Alexandra wrapped her robe tighter around her waist and dropped to the floor. She crawled to him and they started down the stairs together, as fast as they could go.
“Where’s my dad?” she asked in her panicked state.
Sebastian did not mention her slip-up. He was too busy trying to get them out. “He’s outside. Move, move! We have to get out of here!”
At this point, crawling didn’t even matter. They ran down the stairs, with the fire chasing behind them. Sebastian only had one shot of getting this right.
“Alex, you get outside!” he told her when they made it down to the main floor. “Get to Max. I have to get his oxygen tank, or it can explode. Take him inside my house. My front door is open. When you get in, I need you to call 911 again. Now go!”
She ran to the front door, and Sebastian slid across the hardwood floor of the foyer into the dining room, scooping up the oxygen tank. He yanked the hose, but it was stuck. It was entangled in the rails of the bed. The noise of the fire was so familiar, but tonight, he was more terrified than he had ever felt. He was not wearing protective gear, his busted knee kept shooting pain up his leg, and the people he cared about were in danger.
“Come on. Come on!” he shouted, feeling the sweat and soot on his skin as he fought to untangle the hose. The sound of flames was louder. Smoke poured into the room. It was thick and black, and the smell was acrid. He sneezed, blinking back stars. Finally, his fingers felt where it was caught on the railing. He slid the hose across and down the metal bar, and it came free. Just as flames began to run along the ceiling, he made a mad dash out the front door, ducking away from the scorching heat.
When he got outside with the tank, people from the neighborhood were already gathered around in the middle of the street. Sirens wailed in the distance. Someone beat Alexandra to calling for help. The huge sigh of relief that rushed from his lungs, was filled with a clean burst of fresh air.
Alexandra is safe.
Max is safe.
The place didn’t blow up.
Thank God.
“Good job, Sebastian.” Someone from the neighborhood patted him on the back.
“Where’s Alex?”
He pushed past the onlookers, searching for Max and Alex. A firetruck came to a stop by the curb. His coworkers spilled out. Sebastian approached them to let them know what to expect.
“Hey, guys,” he shouted. “There’s medical equipment in there, and there may be another oxygen tank in the dining room. Be careful.”
His old crew started to hook up hoses. A separate team of firefighters got to work on pushing the crowd back. The house could still blow, but all he was interested in now was finding Alexandra.
“Bash!”
He heard her call his name. It was like no one else was around them. The buzz and clamor died down, and he zeroed in on her scared face, standing out from the rest. She was at the back of the ambulance where paramedics were working on Mr. Storme. He ran to her.
“Alex! Is he alright? Are you alright?”
He dragged her into his arms, hugging her, squeezing her tight. He did not care who was watching or what anyone thought. He did not care if she was worried about what they thought either. When she wriggled away, he pulled her back in. He tucked her head under his chin and ran his hand through her hair. The smoke smell clung to them both. None of that mattered. She was alive. She was safe.
“I’m fine,” Alex answered, pulling away to turn to Max. “Daddy inhaled some smoke. With his pneumonia, it can’t be good.”
“Oh, no. I wish I had made it inside fast enough.”
“They’re taking him to the hospital. I have to phone Rosa and tell her what’s going on, and I want to go with him.” She looked down at the terrycloth robe and flip flops she had on. “I can’t go like this!”
Alexandra moved to her father’s side. She stared down at him, sooty tears rolling down her gray cheeks. The gains he had made over the past two weeks were wiped away by the fire. A fresh oxygen mask was now in place, pumping air into his body. Still, Max’s face was pale. He looked weak. His eyes continued to flutter and close. He was depleted by the ordeal.
“We have to go now, Mr. Roberts,” the paramedic said.
Alexandra looked over at Sebastian, desperation on her face.
“I’ll get you to the hospital, Alex,” he told her. “We can stop over at my place and find you something to wear. You can use my phone to call Rosa on the way over.”
She nodded gratefully. Only then did she hop down from the ambulance. She followed him back through the crowd to get to his place. Sebastian heard the fire chief call him over. Already, there was reluctance on Alexandra’s face. She wanted to follow her dad to the hospital as soon as possible.
“I can’t talk right now, Chief,” he shouted over to him. “I need to get my neighbor’s nephew to the hospital.”
“Hey, Bash! Alex!” Nate waved and jogged over to them. “Are you two all right?”
“Yes,” he said for both of them.
“Glad to hear it. There weren’t any more oxygen tanks inside,” Nate told them. “So there’s no risk of explosion. We got the worst of the fire out. You know the drill. We can’t give an official cause without the fire chief’s confirmation, but it looks electrical. Probably old wiring, and definitely from the second floor. We see that a lot in old houses like this, right Bash?”
“For sure. Thanks for the update, Nate. Alex and I have to get to the hospital now. Call me on my cell when this is all over, okay?”
“Will do.”
Sebastian was still fighting through the pain that made his knee tight and inflexible. He pushed open his front door and went over to the entryway table, grabbing his keys and pocketing his wallet and phone. “Come on, Alex. My clothes will all be too big for you, but it’s better than a robe.”
