Page 67 of Rejected Pretend Mate

Five. Two. Two. Five

My screen opened, and I could hardly see it. I clicked to dial when my body gave out. The phone slipped from my fingers, and everything went black.

Chapter 26 - Weslie

I locked the front door and turned, stepping off the porch. I hummed as I walked, eager to get home. I was just walking across the lawn when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled my phone out and realized it was Ayden calling me.

It was only a little past six now. I knew it was likely not work-related, which worried me a little.

"Hello?" I said as I walked down the sidewalk towards my truck.

"Hey, we just got a call from your apartment complex. There's a fire, apparently. We are taking the fire truck over."

My heart stopped beating for a moment, and I worried about April. But I knew that she was out. When I called her, she had left over half an hour earlier. She was out with the girls and safe away from the fire.

"Well, shit. Okay, I'll head over there." I ran a hand through my hair. "Is it bad?" I asked.

"We don't know entirely what's going on. We will know more when we get there." I started my truck up and started down the road. I knew I was speeding a little as I drove, but I was worried. There were things in the apartment that were sentimental to me, and I didn't want anything to be lost.

But we lived up on the third floor, and depending on where the fire was would determine how bad things would be.

I took a deep breath. "It's fine. It's probably something minor." We had a lot of elderly people living in the building. It was probably just a small kitchen fire, but we had to investigate, even if it was something minor like that.

I stopped at a light, and my stomach flipped. But if it was something small, Ayden wouldn't have called me, would he? Unless my apartment was part of the fire.

I hit the gas and drove faster, flying across town until I pulled in front of the apartment. My eyes widened as I saw that the entire third floor was on fire. Windows were blown out, and smoke was pouring out of them.

The parking lot was filled with people and cars. I spotted the fire truck. The guys were already geared up, staring at the third floor. Police officers were running around, taping the place off. It was a disaster.

I parked and hurried out of the truck. I ran across the lawn towards the guys, and Ayden spotted me.

"What the fuck happened?" I asked, looking back at the building. It didn't look like it was any of the other floors besides the third.

Ayden sighed, looking stressed. "We don't know yet. We just got word that there was a fire. We didn't even realize how bad it was until we got here. The entire third floor is in flames."

I ran a hand through my hair, feeling my heart racing now. "Is the building cleared out?"

Ayden nodded. "Yeah, we think. We haven't gotten inside yet."

I watched as Miles and Lucas set up the hose. The others were talking, figuring out the best tactic.

"Where is April?" Cayden asked, flipping his helmet up. He looked frantic as he stared at me.

"She's out with the girls," I said. "She called me about half an hour ago and said she was heading out."

Cayden looked confused and shook his head. "No, the girls are here." He pointed, and I spotted Riley standing near another vehicle, her eyes wide as she stared at the fire. My stomach dropped.

I shook my head. "No, she can't be inside. She was…" She was at the apartment when I called. But she had to have made it out, right? She was leaving half an hour ago.

I quickly scanned the crowd, searching for her short hair and pierced ears. But I didn't see her, and it scared the living shit out of me. And as I looked back up at the fire, I realized it had been burning for a while to become this big.

"Where is my sister!" Cayden snapped at me, shoving at my shoulder. "Where is she!? You said you were going to keep her safe!"

"I don't know!" I yelled back quickly, looking at the windows. One of the apartments was ours, and it was filled with smoke and fire. The chances of survival were slim.

I moved, hurrying onto the truck, and grabbed our extra gear. I yanked it on and zipped it up. Cayden ran his hands through his hair, freaking out. He paced, shaking his head frantically.

"You're telling me she's inside!?" he said, looking at me. He looked defeated, and all the color left his face.

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