Chloe felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest. "What are you talking about?"
"Someone threw a bottle in there, through the window. Filled with gasoline. Everything is on fire!"
"Damn it," Chloe said. She dug out her phone and called 911. "Come on, we have to get out of here."
When the operator answered, Chloe gave them their address and told them what happened. She headed for the door to the outside. Then she noticed the smoke coming in under the door. "Uh, Sarah...?"
Sarah ran for the door. She opened it, and then slammed it just like she had the other one. "The landing is on fire too," she said. "There's no way we're getting through that."
Chloe felt panic start to rise in her chest. "How are we going to get out then?"
"I don't know," Sarah said.
Chloe pressed her phone back against her ear. "We're trapped in here," she told the operator. "Someone lit a fire outside the front door! What are we supposed to do? How soon will you be here?"
The operator was silent for a moment and then asked, "Is there a bathroom?"
"Yes."
"Barricade yourself in there," she said. "Just in case whoever did this is still around and tries to get at you. Turn on the water, put a towel under the door, and open the window if there is one. You're going to be fine. We have a unit on the way."
"Well, hurry!" Chloe yelled into the phone.
She grabbed Sarah by the arm and pushed her into the guest room. They were already both choking on the smoke. They went into the bathroom, and Chloe set her phone down. They locked the door and turned on the tap in both the sink and the tub. Chloe wet and stuffed a towel under the door while Sarah opened the small window that faced the street. Both of them stuck their heads out of it, gulping down fresh air.
Even with that, Chloe was starting to feel nauseated by the smoke passing through the towel. She spared a thought for Afterlife; it must be evacuating at the moment, though she couldn't hear anything going on downstairs. Alec had made sure his home was soundproofed.
"Are we going to die in here?" she asked Sarah.
Sarah grabbed both of her hands. "No, Chloe. We're going to be just fine. You just have to trust me, alright?"
"But where are the fire fighters? Why is nobody coming? We can't stay here much longer."
"I know," Sarah said. "And that's why you have to trust in me. Can you do that?"
"Yes," Chloe said. She didn't see any other alternative, and listening to Sarah had never done her wrong in the past. "What are we going to do?"
"We're going to take blankets and towels, and we're going to cover ourselves completely in them," Sarah said. "Then we're going to run out the exit."
Chloe shook her head. "We'll burn!"
Sarah gave her a small shake. "No, we won't. Not if we're fast. If we're fast, we can make it through. We'll get the towels and blankets wet first. That'll give us even more protection. The moment we're out of here, we drop the blankets and towels, and get as far away as possible. Do you understand?"
"I'm scared," Chloe admitted.
"I know," Sarah said, "but we've faced worse than this before. Remember Trentreen? Remember the vampires? What's a little house fire after all that? We're going to be fine. You have to believe me."
Chloe let out a low curse, and quickly began gathering towels. They soaked them in the bathtub, and used them to cover their hair and most of their faces. The only thing left showing when they were done were their eyes. They gathered blankets next, and soaked them as well, then draped them around their bodies like robes. Chloe picked up her phone to tell the operator what they were doing, but all she could hear was static on the other end.
Sarah met Chloe's gaze and pointed to herself. Chloe took this to mean she was going first. She took the towel out from underneath the door and unlocked it. Immediately, they were breathing in the thick, black smoke. The fire had spread to the kitchen from Alec's bedroom, and it was coming in the front door as well. Sarah and Chloe both hesitated for a moment, and then Sarah took off in a run for the front door. Chloe followed, staying right on her heels.
The door had collapsed from the fire, and they both had to scramble over the burning wood. Even covered in wet blankets and towels, Chloe could feel the flames trying to lick at her. She felt hot, and sick. She wanted to stop and throw up, but Sarah grabbed her arm, and yanked her along.
Eventually, they reached the stairwell, and ran down it together. When they got to the bottom, they dropped the towels and blankets and stared at each other.
"It worked," Chloe said. She coughed, and shook her head. Her voice was raspy and harsh.
"I told you to trust me," Sarah said with a small smile.
Chloe pulled her into a tight hug. They stood there like that for a minute, and then both of them started coughing again. Chloe lost her dinner all over the floor, and Sarah looked slightly green. The paramedics arrived seconds later, through the club door, and led them out of the smoke filled hallway, as the firefighters pushed past them to work on the apartment.
The paramedics directed them through the club, which as Chloe thought, had been evacuated. She looked around as they walked through; it didn't seem like there was any structural damage to the club itself; just Alec's apartment.
When they got outside, she heard a voice. "Chloe?"
She turned and saw Nick standing there, looking completely confused. "What happened to you?"
"Someone lit Alec's apartment on fire," she said simply.
"Is he alright?"
"He wasn't home," Chloe said. "Sarah and I were house-sitting for him. Taking care of his plants, that kind of thing."
"Well, are you alright?"
Chloe sighed. "I'll be fine," she told him. "Thanks for your concern, Nathan."
With that taken care of, she followed the paramedics to the ambulance. They landed both her and Sarah up, and drove them to the nearest hospital. They were both admitted with burns on parts of their bodies where the fire had burned through the cloth they'd covered themselves in. They're lungs had also suffered from the smoke, and were given breathing treatments. Luckily, there was a room with two beds available, and they were put in there together.
Once the doctors had finished looking them over and left them alone, Chloe turned to Sarah. "So it's a definite," she said. "Someone is trying to kill us. First you and I, in the car, then Conner with the bullets, and I'm pretty sure they were after Alec this time."
"Looks like it," Sarah said. "This is turning into a hell of a day, Chloe."
