Page 25 of Saving Wyatt

"Maybe. Maybe not. He just thought you should know who has the upper hand. It’s still him. Oh, and one more thing. If you want to survive to defeat him, I'd suggest you get out of there before it's too late."

I narrowed my eyes and glared at the wall, trying to interpret his message. Was I still sleeping or was he talking in riddles? And why was the light flickering?

Oh shit.

There was no light on in the room. That was why it had taken forever for my eyes to adjust. So what the hell was flickering?

As soon as I put my bare feet on the floor, I felt it. My eyes shot wide open, and I dropped the call.

"Get up!" I shouted, trying to put my shoes on. "Get up! Get up! Fire!"

I slammed the door open and banged my fists on Autumn's and Elliot's doors.

"Get up. We're on fire. Get up!"

I looked at the main staircase. The fire flickered as it climbed up. No. We'd need to use the fire exit.

"Come on, people! Get up! Fire. Fire!" I practically yanked their doors open, but thankfully Elliot, Autumn, and Donovan—who was spending the night again, as if that was any surprise—were already putting shoes and coats on, and we ran to the staircase in the back of the hallway that led to the back of the building.

Just as we descended the stairs, the fire spread from the bottom floor to the top, and we ran as far away from the building as possible, yet the heat coming off it was scorching.

"Fire, please," Autumn shouted on her phone, and it wasn't long before firetrucks zipped through the deadly quiet night of Mayberry Holm to get here.

But what use was it? The Outpost was already gone. There was nothing salvageable by the time they arrived. Nothing but cinder and dreams all up in flames just like our lives. It would take months to rebuild, if ever.

"That bastard," Elliot spat and hugged his coat tighter around him.

Autumn put her arm around him, shaking her head.

"He won't stop until we're destroyed," Donovan said.

"No. He won't stop until I'm destroyed," I said.

He was trying to take me down. Not by killing me, but by taking everything away from me until I had nothing left. He wanted to take away every ounce of my limited power so I had none. He'd taken my dignity and respect on this island by pinning Garret's murder on me. And now he'd taken my home.

Our home.

This was as much Autumn's and Elliot's home as it was mine. And it was all gone. In minutes.

"Oh shoot. What about the cellar?" Autumn's eyes flared open, but I put her at ease. The gun vault was secure behind a steel door that Maddox had helped me install. Though how we would gain access to it after this catastrophe was anyone's guess.

Maybe he knew. Maybe he knew I had a whole artillery in my basement to fight him with, and he wanted to take out our defense.

Before I knew it, cars started arriving at the beach, and my teammates gathered around us. Parker, Joey, Teddy, Slade, hell even Dare, had rushed to our side to witness the destruction of our business and home.

"What are you going to do? Where are you going to go now?" Teddy asked.

"There's space in Luna's Lodge," Donovan said. "I'm sure Mr. Rogers won't mind the company until you all get back on your feet."

"Maybe we should make our way there. I'm starting to get cold," Autumn said, and Donovan put his arms around her protectively.

"You guys go. I'll catch up with you. They probably need to speak to me," I said.

"No. I'll stay," Elliot said, and I turned to Autumn for support, who dragged him away and left with Donovan in his car.

"He's deranged," Parker said.

"He's trying to kill you," Slade said.