Page 36 of Bliss with a Billionaire
With determination battling her rising fear, she reached for her phone, its weight a lifeline in her trembling hands. As she dialed 9-1-1, the reality of her situation set in. She tried to stop her panic from rising but as the dispatcher answered, she realized she was likely placing the last call of her life.
Tears filled her eyes as she struggled to speak.
“Are you there? What is your emergency?”
Her instinct to survive kicked in, and she answered. “Yes. I-I’m trapped in a fire. I’m at 538 Silvertree. I’m in an upstairs bedroom.”
“Can you find a clear way out?”
“No. No, the curtains are on fire at the only window, and there is a flaming beam blocking the door.”
“I’m sending police and fire now.”
A shriek escaped from Julia as a boom resounded as the fire pushed through a new boundary as it consumed more of the house.
“Ma’am, stay on the line with me as long as you can. I’m here, okay?”
“Yeah. I…”
“Ma’am?”
Julia pulled the line away from her ear and stared down at it. Another call popped onto her screen from Alex. She furrowed her brow as a text message followed.Sunshine? 911 call from your phone? What’s going on?
She typed a desperate message back.I’m trapped in a fire. Lydia lured me here.
Alex answered immediately.Answer your phone.
His call popped up again, and she took it, abandoning the emergency dispatcher for someone more personal.
“How bad, kid?”
“Bad,” she answered, her voice cracking. “I don’t think I’m going to make it out of here.”
“Okay, calm down. I know that’s difficult, but you’ve got to look around for a way out.”
“There’s no way.”
“Video on,” Alex requested. “I’m patching Ava into this call. She’s an excellent escape artist.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks as her shaky hands turned on her video. She barked out a cough before she covered her nose.
“Hey, Alex, what’s–”
“No time for pleasantries, Sparky. We have a major situation here. Are you seeing this video feed? Sunshine has found herself in a rather tricky predicament. Any advice?”
“Oh my God, Julia. Uh, yeah, turn around, give me a view of the entire room.”
Julia spun in what she hoped was a slow enough circle, the growing flames and heat making her more uncomfortable. She tried to squash her panic down, but she couldn’t stop herself from shaking. “I’m sorry. I’m shaky.”
“That’s okay, Julia. We’re going to find a way.”
“I mean, the curtains are almost out,” she said, her voice hiccuping with a sob. “I could go for the window.”
“No, no, no, no, no,” Ava answered. “Donotbreak that window. The influx of oxygen is going to make things worse. Where’s the door?”
“It’s behind that beam.” She choked on the smoke again, coughing. “Sorry, the smoke’s getting thick.”
“Okay, drop as low as you can and cover your mouth with your shirt. Shallow breaths. We need to move fast before you pass out. ”
