man he loved, begging him to open his eyes and breathe.
“Medic!”