Page 63 of Rejected Broken Mate

I sat down, and Miles buckled me in. "Lucas, you can go," he said into the helmet as he tightened my belt. He sat down next to me, his hand wrapped around mine.

"He's going to be okay," he said, his hands squeezing mine.

I wanted so badly to believe him, but somehow, my body didn't agree.

Chapter 24 - Miles

As soon as we arrived at the museum, I turned to Laura, who was gripping her seat like her life depended on it. I could see the pure terror in her eyes, and I could only imagine what was going through her head as we parked.

There were classes of students flooding the parking lot. I scanned, trying to see if I could find Michael, but I didn't know what class he would be in, let alone what his teacher would look like.

I looked at the museum, watching smoke rising from the west side. The museum windows on that side were shattered, and you could see the flames. Something about it didn't feel right. Just like when we pulled up to the apartment fire a month ago, something felt off.

The fire truck came to a stop, and Laura unclipped with a speed I didn't even know existed. She was up and jumping out of the truck before I had even unbuckled.

"Laura!" Wesley called after her, but she didn't listen. She rushed towards the classes, looking as she moved.

"Tell me he's out here," Lucas said, standing by the door, now looking at me with a serious expression.

I could feel the pull, but it wasn't for out here. Which meant he was still inside the museum. "He's not," I said, hopping out. I ground my teeth together, trying to remain calm. "Which means my son is inside."

"I don't see him," Laura said, turning to us, tears rolling down her face. "Do you guys see him? I don't see his class."

When we all remained quiet, she turned to the museum. I saw the spark in her eye and grabbed her, pulling her against me. "Do not," I growled into her ear.

"He's inside," she said, a sob breaking free as she tried to push herself free from my grasp. "He's inside. He could be hurt!"

I felt her knees give out, and I held her against me. I took in her scent, feeling her body shake against me. I allowed it to ground me, keeping me from running inside without a plan. After a moment, I pushed everything away and turned her.

"Laura, look at me."

Her eyes snapped to me, and I cupped her face. "You have to stay here. You can't come in."

"He needs me," she whispered.

I shook my head. "I am going inside. You will remain here."

She swallowed, slowly nodding her head. "Tell me you'll bring him out alive. Tell me you can feel him. Tell me he's okay."

I could feel him, but I couldn't promise her he wasn't hurt. Michael made it almost impossible to sense what he was feeling, but I wasn't going to tell her that. "He's okay," I said, kissing her forehead. "I'll bring him back."

I turned, looking for the guys as they pulled out the hose. I spotted Ayden standing with the sheriff, and Owen was standing next to the fire truck. I started back over.

"We have no idea how this happened," the sheriff said. The kids are stuck. We evacuated what we could, but the smoke became too much, and we had to get out. There is a classroom still in there."

Owen spotted me, holding out my helmet. "You are in charge. Owen and I were out of town when we got the call."

I nodded, pulling on my helmet. Owen placed his hand on my helmet, his eyes narrowing. "You keep this blasted thing on, you hear me."

"My son is inside," I snapped. "Trust me, I'm doing whatever is keeping him alive."

I could see a flash of irritation cross his face, but Owen didn't argue. We both knew he would feel the same way if roles were reversed. He turned to Wesley and Lucas. "Go, all of you."

We all hurried inside, taking a left from the door towards the fire. I turned my speaker on and scanned the hall. "Where is the fire?"

"Dinosaur exhibit," Ayden said, sounding off.

I scowled. "That's a huge space. How do we know which part?"

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