Page 69 of The Damaged Billionaire

“Here!” Ben shouts, grabbing some rope lying at the door and quickly tying it around my waist. “Go!” he screams, and I don’t wait. I run in, my hand covering my face, trying to shield me from the heat.

“Willow!” I scream, hoping she is alive and that she can hear me above the noise of the crackling timber. “Willow!” I scream again, the smoke infiltrating my lungs as I take a deep breath to scream again. I choke, my chest burns, but I hear muffled screams and move forward. I trip over something and fall to the floor, my lungs pained, and I rub my stinging eyes. I feel the rope tug, but I am not ready to go out yet, so I pull back on it, silently telling my brothers I am okay.

“Willow!” I scream again where I am on all fours. The physical pain is high, but the pain emotionally almost carves me in two. Smoke continues filling my lungs, and I try to push back up on my feet and stagger forward some more, and it is then I feel her. My hands reach out, and I would know her curves anywhere. She is lying on the floor, not moving, and I pull her to my arms and yank on the rope again as I try to stand and stagger back the way I came, holding her tightly. I can’t see; I just follow the pull of the rope, taking small but steady steps quickly, hoping I don’t fall. The ceiling of the barn creaks, timber slats start falling around me, and I know we are about to be buried. I try to quicken my pace, stumbling with every step, praying to whoever’s listening that my girl is going to be okay.

I see the blue sky finally come into my hazy vision as I put one foot in front of the other and push myself toward it. Willow is heavy and a dead weight in my arms. I have no idea if she is even breathing. Eddie runs toward me, putting his own life on the line, and grabs Willow from my arms and runs back out. Ben pulls on my rope, the movement enough to keep my legs moving before I crash into him. He grabs me around the arms and runs me out to the grassy patch, farther and farther away from the flames. My feet are heavy, my lungs burn, my eyes are stinging, and I can’t breathe. But I watch Willow like a hawk as Eddie lays her on the grass and steps back, turning his head to not look at the blood coating her as the police take over and do CPR.

Geoffery and Katerina are both shrieking, and I see the police handcuff them and push them into separate cop cars, slamming the doors on their noise. Then we all hear an almighty roar as the ceiling of the barn collapses. The large structure is entirely engulfed in flames. Sparks and smoke billow out as the barn is reduced to pure orange. There are shouts and screams as the few police who are here all jump on their radios, calling for support. A few of them run to the nearby water tanks and hoses appear. They water the ground around the barn, ensuring the fire doesn’t spread and take hold of the entire property. The heat is overwhelming, but my eyes remain on Willow as the man continues to pump her chest and breathe into her mouth. Ben splashes water bottle after water bottle over my head, and my feet slowly give way and I fall to my knees. I kneel on the grass near Willow. My clothes are black, my chest hurts, my hands are a charcoal mess. But all I care about is her.

“Breathe, Cupcake. Please breathe.” The words fall from my lips in a whisper, and it isn’t lost on me that I am on my knees and begging next to her body, just like I was with Helen when I was twelve. The pain of losing one woman I love is immense, and I can’t go through that again. Please let her live. Please God, let her live.

Then she coughs and splutters and relief fills my bones. My body sags against Ben’s and Eddie’s, the two of them holding me as I crumple. Pain starts to shoot through my body now that I know she is alive. An oxygen mask is fitted to her face from a paramedic who has now just arrived, and with Eddie on one side and Ben on the other, I sink into my brothers’ embrace, and I cry.

CHAPTER FORTY THREE - WILLOW

I wake up, and the first thing I feel is my throat. There is no moisture in my mouth. My lips feel chapped, sore, almost sunburned. Then I smell it. Smoke. My eyes snap open, and I start to panic.

“It’s okay. You are all right. You’re in the hospital, but fine,” a whisper of a voice says from beside me, and I feel a soft touch to my arm. I look up to see my neighbor and Josh’s mom in her full nurse's uniform, giving me a warm smile.