He hobbled to the laundry room and grabbed a clean set of clothes from the dryer. He was not going to make it all the way up the stairs after overworking his knee. It hurt like hell as he crouched down and pulled out some shorts and a t-shirt. “Try this,” he told her, and pointed to the main floor bathroom. Alexandra hurriedly went in, and came out in shorts that hung almost to her calves, cinched at the waist with a drawstring. The t-shirt was also oversized, but it got the job done.
“Let’s go,” she ordered.
He tossed her the phone and locked up before walking to the Jeep. He would have to maneuver through the crowded street and probably break the speed limit to get to the hospital. There was no way they would catch up to the ambulance.
Alexandra wheezed beside him. “There was so much smoke,” she whispered, seeming to relive what had just happened. She was shaking. He reached across the center console and squeezed her hand gently.
“You’re alright. You made it out. Max made it out. Everything’s going to be okay. Go on. Call Rosa.”
“You saved us.”
“I did what anyone would do, Alex. Nothing more.” He sped up, and quickly looked her way before returning his attention to the road. Tears rolled down her face. “You’re one of my best friends,” he said honestly. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
She sucked in a breath and dialed Rosa’s number. She left a message when no one answered. Minutes later, they arrived at the hospital. Sebastian stayed downstairs in the emergency room waiting area, while Alexandra went to find Max. A few minutes later, Nate phoned to tell him the water and fire damage was fairly substantial. The structure was fine, and that meant the house would not be condemned. With a few weeks of gutting and renovations, Max and Alexandra could be back in their home.
“Thanks, Nate.” He stretched his legs out after sitting in the uncomfortable waiting room chair. “This one hit close to home for me.”
“No doubt,” he agreed. “Is your friend okay? He looked pretty shook up.”
“Yeah, he’s mostly worried about his uncle. The poor old guy was already sick before this all happened, so we’re hoping he can bounce back. I haven’t he
ard any news yet.”
“I hope so, man. You know, we sure could’ve used you in there.”
“I know what you mean, buddy. I’m still not there yet. The knee’s killing me, and all I did was help the neighbor get out, carry an oxygen tank, and climb two flights of stairs. The leg feels like crap. Well, I’m glad it was our team that responded. Give me a few weeks. I’ll be back.”
“Looking forward to it, dude. Oh, Chief says get in touch with him when you get the chance. He said there’s something he wants to talk to you about.”
He groaned, wondering what the chief wanted. “Tell him I will. Later, Nate.”
After he hung up, he sat forward and eyed the clock, wondering when Alexandra would be back out…and what would happen next.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
ALEXANDRA’s fingers went numb around the guardrail of the hospital bed. The beeps coming from the medical equipment seemed to get louder around her. Her father inhaled and exhaled long, deep breaths from the oxygen mask. It was a bad case of déjà vu. This could not be happening again.
The doctor walked in during her slow-burn panic attack. He smiled softly when he saw her. She braced herself. She did not want to fall apart now.
“Ah, Mr. Roberts,” he said pleasantly. “It’s good to see you again, although I wish it were under different circumstances. Have a seat. We can go over your uncle’s radiographs so you can see what we’re up against.” He settled on a round stool and gestured to the chair at his side.
She took a seat. She was slightly embarrassed. She looked like a kid, the way she was dressed. Sebastian’s things hung off her small frame. She felt like a kid too. She was out of her element. There was no one here to tell her what to do—no manager, no entourage, no image team or the label busybodies who did the grunt work. Rosa was not here either. If she were here as Lexxi Rock, she could probably breeze into the hospital in a designer pantsuit looking like she could buy the building, and would have her ‘people’ take care of everything. As Lexxi, no one would think twice if she broke down and had a bona fide crying spell, given everything that had happened.
She was not here as Lexxi. She was Alex. It would go over well if she cried. Not only did she have a role to play to protect her father’s privacy, she had an obligation to stay in character. She needed to step up and take charge of this disaster, and see what could be done to salvage this mess. It was her job to take care of Dad. The house caught on fire right under her nose. As much as she told herself bad things happened sometimes, she felt guilty about all of it.
She sat up straight, and lowered the tenor of her voice. “How bad is it, doctor?”
She took a breath and braced for the worst. The doctor snapped two x-rays up on a little white screen and pointed to some hazy, splotchy areas on the film.
“The smoke inhalation has caused some inflammation. That will affect his already strained respiratory system.”
“What does it mean?”
“It means your uncle needs to be re-admitted. We’ll keep him here for some time to monitor his condition. His pneumonia could worsen, or it may not. There’s no way to tell at this point. Mr. Storme is a fighter. He’s already shown us that. The important thing is to keep him here, where he can stabilize and get the medical attention he needs. The house isn’t habitable, correct?”
“That’s right, I think. I don’t really know what happened.” She dropped her head. “I was there. I slept right through it, but his neighbor is a firefighter. He saw the smoke. He saved us.”
