The next morning, I get up much earlier than the sun and swing by a florist shop on the way to Redwood Prep.
I step past barrels of flowers, totally lost.
Did I ever think I’d be the guy traipsing through a flower shop, agonizing over a bouquet?
Hell no.
But here I freaking am. I’m going to take my brother’s advice and try to see if I can win Cadence over with something other than sex and threats.
The florist sees me wandering about with bug eyes. “Need some help?”
“Uh, yeah.” I clear my throat. “I’m looking for flowers.”
“I assumed so.” She laughs gently.
I rub the back of my neck. My cheeks grow hot.
“First time?”
“Yeah.”
“How about we start with what you want these flowers to say?”
Let’s try: sorry I spent the past few months making every waking minute of your life pure hell.
“An apology,” I say simply.
She smiles. “Did you forget her birthday?”
“Something like that.”
Her veiny hands choose the petals from a bunch of different barrels. The woman hands me the arrangement and winks. “She’ll get the hint.”
“Thanks.” I pay her and leave a generous tip.
Traffic is light this early in the morning. I’m still a distance away from Redwood Prep when I notice a thin plume of smoke billowing in the air.
I immediately go into panic mode. Is Redwood on fire?
Damn it.
Brahms!
Slamming my foot on the gas, I drive like a bat out of hell and break every speed limit between here and Redwood Prep.
I pull my car right up to the courtyard and see a small crowd of security guys, janitors and gardeners hovering in front of the door.
The school isn’t on fire as I’d first assumed. Whatever is causing the smoke seems to be coming from inside, but it’s only getting thicker.
I scramble for my phone and call Cadence.
It rings and rings.
Goes to voicemail.
“Damn it.” I slam my fist on the steering wheel and shoot another frantic look at the ominous smoke pouring through the front door.
What if she’s still in there?
I don’t even stop to think before I’m stomping my car door open and racing across the lawn, my arms pumping at my sides.
One of the guards hurtles at me.
I see him from the corner of my eye, but I don’t stop.
That’s a mistake.
One minute, I’m on my feet, the next—I’m getting tackled to the grass.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Cross,” he says, “you can’t go in there. The fire department said to stay outside.”
I push his arms away and kick him off me. He grunts as he rolls to the side. Springing to my feet, I fly straight through the front doors.
The smoke is much thicker than I expected. It billows down the hallway, crawling like a demon straight out of a horror movie. The fire alarm is ringing. The high-pitched shriek only heightens my panic.
I stumble forward, coughing and batting the smoke away. It stings my eyes, but I keep pushing forward. I have to find Brahms.
Covering my mouth with the sleeve of my jacket, I plod through the shifting smoke. “Brahms!” I yell. “Cadey!”
I head straight for the classroom she was cleaning yesterday. The scent of sulfur and some kind of weird chemical makes my nose burn.
“Cadey!” I roar, covering my nose with the sleeve of my jacket.
“Dutch!”
I hear the faint sound of someone coughing.
My heart shudders with relief and I run to the neighboring classroom. In the darkness ahead, I see a figure stumbling through the smoke.
It’s Cadence. I’d know those long legs from a mile away.
I grab her arm. “Come on!”
This close to the fire, the smoke is unbearable. I can’t even see my own feet in front of me.
To my annoyance, Cadey digs her heels in. She shakes her head intently. “I can’t!”
“What the hell, Brahms? You want to stick around and watch this place burn?”
Thankfully, there’s no visible flames chewing at the door, but that doesn’t mean I want to be around when or if it happens.
“What if Serena is still in here?” She coughs.
“I’ve looked in every classroom so far. She’s not in here.”
Brahms still tries to resist me. Stubborn as hell.
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lift her off the ground and secure her against my chest.
“We need to leave now!”
She smacks my arms and fights to be free. “Dutch, I can’t leave my friend.”
I stare down at her. Even in a freaking fire she has to be hard-headed.
In the middle of our low-visibility staredown, an explosion booms from the music room next door. The impact shatters the windows in the room we’re standing in.
Cadey screams.
I drag her down to the floor and cover her with my back to keep any of the glass shards from falling on her.
The tiny missiles shower my head. They tear through my soft white shirt and sting my back, but I grit my teeth and bear it.
The fire’s starting to creep down the hallway now, spreading from the music room to the rest of the classes on this floor.
Brahms is coughing so hard she’s going to hack out a lung.
“We’re leaving,” I growl at her.
Crawling to my hands and knees and then my feet, I reach out to her. She hesitates before grabbing my hand. Together, we race out of the building.
More people are outside, lining up around the front door. Their faces are all pinched in concern.
Cadey runs to the nearest security guard. “Excuse me, sir. Did you see another girl around this high with dark hair.” She lifts a hand. “She’s probably wearing a PE uniform and has dark eye makeup.”
“I haven’t seen her.” He glances over his shoulder. “Bart, did you see another student leave?”
“Yeah!” Bart yells.
Cadey’s eyes widen. “When?”
“Much earlier. I thought she was the only one inside, she was running so quick.”
Brahms’ knees go weak and she stumbles. I’m there in an instant, my hands gripping her shoulders.
“See?” I murmur against her hair. “She’s fine.”
Cadey melts against me in relief. I hold her close and steer her away from the front door. When I’m satisfied that we’re out of range for any more explosions, I slow down.
She closes her eyes while I rub my thumb against her shoulder. For a moment, nothing else matters but the feel of her in my arms.
I shudder to think of what could have happened if I hadn’t gotten there in time. Despite not having a label for this, I care about her. And if I’d lost her today…
I don’t even want to think about it.
Brahms realizes that she’s leaning against me and she stiffens immediately. I feel the way she’s trying to put distance between us, but I don’t let her go.
She shoves me until she’s free and goes straight for her phone. “I’m going to text Serena. Make sure she’s okay.”
While Brahms walks away, firetrucks and police cars wail into view. Their red and blue lights flash on the building’s stern face. Soon, firefighters lurch into the school with their hoses. The police field out to ask questions.
I lose sight of Cadey in the chaos. When I find her again, she’s just finishing her interview with the cops.
I draw near to her and realize she’s shaking. Her cheeks are streaked with soot. Her uniform is stained black.
She sees me watching and wraps a subconscious hand over her torso. “If you expect a thank you…”
“You’re welcome.”
She narrows her eyes at me. And then she smiles a little. My heart does that weird squeezing sensation. Like a pressure in my chest that’s building and building.
It’s aggravating as hell that she can shift my mood with just a smile. That push and pull energy, the one that’s been buzzing between us since we first met, gets stronger.
Once again, I stare at her and see Redhead.
I can’t believe I didn’t recognize it before. The more I look at her, the more I realize no amount of makeup could ever hide the shape of those pure, rose lips or the fire in her brown eyes.
Shrugging out of my blazer, I drape it over her shoulders. “The next time a fire breaks out, do the smart thing and run the other way. Only an idiot would run straight into a burning building with no plan.”
“So you had a plan when you magically showed up?”
My eyes dart away. “This isn’t about me.”
“Right.”
Footsteps crunch to our left. We both look up and see a cop walking toward us. His eyes are grim and he’s holding something in a plastic bag.
“We found this on the scene.” He lifts the bag. The sun is just rising beyond the treetops. Golden rays glint against a bronze lighter. “Do either of you recognize this?”
Cadey gasps and looks guiltily up at me.
I look down at her.
Yeah, I’ve seen that lighter before.
It was in the hands of the friend Cadey was willing to risk her life to save.
