Page 41 of Kansas

Covering my mouth, Trigger shouted, “Talia!”

When we didn’t hear a response, I ran for the boys’ rooms to find them empty. Coming out of Talia’s room, I bumped into Trigger, who asked, “Where are they!”

“I don’t know. Check all the rooms.” I ordered, running for my bedroom, passing Judd and Pence. “Find out where that damn smoke is coming from, then open the damn windows!”

Hurrying to my bedroom, I found the safe room empty.

Where the fuck were my kids!

Walking back into the living room, I heard the fire department before I saw them. As more brothers arrived, helping to open windows to get the smoke out. Pence walked over. “Prez. I tried calling Mrs. Worthington. Her phone goes straight to voice mail. Did she say she was taking the kids to the park today?”

Shaking my head, I saw Trigger walking over. “Where is she?”

“Grab Bongo and both of you head over to the park. Maybe the kids got restless and needed some fresh air.”

Trigger whistled at Bongo, both leaving quickly.

“Kansas,” the fire chief said, walking in with four firefighters behind him. “Where’s the fire?”

“No fucking clue. When we arrived, smoke filled the air. We can’t find my kids or Mrs. Worthington.”

The fire chief nodded. “Okay, we need to check the rooms and find where the smoke was coming from.”

“Prez!” the sweetest voice on the planet screeched loudly. Turning just as she ran into my arms, I picked her up, hugging her to me. “Wow. The fire guys are here. You start a fire? Momma’s gonna be mad.”

Hugging Talia, I looked up seeing Mrs. Worthington with the boys, I growled. “Where the fuck were you, Mrs. Worthington?”

Wide-eyed and concerned, the older woman replied, looking at all the men in my penthouse. “We were downstairs in Monk’s apartment. Today is his birthday. Talia wanted to do something special for him. What happened?”

“I made lots of fish!” Talia smiled proudly. Holding her close, I walked over to Mrs. Worthington and kneeled before the boys. The twins, Jasper and Jaxon, walked over, allowing me to hug them, too. The baby, Tanner, in Mrs. Worthington’s arms.

“Prez,” Talia whispered. “Where’s Tig?”

“Already called him, Hellraiser,” Pence smiled, taking her from me before looking at me. “The chief wants to talk to you. He found where the smoke was coming from.”

I found the fire chief in the kitchen talking with a man from his crew when I heard him say, “Call Detective Conroy.”

“Already here,” the man himself said, walking in. “Heard the call over the radio.”

The fire chief sighed. “Kansas, I’m going to need you to pack a few things for the kids and get them out of here. I’ve called the fire inspector. It looks as if someone deliberately rigged the wires to the stove.”

“Excuse me? That’s a brand-new stove.”

“I know. And it was a good thing when you installed the emergency alarms because they caught the first scent of smoke and activated the fire suppression system. It looks like Mrs. Worthington was baking a pot roast in the oven. That’s what triggered it. Whoever messed with the wires didn’t know what they were doing. I’m assuming they wanted the stove to catch fire immediately when it turned on, but that didn’t happen thanks to all the safety measures you put in place. So, when the wires caught, it was a slow burn in the walls. Had you just used regular materials when constructing this place, it would have gone up in a flash fire.”

“What’s going on?” Pence asked, walking over with Judd. “Someone was in my home?”

“I’ll get Keys to bring up the surveillance. The entire building has cameras everywhere. If anyone unwanted entered, Keys will identify him.”

“Trigger, take Mrs. Worthington and the kids to the clubhouse. Have Bongo go with you then lockdown the clubhouse.” Someone broke into my home and tried to hurt my family. When I got my hands on the motherfucker, they were dead. Reaching for my phone, I said. “I’ve got to call Kali.”

Sitting in the playroom, I held Tanner close while I watched Talia and the twins nap on the floor. Such innocence. They seemed unaffected by what happened. Oblivious to the danger that surrounded them.

I couldn’t remember ever being that naïve.

Maybe I was at one time, but not anymore. I knew the horrors this world produced, what lurked in the shadows, waiting to destroy everything good in this world. I’d give anything to make sure my kids never saw that darkness.

My heart still beat wildly as Trigger’s words played on repeat in my head. I was so close. Right across the street and still someone came into my home and tried to take what was mine.

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