Page 91 of Keep Me Safe

I’m pretty sure he’s going to hate me forever.

As soon as we even get close to downtown Traverse City, the roads are blocked. Traffic is stopped, and they’re directing cars away from the college.

“We’re going to have to go on foot,” I tell Maddie.

“Already on it,” she says, pulling onto a side street and shoving her car into park. We waste no time, stepping out and jogging toward the chaos. We’re about five blocks from the college, and even from here, the blaze licking up over the top of the building is visible.

“He’s okay, Kira, I’m sure of it.”

I nod, but there’s no way she can know that. This has always been a risk for him. He puts his life on the line to save others. My heart rattles in my chest as we jog down the street toward the danger.

We’re stopped in our tracks by flashing blue and red lights. It’s a roadblock, officers stationed on either side. I suck in a breath. There’s no way they’re going to let us through.

“Follow me,” Maddie says, guiding me into some trees on the side of the road. I catch a glimpse of the bay in the distance as we stumble through the brush. My heart races as we give a wide berth, sticking to the trees for longer than is likely necessary. Thankfully, the officers’ main goal is to stop cars from drivingthrough their barricade, so they don’t notice us.

He’s going to be okay. Everything will be okay.

I let out a shaky breath as we pop back out onto the street. I’m overwhelmed by the sheer size of the scene in front of me. The entire building is on fire, flames spilling out all of the windows, and I can feel the heat radiating from it. There’s a crowd of people, many of them students, watching helplessly as it all unfolds. I push through them.

Where is he?

I scan the slew of firefighters, trying to see if he’s there with them. My eyes land on one of the men, not Noah, but Jeff. One of the firemen from Noah’s station. He’s part of the team keeping the crowd at bay.

“Jeff!” I call, trying to project my voice as loudly as possible.

His head spins around, his eyes softening in recognition. He bounds toward me.

“What are you doing down here?” he asks.

“Where’s Noah?” I ignore his question. I need to know that he’s alright. He has to be alright.

His face hardens, and he takes a moment to respond as his eyes flick to the burning building.

“Inside.”

chapter twenty-eight

Noah

Thirty Minutes Earlier

“Where’s Dave?” I ask, concern lacing my voice.

The fire burns hot, the flames licking up the side of the building. We’ve rescued almost all the students left inside, but this fire hasn’t been easy. Our running theory is a possible gas leak on the lower level.

“I don’t know, I can’t find him either!” Jeff shouts over the sound of the blaze. “The last time I saw him was when he ran back inside.”

A weight lands on my chest. That was almost twenty minutes ago. That’s too long. One of the other crew’s men already had to be rushed to the hospital due to smoke inhalation.

“Last one!” an officer calls as he carries a woman out of the building. She’s covered in burns and looks to be unconscious. She doesn’t look much older than Kira. That could have been Kira.She’s at home,I remind myself.She’s safe.

I eye the entrance to the building, smoke billowing out of the doorway. There’s not enough time. It doesn’t matter; he’s part of my crew, and he’s making it out. I pull my mask onto my face and stride toward the door. A hand lands on my chest right as I reach it.

“No one else goes in,” the man orders, his gloved hand stillon my chest. I don’t recognize him. He must be from one of the other departments.

“One of our officers is in there,” I tell him. I’ll be damned if anyone tries to tell me to abandon one of my men.

“Doesn’t matter. I was ordered not to let anyone else enter. The structure isn’t safe.”

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