“Are you okay? Can you walk?”
I nodded, too dizzy to answer, then stumbled. Austin scooped me up, pressing my face into his shoulder. Relief washed over me as we cleared the doorway, and a loud crack came from behind us. The swirling heat still burned my skin as the fire roared into an inferno. The night sky was bright with orange smoke and flame. The night air hit like ice. I gasped, coughing, eyes streaming.
Austin had come for me.My heart yelled loud enough for my mind to hear. I knew Austin loved me, but enough to run through fire for me? That was love.
“Palmer!” Austin shouted. “Harold’s still in there!”
The sheriff sprinted past with two deputies. Austin set me down, then turned back toward the blaze.
“Austin, no, don’t!” I tried, but he was already gone. He’d rescued me and then run back into the fire for Harold. The barn snapped and popped as the flames engulfed it. Years of neglect had created the perfect recipe for a tiny flame to erupt into destruction.
The seconds dragged. No Austin. A lifetime flashed before me as I waited for him to come back out. A deputy came out coughing and collapsed onto all fours. Beams cracked and splintered, shooting sparks that rained down. The barn started to roar. And in an instant, the world shrank to firelight and the sound of my own heartbeat as the barn collapsed, the roof giving way in a thunderclap of wood and flame.
The silence after the collapse was unbearable.
I couldn’t breathe. I waited for him to come running out, but nothing.He’s gone. He’s really gone.
Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes as I knelt on the grass just a few yards away.
Flashes of red and blue lit the barn in strobing color. The lights fought for attention against the flames. An ambulance. Kyle, the town paramedic, ran toward me.
“Austin and Palmer are still in there,” I rasped.
“A fire truck is on its way. We saw the flames from the road. They aren’t too far behind,” Kyle said as he took my pulse and draped me in a blanket, even though the fire was keeping me warm on its own.
Then, through the burning smoke and haze, a shadow moved. “Austin,” I whispered as he stumbled out, coughing, soot-black, Harold slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Palmer followed behind him, half-bent, waving off falling embers.
Austin dropped to his knees, placing Harold on the ground. “He’s alive,” he rasped, his voice shredded. A few men ran to Harold, and a few ran to Palmer, who was doubled over.
I stumbled to Austin, despite Kyle calling my name, and threw my arms around him. I didn’t care that we were both shaking. I only cared that he was back in my arms. “You went back,” I whispered.
“Couldn’t leave him,” he managed, a ghost of a smile behind the soot. “Couldn’t leave you either.”
Sirens cut through the dark. Fire trucks roared up the lane. Neighbors poured in. Mason and Levi grabbed hoses, Sue was in her pajamas, Cassie appeared barefoot with blankets. Everwood had come running.
By the time the last flames sank to steam, Palmer’s deputies were hauling Harold, handcuffed, soot-streaked, and silent, toward a waiting ambulance. The sheriff’s radio crackled. “We got another one,” someone said.
Palmer frowned, listening, then turned toward the road. “Looks like Harold’s ride didn’t make it far.”
Down at the gate, red and blue lights strobed against the trees. A deputy radioed in. “Looks like Arnie and Harold thought they were going somewhere. A duffel bag with cash, a phone, spare plates.”
Palmer’s mouth flattened. “The getaway car. Should’ve known.”
Minutes later, Austin’s phone rang. “Adams,” he answered, his mouth tightening. Fury flashed in his eyes. “Yeah, I kind of figured. Harold tried to kill Milly tonight. Just got the fire out.” There was a loud murmur from the phone, and Austin pulled it slightly away from his ear. “I know. I’ll handle things on this end. If you could send me the file and take care of things on your end, we can get them locked up for a long time.” Austin looked at me and winked. He ended the call, tapped his phone a few times, then growled in anger.
“Here’s what Reaper found. He said if you needed anything, to call him directly, and he’d come out here to help.” Austin handed Palmer his phone. Reaper’s message glowed on the screen, emails, bank transfers, and text logs.
Message: Once Milly’s gone, you’ll get your cut.
Palmer shook his head. “I’ll need you to send me that as soon as you two get some rest.” Then he shook his head again.
“I’ll do that,” Austin said, frowning.
“I’m glad you’re okay, Milly.” Palmer clapped Austin on the shoulder. “She’s a keeper.”
Austin nodded and pulled me closer to his side. A place I was always meant to be. Right here by his side. I smiled to myself. Penny knew exactly what she was doing when she put Austin and me in the will. Forced to live together for a year. She’d planned it all, except for Harold starting the fire. Austin had been the perfect protector, the perfect roommate, and the perfect man for me.
The ambulances rolled out, taillights bleeding into the horizon. Smoke still drifted through the night as the fire department tended to the last of the embers. Some of the neighbors were still milling about, assessing the damage. And me, in Austin’s arms.
