Page 106

He coughs hard enough to shake his entire body before forcing out the words.

“Storage,” he rasps. “Jules got trapped. Maggie wouldn't leave him.”

Of course, she refused. Maggie would walk through hell itself for the people she loves.

“Where?” I demand.

Sam lifts a shaking hand toward the collapsed corridor. “Supply room. Hall collapsed.”

I’m on my feet before I realize I've moved.

Luka catches my arm. “Firefighters first.”

I rip my arm from his grasp. “Every second matters.”

“Alexei.”

“She's in there.” My voice comes out low and lethal. “Nothing is keeping me out.”

Without waiting for another argument, I push past him.

The look on his face is caught somewhere between frustration and resignation. Then he keys his radio.

“Fire team to rear corridor immediately,” he barks. “Three civilians trapped near supply room.”

I’m already climbing over debris before he finishes speaking.

The heat intensifies with every step. Part of the ceiling has collapsed completely, leaving burning beams and shattered drywall piled shoulder high across the corridor. Flames crawl across the debris, consuming everything in their path.

No one survives long breathing this much smoke, and that knowledge drives me faster.

Two firefighters reach me shortly after carrying axes and breathing equipment. One of them grabs my arm.

“Sir, you need to get out of here.”

“Not until she's out.”

“Sir.”

“There are people trapped behind that collapse,” I tell him, pointing toward the debris. “My pregnant girlfriend is one of them.”

The firefighter pauses, clearly weighing his options. Whatever he sees in my expression convinces him not to argue.

He mutters a curse, yanks an extra respirator mask from his gear, and shoves it into my hands.

“Put this on and stay behind us,” he orders sharply. “You do exactly what we tell you. Understood?”

I secure the mask. “Understood.”

He nods once. “Help us clear it.”

We work. We clear wood, drywall, twisted metal, and broken shelving, but the debris feels endless.

As we work, memories assault me without mercy. I see Clara dying in the street, then Maggie laughing in my kitchen. I hear Ivy asking whether Maggie can stay for dinner. I remember Maggie pressing my hand to her stomach, her eyes shining as she whispered that our baby was growing there.

I failed to save one woman I loved. I won’t fail another.

A firefighter suddenly raises his hand. “Quiet!”