I don’t speak, still in fear and shock, having no idea what I'm doing here. My eyes trail down the starched white linen, where I see my hands are pink, and there are bandages on my wrists. I have one foot jutting out from the blankets, wrapped thickly with gauze bandages, and I wiggle my toes, my memories flooding back. The barn.

I gasp for air, the oxygen mask on my face helping me, my eyes feeling stale and gritty, almost like I have pink eye. But I remain quiet, looking at my surroundings. I feel my heart thud in my chest, and I try to swallow as Josh’s mom removes the mask and offers me a glass of water that I happily sip. On one side of the bed, I see Saide spread out on a chair, her hair everywhere, one leg protruding out, the other flung over the arm of the chair. She looks a mess, although probably better than I do.

As Josh's mom takes the water and replaces the oxygen mask, she then checks my pulse, and I turn my head to the other side and see Tennyson. His eyes are staring right into mine. He sits silently, watching me. His jaw works overtime, his eyes black with lack of sleep. He is dressed casually, in jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt, his sleeves pushed up. I notice his arms and hands have small plasters, a small bandage on one of his hands. His eyes are red and watery. We both remain quiet and just look at each other. Almost silently acknowledging the events we went through, even though they are still hazy in my mind. On his lap lies Josh. Too big to sit on anyone's knee, but curled up just the same.

“Hey…” I croak. My voice does not sound familiar to my ears.

He remains silent. I watch him, our eyes anchored, and I see a tear slip over onto his cheek. My own eyes glass at the sight. My heart breaks for him and what we have had to endure.

“Cupcake?” he whispers, like he doesn’t believe his eyes. They widen then, as he realizes that I am, in fact, awake.

“I’m okay…” I whisper. Josh’s mom moves quickly to pick up her son and puts him softly back in the chair Tennyson vacated as he stands and rushes to me.

“You’re okay? Are you in pain? We can get the doctor. Do you need—” His words start to rush out, his hands finding my own and holding them delicately.

“I’m okay. We are okay,” I say to him, a little in disbelief, as my memories start to flood back. “How did you find me?” The last thing I remember is hearing his chopper.

“I will always find you,” he says, leaning in and taking my lips, giving me a sweet kiss so gentle I wonder if I am dreaming it.

“Katerina?” I ask, not wanting to say her name, but needing to know.

“Not pregnant. Lying the entire time. Police took her and her father, blackmail and attempted murder only two of the many charges that will be laid on them. Ben is working on keeping them in jail. We are rejecting any suggestion of bail.” His hand cups my cheek, our lips remaining so close I can feel his breath on my own.

“What happened? I just remember the barn. The flames?” I ask, my voice wavering. I can’t believe I made it. We made it.

“Katerina set the barn alight and left you there. She fucking left you to burn,” he says, clearly still angry and upset. His jaw is tight, his teeth clenched. He rubs his eyes as though he is in pain, and I grab his hand, brushing it with my fingers, trying to give him reassurance that I am okay.

“But you got me…” I say in wonder as I lift his hands, inspecting the damage. A few pink marks, a few more small heat burns on his hands.

“Willow. I will always get you. I will always be there for you. I am never leaving your side, and I am never letting you leave mine. I love you. I love you so goddamn much, it hurts,” he says, his eyes searching mine, ensuring I understand, and I do.

“I love you too,” is all I can choke out before he kisses me again.

“Any chance you can stop kissing now so I can hug my sister, rock star?” Saide’s voice rings out at the side of the bed. Tennyson pulls back gently, then he pecks my forehead in his signature kiss and leans back.

“Hey…” I say to Saide and see her take a breath.

“I hope you charge this fucker danger money. I have never known you to put your life on the line for your job before. Surely, there is some cash coming our way for that?” she asks, jutting out her hip in sass, giving Tennyson an eyebrow raise in question. She is joking, of course, trying to lighten the mood.

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