Page 84 of Ink and Ashes
“Caldwell?!” Chief shouts again, but I tune him out.
I rush over, grabbing Ollie under his arms. I drag him up the aisle, forcing myself to keep my shit together. As I shove open the front doors, I’m immediately swarmed by the team.
“What the hell happened?!” Beau asks as Hart and Mickey lift Ollie onto a stretcher. “Where’s Finnegan?”
I cough, pushing my way past him to head back in for Finn. “Beam fell. Finn’s stuck under it.”
“Caldwell, get away from there!” Chief roars, but I don’t stop. I need to get Finn out.
Beau follows me up to the doors, rushing ahead of me. “Colson, stop!” he says, putting his hands on my chest before I can enter.
“Move,” I say through clenched teeth at the same time another beam falls, blocking the entrance. “Move!” I shout, still trying to force my way past him, even though there’s no way to get to Finn.
“We can’t save him, Colson.” Beau’s voice cracks as he speaks.
“Fuck!” I tear off my mask, then storm down the driveway and drop to my knees. Chief signals for the hoses, then Dom and Turner douse the flames in water. Which means if Finn wasn’t dead before, he’s about to be. The water will boil him.
My throat tightens, tears welling in my eyes. But I don’t let them fall. Not yet.
“Col!” I hear Cass yell before she kneels beside me. “Oh, thank God. You’re okay.”
I swallow over the lump in my throat. “Ollie and Finn aren’t,” I tell her.
“I know,” Cass says, wrapping her arms around me. I watch as Abbott and Sullivan load Ollie into the ambulance, and Sam approaches me with an oxygen mask.
“Breathe,” she says.
I take the mask, placing it over my nose and mouth. Air rushes my lungs as I take a deep breath, but I still feel like I’m suffocating. As the ambulance drives off with Ollie, I bite my tongue so hard I taste blood.
Oliver Sharpe is injured, and Brian Finnegan is dead.
Which means whoever is behind these fires is officially a murderer now too.
CHAPTER 30
Holland
“Colson,” I call as I make my way down the hallway of the hospital. Cass called me on her way here to let me know what happened and asked me to get here as soon as I could. Without thinking twice, I grabbed the keys to Colson’s truck and rushed over.
He’s pacing the waiting room, but when he hears my voice, he turns around, a grief-stricken look on his face. I know the moment I meet his eyes that the news isn’t good.
I pick up my pace and rush over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist the second he’s within reach. His body relaxes as he wraps his around me too, leaning down to bury his face in my hair. I squeeze tighter and stand there, holding him for as long as he needs.
When he pulls away, I glance up at him. His jaw is tense, and though I don’t think he’s cried, I can tell he wants to.
“Are you okay?” I reach up, pressing my hand to his cheek. “What happened?”
“I’m okay.” He swallows, letting out a sigh ashe prepares to fill me in. “Chief had sent Ollie, Finn, and me inside to vent the windows and check for bodies. I thought I saw one, so they continued while I went to check it out. Before we could make it out, a beam fell, and…” He pauses, clearing his throat. “It was gonna fall right on Ollie. Finn saw it, and I heard him call out. I’m not sure what happened next, but when I found them, Ollie was unconscious, and Finn was stuck underneath it.”
I inhale sharply. “Is he…?” I trail off, knowing he understands what I’m asking.
Colson just nods, and tears sting the backs of my eyes.
My lip begins to quiver. “And Ollie?”
Colson shakes his head. “He’s pretty badly injured. He was thrown from the force of the beam falling, and he has some burns. He hasn’t woken up yet.”
I blow out a breath, trying to process everything he’s saying, and wrap my arms around him again.
