Fuck.
Heart in my throat, I broke into a sprint toward the main door. Halfway there, I pressed the button on the side of the mic connected to my radio. “Team four entering the west corridor. Possible trapped victim, copy?”
“Stand down, Lawrence,” the chief responded.
I ignored her. I was breaking every protocol in the book and I’d probably be suspended, but if Evie had gone to pump, there was a real possibility she was trapped. The heat from the fire would only make the old door swell more, and if the other teams didn’t know where to look, it wasn’t likely they’d find her in time.
Inside, I had zero visibility. With my supplemental oxygen flowing, the mechanical sound of my breathing grounded me. I focused on the rhythm as I navigated the building.
Crouching low, I brought my right hand to the wall, using it to keep myself going the correct way, then headed toward the marketing department.
“Evie,” I shouted. “Call out.”
The radio crackled, the sound nearly ear-piercing. “Primary search—first floor clear.” Martin’s voice was confident and smooth. I’d always been just as levelheaded, focusing on the emergency and tuning out the noise. But knowing there was a good chance Evie was here, I couldn’t access my calm.
The exit signs flickered as I crawled toward the back hallway, past the open-plan offices, dodging falling ceiling tiles, my flashlight keeping me steady.
“Evie,” I shouted again as I passed the maze of cubicles.
She’d looked so damn pretty a few weeks back when Vincent and I had shown up here to surprise her. Her cheeks had flushed when she saw us, making her glow.
“Primary search,” Martin said. “Office side clear.”
“Pull back,” Chief commanded. “Heavy fire overhead.”
Keeping pace, I moved toward the doors lining the back corridor. As I approached each one, I tested the knobs with a gloved hand. The first opened into bathroom. The second was filled with files.
The smoke thickened as I reached the back of the hallway, the air no doubt acrid and full of plastic and insulation fumes. If not for my SCBA, my lungs would be burning. At the last door, I grasped the knob and pushed, but it didn’t budge.
Shit, this had to be it.
“Evie,” I screamed, banging on the door.
A faint cry sounded on the other side.
“Victim located,” I radioed. “Southeast corner. Breaching the door now.”
Halligan in hand, adrenaline pumping through me, I stood. I used the tool to pop the latch of the door. once, then twice. With a third blow, I had it. The door was still stuck, but I put all my weight into it, ramming it with my shoulder. It was swollen badly, but I wouldn’t give up. Eventually it groaned and smoke poured out.
Quickly I dropped low and swept the room with my flashlight.
When the beam passed over a figure, my stomach lurched.
There she was. In the corner on the ground, fallen ceiling tiles piled up between us. She was crumpled against the far wall, one arm overhead, her eyes open but glassy.
She didn’t move, as if she couldn’t see me or wasn’t with it enough to register what was happening. As I crawled to her, she coughed and gasped.
The sound made my already racing heart take off even faster. It would take time to get out of the building, so I had to be strategic about my exit plan.
“Hey, I’ve got you.” I removed my glove and pressed two fingers to her neck, searching for her pulse. It was thready, but she was okay. For now.
Her lips moved, like she was speaking to me.
“Don’t talk,” I commanded.
A firefighter should never remove their mask. That was the first rule of the trade. Especially in a structure fire. Because I couldn’t save anyone if I couldn’t breathe.
But this was not a normal fire. Nor was it a normal rescue. And it gutted me, watching her struggle for air.
