“Mmmmm,” I growl. Not happy that she got hurt at all, but I guess I can't pick a fight with nature.
“Victoria found us, maybe ten minutes later, and she helped me back to the car. I was the one who insisted we keep looking around for the day. Jovie was so excited, and I didn't want to ruin it for her, so I just pushed through,” she sighs, closing her eyes and slumping her shoulders.
“Whereexactlyare you hurt?” Looking her over, I can see an old dirt smear on her hip and thigh. Between the bruise she will have from the fall and the remnants of the stinging nettle rash on her hand, I'm going to have to bubble wrap her so she stops getting hurt when I'm not around.
“Just my leg, but don’t make a big deal about it in front of Jovie. I don’t want her to feel bad about spending the day out.” She says, nodding her head at a smiling Jovie walking back to us.
“Kevin said he's going to make us his Christmas pizza for dinner, but then he asked if I like fish, so I don't really know what we're having.” Taking a seat next to Brynn, she pulls out a candle from the shopping bag Victoria must have left before talking a mile a minute about everything they did that day. “Actually, Mom. Can I go and try on my new cardigan and putthe candle up? That black dress I have, I think it will look cool together.”
“If you're not back in five minutes, I'm going to unleash the hound on you,” Brynn says, nodding at me. Am I the hound?Did she just call me a dog?Oh baby, paybacks gonna be a bitch.
“I'm going to get your mom a couple of painkillers for her leg. Timer starts now, kid, five minutes… and maybe I’ll check on our mystery fish pizza.” Watching Jovie push open the staff only door, disappearing as it swings shut.
Surely he just meant anchovies, not that a kid would be happy about eating them anyway. Pulling out the first aid kit from under the bar, I walk to the kitchen window, ducking my head inside it.
“Hey, Kev, you seriously putting fish on a pizza?” I call out. Laughter rings out as the kitchen staff keep preparing meals.
“Don't worry about it. I promise the kid will like it.”
I get the faint hint of burning coming from the kitchen, not an uncommon smell depending on what they're cooking. Ducking my head back, I expect the smell to fade, but the acrid smell only gets stronger. Standing at least a foot taller than most people, no one else seems to notice the burnt air. Looking back at the kitchen and over the floor, everyone is completely oblivious, and I shake off the feeling that I'm missing something. My senses clearly thrown off kilter.
Just as I'm about to round the end of the bar, the staff door flings open, Sarah spilling onto the floor in front of me, coughing and spluttering.
“Fire! I couldn't… I couldn't put it out!”
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 12 - BRYNN
Injuries be damned.
The moment I hear fire, I leap to my feet and rush past Sarah, ignoring Grizz roaring my name. I can barely make out his voice because my mind is screaming so much louder.
Find Jovie!
Where is Jovie!
Nothing else matters as I shove through the staff door and out into the loading bay, heat and smoke slapping me in the face. It shocks me for a second and I gasp, sucking in a breath of thick, putrid smog. It claws at my throat and I cough hard, fighting a wave of vomit but continuing to stumble toward the stairs.
“Fuck!” Grizz curses behind me, followed by pounding boots and chaos. “Call the boys! Kev, grab the extinguisher!”
One step at a time, I pound up the staircase. “Jovie!” I cry out, but my voice is raw, eaten up by smoke. Still, I try again, louder. “Jovie!”
The smoke billows in toxic black clouds, curling toward the ceiling as the fire grows stronger. The landing at the top of the staircase is already swallowed within the thick haze, and withthe door to the apartment wide open, I already know it’s going to be less than minutes before the air in there is unbreathable.
An arm clamps around me, forcing me closer to the ground.
“Cover your mouth with your shirt, and crouch down,” Grizz growls into my ear. He stabs his finger at the bathroom that’s across the room, the door closed. “You check there, I’ll get the bedroom.”
He doesn’t wait, rushing forward without hesitation, while I scamper to the bathroom with my shirt covering my face and tear the door open.
“Jovie? You here? Jovie!”
The smoke stings my eyes, tears already dripping down onto my cheeks, but with a quick scan of the small space, I’m sure it’s empty. “Jo—” Her name gets stuck in my throat and I cough, my knees hitting the floor. “Jovi?—”
“I’ve got her!” Grizz bursts from the hallway, Jovie with her arms wrapped suffocatingly around his neck, her face buried in his long hair that’s now flowing like a lions mane. “Brynn, we gotta go!”
I nod, unable to get any words out, but surging to my feet and leading the way. Grizz is on my heels, the two of us staggering out onto the landing. He yanks the apartment door shut behind him, and presses a steadying hand to my back, moving me toward the stairs.
