Page 8 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

She made a face. "Why don't you call the fireman first? They are who I need."

I sighed, pinching my eyes. "I am. I work for the fire station." I turned my head away. It only rang twice before Ayden picked it up. "Lucas? Why are you calling the work line?"

"Fire at West Flint Avenue, house 415," I said, looking at the house. "Fire started in the kitchen. We probably have a couple of minutes before it starts out of that space."

I looked at Gina, who had swallowed, and I could see the panic in her eyes. She chewed on her cheek and started biting at her lip, a habit I remembered her doing when she was younger.

I remember when she would walk around the hallways, keeping her head down and her eyes focused, but her teeth would scrape over her low lip as she walked. Her shoulders tense, waiting for something to happen.

"We're heading there now. Is anyone inside?"

"No, the house is empty."

After Ayden said a few things, I ended the call and stuffed my phone back into my pocket. "If I go look, will you remain here?" I asked, not needing her to think she could be heroic and end up getting hurt.

"Do I have a choice?" she asked, rubbing her hands on her pants. Her fingers fidgeted as she stood, bouncing her left foot.

"No," I said, letting go of her wrist. I headed back towards the house and walked around the house towards the back. I saw smoke filling the dining room and looked at my watch. The guys would be here in a few minutes, and I hoped it was enough time.

This house had been abandoned years ago, but it was once a beautiful place. I knew that Gina's family owned it, but I didn't know the whole story about how it ended up abandoned. I was pretty sure no one in the family wanted it since they would have to travel, and the house was left alone.

I stopped near the kitchen when the windows shattered and glass flew all over the air. I quickly ducked down, pulling my hands up to shield myself.

Broken glass meant the fire was growing, and I needed to get back. I turned to head back to the front when I spotted Gina hurrying towards me.

She froze as she spotted me, and I scowled. "You listen worth shit," I hooked her arm, practically dragging her alongside me to make sure she was out of the way.

"That's because I heard glass break," she said. "You can't just leave me alone near a fire and tell me to stay put. No normal person stays put."

"No normal person walks into an abandoned house and turns the stove on," I snapped back.

"It wasn't supposed to turn on," she growled.

I stopped us a few feet away from the house near the gates and sighed. This was not how I wanted to spend my day. I knew I should have gone home and gone to bed inside to grab coffee.

But if I had...what would have happened to her? What would Gina have done if I hadn't arrived? The thought sent a cold shiver down my spine.

Gina kept her eyes on the house, and I wondered what was going on in her head. Now that we had a moment, I suddenly questioned why she was there—why she was in town.

There was no way she was given the house; even if it were abandoned, her family would never let her have it unless she was the last person.

I then heard the sound of the fire truck going, and I turned, spotting it coming down the road. I moved, waiting forthe guys to pull in. Ayden quickly jumped out first, his eyes looking at the house.

"Fire in the kitchen. She turned the stove on."

Gina rolled her eyes, throwing her arms up. "Yeah, throw me under the bus, why don't you? Again, I didn't think it would turn. It was a reflex, okay."

I looked over at her. "I'm not doing that. I'm telling them what happened, Gina. Because each fire is different."

Gina turned away, and I looked back at Ayden. "It could be further than the kitchen at this point. It blew out the windows."

I stepped back as the guys moved, pulling the hose out and connecting it to the fire hydrant a few feet away behind an overgrown shrub.

The guys went in, and smoke poured out of the house as they opened the front door. I ground my teeth together. I wasn't sure what this house meant to Gina, but the thought of it burning down didn't sit right with me. The panic and fear in her voice told me it meant something.

"You're a firefighter," she asked.

I glanced at Gina, who stood a few feet from me. Her arms were crossed as she stared at me. I looked her over, making sure she was still okay. I could see she was shaking, trying to hide it. Her blue eyes looked calmer, but I could still see some concern in them.

---