Chapter Twenty-four
Eric pulled up outside the building and was surprised to see people running out the doors as alarms and lights sounded from inside. Quickly, he pulled up onto the sidewalk and tossed his helmet to the side.
The doorman stood outside, holding the door as people escaped through. Eric brushed past him to the other unopened door and opened it.
“Sir, you’re going to have to stay outside,” the doorman said. “There’s a fire in one of the apartments.”
Fear swept through Eric. He still hadn’t been able to reach Jen, and there was no way the two things were purely coincidental.
Eric ignored the shouts from the man as he slid inside the wave of people headed the other direction.
In the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something somewhat familiar in the wave of passing people.
His gaze followed the crowd as he watched them disperse on the sidewalk until he landed on who had caught his eye. He spotted a slick suit that was all rumpled and soot covered, blond hair nearly gray from the ash. The bastard was almost unrecognizable. Almost.
Eric locked eyes with Charles, and everything in him wanted to beat the living shit out of the prick. To find out what had happened to Jen.
Charles started to shake and ran.
Eric had a choice. He could follow Charles or see if Jen had made it out.
Of course, there really was no question at all. Jen was always the most important. He could always deal with Charles later. The guy wasn’t exactly a master underworld figure who could disappear without a trace.
Eric hurried over to the elevator. It was likely wiser to take the stairs in a fire situation, but there were thirty flights of stairs between him and her apartment. Even on his best day, that was a lot of stairs. Not to mention that even if he did make it there, likely too much time would have passed.
Elevator it was.
The bell chimed, and another load of people rushed out the doors, many crying.
Eric waited until they were all off before stepping inside and pressing the button. He was certain there were more people waiting for the elevator to stop on their floor, but they would just have to catch it on the ride down.
When the doors opened on the thirtieth floor, the stench of smoke hit his nose. The sprinklers above had soaked the floor, but the floor was covered in thick black smoke.
Eric took off his shirt and wrapped it around his face. Being burned would suck, but if he took in too much smoke, he’d never make it out of there.
The door to Jen’s apartment was closed and warm to the touch. Smoke poured out from the seams. Whatever was on the other side couldn’t be good.
Eric reached out to turn the handle but noticed the water from the sprinklers sizzled on the hot metal. He stepped back and kicked as hard as he could. The frame splintered with the force from his kick.
He slammed it again with his foot. This time the hinges pulled from the sides of the frame. Eric kicked one last time and the door fell inward.
Hot flames licked outside of the door as black smoke billowed from the ceiling. He stepped into the fiery hell.
Eric noticed the sprinklers weren’t spraying like they should. Several presented a steady stream of water falling out, but none were actually spraying. They had clearly been tampered with.
Fear coursed through him when he spotted the bloody round paperweight on the floor. Droplets of blood had splattered against the now soot-covered floor.
Eric coughed as a wave of smoke filled his lungs when he pulled the shirt from his mouth.
“Jen!”
She didn’t answer him. It was so dark now he had trouble making out more than a few feet in front of him.
Eric stepped farther into the room, just hoping that maybe she wasn’t there, that somehow she’d made it out with that piece of shit Charles.
Wood creaked all around him from the heat of the flames, and he knew that it wouldn’t be long before the whole place became structurally unsafe. If it wasn’t already.
Eric rounded the corner of the couch and glanced around, nearly missing the small foot poking out from around the back.
He hurried to Jen. She’d moved herself under the sprinkler and stayed within the small space to avoid the flames. Eric eased her head from off the floor, and she coughed violently. Her whole body shook as she did so, followed by a deep wheeze.
Eric placed his wet shirt around her mouth and nose, making sure it was secured there. It wasn’t exactly a mask, but it was better than her breathing in even more smoke.
With ease, he lifted her into his arms, keeping her body just below the level of the smoke, as he rushed through the openings in the blazing flames.
When Eric got to the door, he could see the flames had completely covered the whole of the frame. He tucked Jen tight against his body and charged through the fire.
Adrenaline pumped in his veins, a good thing since he was certain to have more than a few burns once he hit the other side of the door.
Smoke now coated the hall. Eric coughed hard as he made his way over to the elevator.
He pushed the button and waited. The longer he waited, the more he could feel the oxygen being sucked from the room. If they stayed there much longer, neither of them was getting out.
Eric stepped over to the fire escape and opened the heavy door. With the unconscious woman in his arms, he started the descent down the many flights of steps.
Time blurred as he headed down the steps. His lungs ached and ears throbbed as sirens echoed around him.
Eric rounded another corner and stopped. He could hear something. He wasn’t quiet sure what it was that he was hearing, but it sounded metal. He glanced up above him and wondered if the whole thing was going to come crashing down on them.
His feet tried to move faster, but he just couldn’t get a proper breath in. Things were feeling fuzzy, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he passed out.
The small woman in his arms stirred a little, and he held her tightly against him. He’d wanted to save her, but in the end, he just didn’t have the strength.
Eric leaned against the wall and slid down. He frowned after a moment. Vibrations from the metal stairs shook against his ass. They grew stronger with each passing second.
He wasn’t really sure exactly what was happening until two yellow coats came into view.
“We’ve got two down!” shouted a firefighter. Two of them stepped toward him. “Can you walk?”
Eric nodded slightly. The other man took Jen from his arms. He wanted to protest, but they needed to get out of there.
They had been so close to the bottom. A few more flights, and he would have made it. They stepped out into the night air, and he breathed in deeply. His lungs still burned, but they were safe.
The firemen placed the two of them into the back of the waiting ambulance and placed oxygen masks over their faces. He glanced over to where Jen lay still on her cot. Eric reached out and linked their hands together. He could feel her warm pulse there and sighed at the feel.
After a moment, Jen squeezed him back. Her eyes were still closed, but it was all the sign he needed that she would make it.