Page 29 of Saving Salem
Unless it put Jack in an awkward position. Their marriage wasn’t exactly the average, run-of-the-mill fairy tale. She didn’t want to put him on the spot, make him take a place where he wouldn’t be comfortable. After everything he was doing for her, she could afford to bend a little, let him make the choice.
“I’ll talk with Samuel, get us in to look at the apartment, but if it’s as nice as you say, it’s a deal.”
“Jack, I don’t want you to feel like you have to—”
“Stop. We said we’d give this marriage a try. That means making changes, compromising when we need to. If I wasn’t willing to move to a new place, I wouldn’t have mentioned it.” He chuckled before adding, “It’s not like I’ve even unpacked yet. Won’t be hard for me to change locations.”
“True.”
She took a bite of chicken, letting the spices explode on her tongue. It was moist and juicy, exactly the way Ms. Patti had taught her. She wrinkled her nose, screwing her mouth to the side. Something wasn’t quite right. Tilting her head, she sniffed, wondering if Chloe needed a diaper change. Another sniff showed it wasn’t her baby giving off the odor. “Jack, do you smell something burning?”
He turned to look at her before jumping from his seat, his chair falling back against the tile floor. “Salem, do you have a fire extinguisher in the apartment?”
She nodded, following his gaze, and noting the flames climbing up her front door. Coarse black smoke pillowed from beneath it, the acrid, bitter scent beginning to fill the space.
“There’s one under the kitchen sink.” She pointed before jumping from her seat and fumbling with Chloe’s tray, the catch sticking. Fighting down the panic that threatened, she finally pulled it loose, the tray crashing to the ground. Unbuckling the strap from around Chloe’s waist, she pulled her baby into her arms.
Chloe must have sensed her panic, because she began crying, legs kicking with each shrill shriek. She patted her back, watching Jack rush to the door and begin squirting the powdery foam, directing it toward the base of the door. The flames and smoke continued billowing into the apartment. After what seemed like seconds, but she was sure was longer, the extinguisher ran out, but the flames climbed along the doorjambs.
“Do you have another exit from the apartment? A fire escape? Balcony access?”
She shook her head. “That’s the only way out. There’s a small balcony outside my bedroom, but there’s no stairs or any way off.
Jack sprinted toward the kitchen and grabbed a couple of tea towels, putting them under the running water and wringing them out before bringing them to her.
“I want you to put one of these over Chloe’s nose and mouth and the other over yours. I’m going to get that door open and you’re going to go out into the hall and head for the street. Don’t take the elevator, take the stairs. I’ll meet you down there. Don’t stop, don’t wait for me.”
Taking the last damp towel, he wrapped it around his hand and used it to flip open the deadbolt before reaching for the doorknob. He took a deep breath and yanked the door inward. It wouldn’t budge. Her heartbeat raced faster as he struggled with the door, muscles bulging in his biceps as he pulled. Finally, bracing a foot against the jamb, he yanked hard, and the door flung inward, flames shooting higher. Orange and yellow burst along the hall carpet, and she coughed at the smoke getting through the tea towel.
Chloe screamed, kicking and crying, making it almost impossible to keep her mouth and nose covered, but Salem wasn’t about to let her baby die of smoke inhalation. Jack coughed behind her, the wracking sound worrying Salem.
“Go!”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jack watched Salemand Chloe until the stairwell door closed behind them. The pervading smell of gasoline clung to the air, as flames ate away at the walls surrounding the apartment’s front door. Holding his arm across his face to block the smoke, he began pounding on every door lining the hall. He couldn’t leave without making sure everyone else knew their floor was on fire, and they needed to get out.
Startled residents began scrambling toward the exits, and Jack shouted not to take the elevator at their departing backs. Once he was as sure as he could be that he’d banged on every door, he yanked his cellphone from his back pocket and dialed nine-one-one. By now, they probably already knew about the fire, but he needed to make sure.
Taking the stairs two and three at a time, he reached the lobby, where a couple of police officers were helping people get outside. Jack’s eyes scanned the groups of people, searching for Salem and Chloe. He didn’t see them anywhere and his heartbeat ratcheted up, anxious to find them. Having smelled the gasoline soaking the hallway, especially in front of Salem’s apartment, he knew the fire was no accident.
Had it been set to deliberately block Salem and Chloe inside? Had it been an attempt to kill them? It didn’t make sense. Eliminating Salem would clear a path for the Amirs to get custody of Chloe, but something like this? They couldn’t be sure that Chloe would survive if her mother didn’t. None of it made sense, but he’d think about that later. Right now, all he needed was to find Salem.
Bursting through the lobby doors, he scanned the sidewalk and street outside. A couple of police cars blocked the street in front of the building, and throngs of people bustled around, with a couple of officers trying to usher them across the street and away from the building. Unfortunately, as with most larger groups, chaos reigned, and nobody paid attention to the cops. The sound of sirens heralded the arrival of two fire trucks along with at least a dozen firefighters, ready to handle the blaze.
An explosion of glass rained down, accompanied by screams from the people below, as windows blew out on an upper floor, and flames billowed out along with clouds of dark black and gray smoke, choking the air. Luckily, the fire trucks blocked street traffic, making the way clear for people to move away from the building, finally paying attention to what was happening and realizing the danger.
But where was Salem? He scanned the growing crowd, not spotting her auburn hair among the women. No cries from a baby. Nothing. Dammit, she couldn’t have gone far. Yet knowing the fire was deliberately set, had somebody been waiting to snatch her and Chloe as they exited the apartment building? None of them had anticipated kidnapping, if that was the case. His hands clenched into fists as he called her name, a feeling of desperation filling him. The thought of losing her made him want to fall to his knees, pound his fists against the pavement until they bled.
At the touch of a hand on his shoulder, he spun around, praying it was Salem. Instead, he faced a man he’d never seen before. Tall and dark-haired, he held a makeshift bandage pressed to the back of his head. He winced at the piercing whine of the fire trucks sirens.
“You Jack Sutton?”
“Yeah. Who’s asking?”
“Nate Blackwell. I work with C.S.S. I relieved Gunner a couple hours ago, keeping watch over Salem. Stepped down the hall to help a little old lady with her grocery bags and somebody coldcocked me. Dragged me to the alley out back.”
“Have you seen Salem or Chloe? Haven’t been able to find them in all the commotion.”
