Page 60 of The Night Ride
I choked out a coughing laugh.“Hi, this is Beth Ryder at Sweet Dreams Bakery.There’s a fire.”
“How many people are inside and have the sprinklers kicked on?”
“It’s just me.The sprinklers haven’t come on,” I coughed into the receiver.“I’m going to try to put it out with an extinguisher.”
“Ma’am, how did the fire start?Is it a grease fire?”
“No.A man…he,” the room spun.I was getting dizzy from all the smoke and rounded the corner.“Oh god.”
“Ma’am is everything okay?”
“No, the fire has spread.”The entire back hallway, my office, the accounting room, it was all on fire.
“Okay, ma’am you need to find an exit.The fire department is on the way.”
“Okay, I should be able to get out the front door.”I coughed, still on the phone.I made it to the front door and my stomach dropped into my toes.Justin stood on the other side with an evil smile as he padlocked the door shut.
“Oh god.He locked me in.I can’t get out.”
“Is there glass that you can break to exit the building?”
Coughing, I heard the sirens wail in the distance even as the bakery filled with smoke.I didn’t want to think about the grisly demise that awaited me.I only wanted to thank my lucky stars that I had a chance to be with the man I loved more than life itself.
“There’s a window.”The front door glass was reinforced.The window should be easier.Especially since my head was swimming.
“Okay, I need you to break it open and climb out.The fire department is only two minutes away.”
I didn’t know if I had two minutes before the fire reached the front, not with the gas Justin used.Coughing fits assailed me.I lifted the nearest chair and headed to the window display.The fumes were getting to me.I felt woozy and lightheaded.
“Ma’am, are you still there?”
“Yes, I--,” shook myself, trying to clear my head.I raised the chair, knowing I would only get one chance at this.But my vision wobbled.Before I could swing, the dizziness expanded, my vision narrowed until everything went black, and I slumped to the ground.
***
Fire trucks raced past me as I neared Beth’s bakery.What the hell was going on?Why were they headed in the same direction as me?
Man, they were hauling ass.The only reason I didn’t break the speed limit was because of the all the police cars that went flying by.Last thing I wanted to do was get pulled over.
But then I pulled onto the main drive and saw flames leaping out from above Beth’s bakery.It was connected to a large strip mall, and it looked like the fire had already spread to the nearby buildings.
I parked my bike a block away and raced through the crowd.A firefighter was holding people back.
“Sir, you’re going to have to stand back.”
“Where’s the owner of the bakery?Is she out here?”
“We’re working on a rescue.There’s a woman trapped inside.I need you to back away so we can do our jobs.”
An unholy fear assailed me.Beth was in there.I glanced at my options.There was a group preparing to enter, but it looked like they were waiting on a signal.If Beth was in there, she didn’t have a minute for them to assemble.
I spied a pickaxe leaning against one of the nearby trucks without its owner.Without thinking it through fully, I swiveled on my heels and raced to the axe.Hefted it up and raced through the crowd.Other firefighters and police took note and started screaming that I needed to get back, that it was too dangerous.
I lived and breathed danger.And I wasn’t going to allow Beth to die.I refused to allow it.She was everything that was good and light in this world.I raced up to the window and swung the axe.Glass shattered.Smoke billowed from the broken window.And that’s when I spied her, passed out on the floor feet from the window, a chair lay on its side beside her.
I cleared out the glass, swinging the axe until it was out of the way.Then ducked inside the window, my boots crunched over broken glass.
I reached her side, trying not to breathe in the horrendous fumes.I tossed the axe down and lifted her up into my arms.With no time to lose, I headed back the way I came in.Outside there were firefighters and paramedics waiting for us.
