Page 50 of Black Hearts

17

Celeste

Crouching down with the lighter,I touched it to the end of the roll of soaked cotton. Flames rapidly licked along it, and Alex hauled me up and muttered urgently in my ear. “Run.”

I did. I ran like hell.

When we were about a hundred yards away, a boom reverberated like a thunderclap behind us. An intense flash of heat warmed my back only seconds later. I dashed several more yards, then turned to watch our handiwork with wide eyes.

The fertilizer bomb had just ignited the mansion in a fiery ball of flame, billowing outwards and blasting it to fragments with radiant heat. Windows and walls shattered. Millions of pieces of glass and brick showered down in a calamitous rainfall. Thick smoke and scorching fire rushed out, and a series of flashes broke out, igniting new blasts. It looked as though a vengeful god had descended from the heavens and kicked a hole in the house with an enormous blazing orange foot.

The explosion cast a bright glow into the night, and the acrid, choking smell of it dominated each and every breath I took. The flames roared louder than I thought they would, burning with colors I never expected, changing from orange to red to purple and back to orange again. Pillars of smoke drifted upwards, twisting and writhing and crackling.

It was beautiful.

The maids and kids were slowly creeping up to us to watch the Circle’s demise from our closer vantage point. I only knew because I could hear their crunching footsteps over the snow, and when I finally turned, Alex and I were surrounded with them.

“Can I go home now?” one of the kids asked timidly, her eyes wide as saucers as she took in the blazing flames beyond us.

One of the maids tightened the little girl’s coat and wrapped her in a hug. “Yes,” she murmured. “We can go home soon.” She looked over at me and nodded, a silent gesture which conveyed her gratitude.

I smiled at her, then turned back to watch the inferno. The temperature outside had dropped sharply in the last hour or so, and snow was drifting down in slow, lazy flakes. If I squinted, it almost looked like a Christmas card; a winter wonderland surrounding a crackling yule log fire.

Alex grabbed my hand and let out a heavy sigh. “I was worried you wouldn’t make it out,” he murmured, tenderly stroking my skin. There was a flash of vulnerability in his eyes.

“Me too,” I whispered.

He pulled me closer and leaned down, lips brushing against my forehead. I closed my eyes and tilted my face up so that he would kiss my lips too. He’d never tasted so sweet.

When I was in that ballroom, part of me genuinely thought I wouldn’t make it out alive; not after Bill figured out who I was. But with Alex’s voice there to guide me, I’d made it through the worst few moments of my life, and I was finally safe and warm in his arms again.

I knew now that I had all that strength deep inside me, and I had it all along, but without him, I wasn’t sure I would’ve ever discovered how much was there. I wouldn’t have known I could make it. Wouldn’t have known just how quick-witted and powerful I could be when danger was snapping at my heels.

I needed him in my life, now and forever. I needed him to help me, show me, teach me, and love me. He needed me too; needed me to understand him and love him back.

And my god, I did. I loved him so much it made me ache.

“Do you think we got them all?” I asked quietly, turning my face back to the fire. The last remnants of the mansion were crumbling now.

Alex’s lips tightened. “I fucking hope so.”

There was a small chance someone hadn’t shown up for the party tonight, even though the entire Circle had been ordered to come.

“We can find out.” Emily had just sidled up to us, and we turned to look at her with interest.

“How?” I asked.

She held up a black book. “I sneaked this out of William’s office when we were getting the kids out. It’s a ledger. Has all the names of the Circle members and staff. I’m going to give it to the police when they show up, and they’ll eventually be able to tell if anyone didn’t show up tonight, based on whether or not they’re still alive.” She raised her eyebrows and twisted her lips, as if she couldn’t quite tell if she was allowed to find amusement or satisfaction in the deaths of her captors. “But I think you got them all.”

I nodded slowly. “We couldn’t have done it without you,” I said.

Tears suddenly filled her eyes, and she drew in a deep, shaky breath. “I really didn’t believe you at first, but I’m so glad I did.” She paused and shook her head slightly. “I just don’t know what to do now. This place is all I’ve known for so long.”

“It’ll be okay. We’ll help you and all the others as much as we can,” Alex said firmly. “I know it’ll be an adjustment. But we’ll get there.”

She smiled through her tears. “I don’t even know what to do to thank you,” she whispered.

He patted her shoulder gently. “Just keep surviving.”

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