“You can’t go in there!” the firefighter hollered.
Someone was running toward the blazing building. A woman... a flash of a red ponytail... “Jade!” Seb sped toward her.
A firefighter moved to block him. “Mister, you have to stay back.”
Seb tried to dodge him.
“Hey!” He grabbed him by the shoulders. “I said stay back.”
“Didn’t you see her run in there?”
“Yeah. Don’t you be stupid too.” Sweat dripped off his brow, his respirator hanging to one side. “It’s not safe. The building’s lost.”
No... “You have to go after her.”
“I’m sorry, mister, I can’t. You can’t either.” The guy looked barely older than Tyler.
When Seb tried moving again, the kid shoved him back. “I’ll get a cop over here if you don’t stop interfering.”
He had no choice but to give in. Everyone, everything was moving in slow motion now as terror engulfed him.Why, Jade? Why?
* * *
Smoke crawled down Jade’s throat, her skin searing hot. Thoughts jumbled through her mind as she tried to see through the haze. Yeah, she’d made a dumb decision. A really dumb one. But she didn’t care. All she wanted was to find the baby.
A beam crashed to the ground behind her. Fire crackled everywhere. And by some miracle, she heard wailing. She ran toward the sound and saw the crib. Scooped up the infant. Held it to her chest and dashed toward the exit.
The red haze and burning heat gave way to cold, breathable air. Jade gasped as people descended upon her. Someone took the baby from her. Another guided her away from the fire. A third appeared in front of her.
Sebastian.Thank God.
“Sir, we need to check her out,” a calm female voice said.
“Is the baby okay?” Jade was surprised at how raspy she sounded.
“Yes,” he said, still in front of her. He cupped her face in his hands. “Because of you.”
Jade touched his cheek and smiled.
“Sir.” The woman to her left was more forceful. “I have to take her to the ambulance.”
He nodded, his hands slowly falling away. “I’m going with you.”
She wouldn’t have it any other way.
* * *
“Thanks for letting Jade spend the night,” Seb said.
Evelyn Margot handed him a cup of black coffee. “I’m glad she agreed to stay.”
While the paramedics had looked Jade over, he called Evelyn and asked if they could come to her apartment. After what had happened, he didn’t want her to be alone. Of course Evelyn agreed. When they arrived, she had fresh clothes and a warm towel at the ready. “You can shower in there,” she told Jade, pointing to the bathroom down the hall. Jade had resisted but not too much.
Seb ignored the coffee, still trying to grasp the reality thatJade had survived. He didn’t know how. When he saw the beam crash inside the building, he was sure she was gone. Even now the anguish still lingered. And the fear—the bone-chilling fear he felt when he thought she was dead. Other than mild smoke inhalation, she was unscathed. If she hadn’t come out of the building as fast as she did—
“Hey.” Evelyn sat down on her bright blue papasan chair. “She’s going to be fine.”
“I know.”