“You may have a guardian angel looking out for you. Thank goodness it didn’t reach his oxygen tank.”
She thought of Bash, and then her mom. A tearful smile wavered on her lips. “Yes.”
“His condition could have been much worse if he hadn’t gotten out when he did. The duration of his exposure to smoke was short. That gives us hope. He’s in good hands here, son.”
Alexandra nodded gratefully. “Thank you, doctor. I appreciate it. Do you have any idea on how long he’ll have to stay this time?”
“At the very least, I’d say a few days. Probably a week. They’ll have a private room ready for within the hour.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ve both been through a lot. You should get some rest. Your uncle will be sleeping a while with the medication I’ve prescribed. I’ve also had the nurse administer a cough suppressant to relax his lungs. If you need to make arrangements for yourself, you might want to go ahead and take care of that now. ”
“I will.”
“If you’d like, leave a phone number with the nurse. We’ll contact you when he’s moved to his room.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
The doctor left shortly afterward. The prognosis was not as dire as she feared. Soon, her pounding heart calmed down.
“Once again, you beat the odds, Dad,” she whispered to him.
This scene was too familiar. He looked exactly the way he did when she first came in from LA to see him. She stroked his hand.
“I can’t leave now, not with you back in here. Is it a sign? Maybe I’m not meant to go back to LA.”
With a long sigh, she kissed him good night and told him she would be back soon. Bash was waiting for her when she returned to the waiting room.
“You probably think I have got the worst luck in the world,” she said when she joined him.
He looked up at her with a smile and retracted his long legs, sitting up in the chair. She plopped down next to him.
“Or the best luck in the world,” he replied. “Everything happens for a reason. I’m glad you and your uncle made it out of there.”
He suggested they were destined to meet each other. The very idea was scary and exciting at the same time. Bash had been there for her in the past few weeks. He had kept her company, and kept her from going insane with worry about her father. Alexandra showed up in Tucson intent on escaping her crazy yet lonely LA life, and had a perfect friendship placed right in her lap.
The appreciation rushed over her as she looked into his handsome face, the chiseled slant of his jaw, the glint of gold in his hair, and his dark eyes searching hers. Appreciation…and desire that she needed to get a handle on right now. Butterflies crowded her stomach. She got ready to say what needed to be said.
“Bash, there’s something I have to tell you,” she blurted out.
She had to do it. She would tell him now. He needed to know who she was. She was so tired of keeping him at arm’s length with her disguise. If he hated her forever after this, at least she would know she didn’t lie to him. There was always the possibility she was wrong about him. Maybe he was not…
Bash quietly slipped his fingers around hers and rubbed his thumb along her inner palm. Those butterflies inside her turned into a hurricane. He leaned towards her like they were the only people in the waiting room. They might as well have been. Everything else was a fuzzy haze. He had her completely undone.
“Yes?” he whispered.
His lips were so close, and all she wanted to do was taste them. She shifted in her chair. Bash was once again coming on to ‘Alex’, the guy. She squeezed her eyes shut, and lost her resolve. She eased her hand away from him and sat back.
“I need a place to say,” she told him instead.
Where the hell did that come from?
“I can’t afford a hotel,” she lied. “My wallet, ID and credit cards were in the house.”
That part was not a lie. She could not check into a hotel. All that would do was leave an obvious trail to Lexxi Rock. It was the reason she did not rent a car when she first got here. The paparazzi were often tipped off by hotel and car rental staff, no matter how discreet the institution claimed to be. An idea was taking shape. This was her chance to find out if Bash was really into her, not Alex. With only maybe another week or two with him, she could take her time to make the reveal. After that, she would make good on her promise to Rick and fly back to Los Angeles.
“Did you just say you want to s
tay at my place?” Bash asked, with a shocked expression on his face.
“I know. It’s a big ask, bro, but I don’t have a lot of alternatives right now. It’s only a few days, maybe a couple weeks at most. It will take a week or so to get my cards and ID replaced. I can’t fly back home until I’m sure my uncle will be fine. If I can crash on your couch, or wherever, it would help a lot. I won’t be a bother. I’ll be here at the hospital most of the time.”
She started to question her request before he answered. Bash had been the source of several heated dreams. She fantasized about the man enough already.
Can I handle living in the same place with Bash, even for a couple of weeks?
Am I asking too much of him? Of myself?
She remembered she did not have a choice. Rosa lived in a tiny one-bedroom condo on the other side of town. If she checked into a hotel after her cards were replaced, it would be as Lexxi, and that would be it. Cover blown, paparazzo invasion inevitable.
“Hey. It’s fine. I don’t mind, Alex,” he said. “There’s lots of room.”
Bash tapped on her shoulder to cut into her jumbled thoughts. “Hey. Don’t look so worried. It’s just a few days, right? A week or two?”
“Yes,” she said softly.
A few days…sleeping in the same house…with Bash.
God help me.
To Be Continued
Continues in “REVEAL” in early October. Click Here (www.bellawild.com) to get an email reminder on release day.
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Disguise Page 18
