The heat is blistering. Every step toward the doorway is like stepping closer to the sun. Flames lick the ceiling tiles, racing across them in frantic orange veins. Smoke curls down like a living thing, clawing at my throat.
Cole lowers his head and charges through it.
I cling to him, arms around his neck, hair singeing at the ends from the heat. He shields my bump with his body, turning so the flames catch his back instead of mine.
A roar shakes the building—a deeper explosion from somewhere below.
‘Shit.’ I gasp.
‘Hold on to me.’ He coughs, kicking debris out of the way with sharp, brutal movements. The corridor is a tunnel of smoke and flickering hellish light. My eyes sting so badly I can hardly keep them open.
‘Cole—your jacket—’ It’s smouldering at the shoulder.
‘Doesn’t matter,’ he growls, gripping me tighter.
We reach the stairwell. The railing is hot to the touch; the air is thick and violent. The entire building groans.
‘Cole—please—’ I can’t even form the sentence. I’m terrified the next breath will be my last.
He presses a kiss to the side of my head—quick, fierce, desperate.
‘I’m getting you out of here. I swear to God, Zara, you and Tierney.’
He descends the stairs two at a time, half-sliding, half-running, using his body to shield me from falling embers, coughing violently with every inhale. A section of ceiling collapses behind us with a thunderous crash.
‘Don’t look back,’ he orders.
I don’t. I can’t.
The ground floor is worse—windows blown out, flames tearing up the reception desk, smoke rolling in choking waves. For one terrifying second, I think we’re trapped.
Cole adjusts his grip on me.
‘Close your eyes.’
I do.
He lowers his shoulder andramsthe warped front door. It gives after the second hit, and a rush of cold air slams into us.
I gasp.
Fresh air.
Real air.
He stumbles forward onto the pavement, still carrying me, still shielding my bump with his whole body. People scream. Sirens blare. Firefighters shout instructions. The world is a blur of flashing lights, smoke, chaos.
But we’re out.
We’reout.
I suck in a lungful of clean air and choke on a sob.
And then?—
Brakes screech.
Doors slam.
