ChapterTwenty-Eight
Jake
“Cassie!” I called out desperately as I got closer to the doors.
The heat from the fire was scorching. I could feel the hairs on my chest getting singed, but I didn’t give a fuck. My daughter was in there, and there was no way I wasn’t getting her out. With my years of training kicking in, I was barking orders before I even realized I was doing it.
Sawyer and Nash were manning the hoses while Kellie was already calling for backup. This place was a fucking tinder box just waiting to go up in smoke, and I didn’t give a flying fuck if it did, but I was saving Cassie.
Lifting my forearm to my eyes, I tried to see through the smoke, but everything was hazy. Wishing I’d put on a shirt or had something to help me breathe, I took a deep breath.
“Jake, wait till the firemen get here,” Sawyer begged, but he already knew I wouldn’t. I wasn’t waiting.
Another deep breath and I threw myself through the flames into the middle of the smoke-filled barn.
The noise was horrific. From the crackling of the wood where the fire took hold to the desperate braying of the horses trapped in their stalls, and Gladiator’s low bellow.
“Cassie,” I called again as I raced over to the stalls and unlatched the gates. The horses, thankfully, were smart enough to get themselves moving.
Grabbing the dirty towel hanging on the fence, I draped it over my head and moved toward Gladiator’s pen, hoping that’s where my baby girl was safely hiding.
Once this was over, and she was safe, she and I were going to have to have a chat about that damn bull. Knowing she was in here, knowing the roof could come down any second, trapping us inside, had me scrambling double-time.
Coughing, I knew time was running out. The smoke was getting thicker and the air hotter.
“Cassie!” I called again as I reached the gate to Gladiator’s pen.
“Jake!” I heard my name wailed, and I hoped someone was holding Kellie back. The last thing I needed was her in here too. Having half of my heart trapped inside a burning building was hard enough, but worrying about the other half coming looking for us wasn’t something I could deal with right now. I needed to think, focus, and get this done. I might have spent the last couple of months playing rancher, but deep down inside, I was a trained, experienced firefighter who’d been in this situation before.
Fumbling with the latch, I managed to get it undone, only to have Gladiator headbutt me in the chest.
“It’s okay, boy,” I tried to soothe him as I coughed.
But it wasn’t my cough that worried me. Beyond Gladiator's bulk, I saw a flash of pink cowering in the corner.
“Cassie,” I called again, this time softer, and I saw her head pop up, her eyes searching.
As I tried to step around the beast, he blocked my way.
“Move,” I growled at him, shoving my shoulder into him, not budging him an inch. When I tried again, he swung his head in my direction, his horns getting awfully close to causing damage.
“Come on! Move!” I pleaded before crouching down and looking over to where Cassie was squished in the corner, terrified. “Cass. Sweetheart. Can you crawl over here?” I tried to encourage.
From somewhere I couldn’t see, I heard my name being called.
“I’m fine,” I replied. “I’ve found Cassie. We’ll be out in a minute,” I promised, hoping and praying it was a promise I could keep.
“Daddy?” Cassie’s beautiful voice replied, followed by a coughing fit.
“It’s me, princess. I’m going to get you out of here.”
“What about Gladiator?” she worried, and I watched as she stumbled to her feet.
“He’s coming too,” I told her, hoping the stubborn stack of steak was smart enough to follow us out the door because I didn’t have time to fuck around with his stubborn ass.
A loud crack sounded just as Cassie ducked under Gladiator’s neck and threw herself recklessly into my arms. I breathed out a sigh of relief. We weren’t safe by any means, but now she was with me, and we had a fighting chance. One we had to get on with.
“Jake! The fucking thing is coming down. Get out!” Sawyer’s booming voice echoed through the smoky barn.