"Yeah," Chloe said. "Bet you didn't think you'd end up in the hospital twice, did you?"
Sarah gave her a slight smile, and then leaned back.
"Should we text Alec what happened?" Chloe asked.
Sarah shook her head. "That would only distract them right now," she said. "Best they put all their focus on the Trinity gang. When they're done, we can tell them what happened."
They both lapsed into silence as they thought over the fire, and what could have happened. Chloe couldn't get it out of her mind; they'd almost died in there. A few more minutes, and they might have. Sarah had saved their lives. If she hadn't been there... well, if Sarah hadn't been there, Chloe wouldn't have been there either. It would have just been Alec. She wondered if he would have made it out alive. He was very resourceful, so it was certainly a possibility.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and a nurse poked his head in. "Excuse me? Chloe McAllister?"
"That's me," Chloe said. The nurse nodded and stepped into the room. He was carrying a large bouquet of flowers. "Someone left these at the desk for you," he said, putting them on the nightstand beside her bed.
"Who was it?" Chloe asked.
He just shook his head. "They didn't leave a name. If either of you need me, just hit the button, alright?" He left the room after both of them had nodded.
"So who are the flowers from?" Sarah asked. "Is there a card?"
Chloe picked up the flowers and searched for a card. Eve
ntually, she found one tucked between two of the roses. She pulled it out carefully, but still managed to knick herself on a thorn. She sucked on the finger that had been pricked, and read the card.
"All it says is Be Careful."
"Creepy," Sarah said. "Do you think it's a warning?"
"I don't know," Chloe said. "I guess so. I mean, someone is trying to kill us, after all. Should have known it wouldn't stop with the fire. They're going to keep coming after us."
"Then there's only one thing we can do," Sarah said.
"What's that?"
Sarah met her gaze calmly. "We find them and end this."
EIGHT
Harper and Brittney sat in the front seat of the borrowed truck, and Alec and Conner sat in the back. For the most part, they were silent during the trip. When they reached the construction site, they were flagged in by someone who looked like a construction worker. Harper knew he was one of the agents working with Moore, though.
Brittney drove up to the designated meeting spot, stopped the truck, and waited. There was still twenty minutes until when the trade was supposed to take place. Despite her earlier confidence at the station, Harper had to wonder if they were doing the right thing. They were about to hand over a large collection of weapons to a group of hardened criminals. Even though she knew the reason was to get close to them so they could take them out, she didn't like it.
Conner reached up and put a hand on Harper's shoulder. "Hey," he said in a quiet voice. "Everything is going to be just fine, alright?"
"Alright," Harper said.
"Are you scared?"
"No. I know I should be, but I'm just not," Harper said. "When you think about it, we've handled much worse."
Conner smiled. "Atta girl."
"Just don't get cocky," Alec warned. "If you get cocky, you're going to make a mistake and let something slip. If that happens, we're all going to be in a lot of trouble. Conner and I are here to make sure that if you have to fight your way out, that you can, but I'd rather not have it come to that."
"Stop worrying so much," Brittney told him. "Everything is going to go fine. We're just here to make a simple trade. That's all. Nothing else. Unless, of course, that earns us enough goodwill to see more of their organization. If that happens, we'll continue to be careful, alright?"
Alec sighed. "Alright."
Before they could talk it over more, a car came at them from the front. It stopped about twenty yards away, and two men got out. Harper and Brittney glanced at each other.
"It's show time," Harper said.
They got out of the car as well, followed by Alec and Conner. They approached the men walking towards them.
"Good evening," Brittney said.
"What's the word?" One of the men asked. He raised his gun and aimed it at Brittney.
"Eggplant," Brittney said.
The man nodded and lowered his weapon. "I was told we'd be meeting a man and a woman," he said. "What changed?"
"My man, James, got picked up for dealing to kids," Brittney said. "So I brought along a different partner. You have a problem with that?"
"No," the man said. "But who are those men with you? I was told there would be only two of you."
"They're here because we don't want to end up dead," Harper butted in. "We know how easy it would be for you to blow a hole in us, and take both our goods and your own. So we brought protection. Acceptable?"
The man considered for a moment, looking over at Alec and Conner. "I suppose," he said. "Can't be too careful when you're working with strangers, huh? Sean, pat them down. Make sure they're not carrying."
Harper held her arms out as the other man approached and began patting her down. When he was done, he said, "Lift your shirt."
"Excuse me?"
"Lift your shirt," he repeated.
Harper sighed, and lifted up her shirt to expose her bare stomach, and her black sports bra. The man pulled the bra out a little bit, looking down at her chest.
"You can put your shirt down now," he said. "She's clean. I'll check the other one."
He went through the same process with Brittney, though there was no reason to check her bra for wires; she was wearing a low cut, push-up bra that exposed her cleavage.
They went over to Alec and Conner next, and checked them for weapons and wires. Once they were satisfied that none of them were carrying or wearing wires, they both nodded.
The man who'd looked at Harper's chest held up his gun, aiming it at Harper. Before he could do more, Conner darted forward, grabbed the man before he could fire, and twisted his arm, making him drop his gun.
"Now, now," Conner said. "We don't want any of that, do we? We're all businessmen here. Let's get down to business."
"Right," the man said. He bent down, picked up his gun, and re-holstered it. "You have our goods?"
"Yes," Harper said. "In the back of the truck."
The men went over together, and pushed the back door of the truck up, revealing several crates of guns. Once again, Harper felt a little unease at the situation. It was too late to back out now, though. Not when they were unarmed, dealing with two men who looked as though they wouldn't mind pulling the trigger if the situation went that way.
"So," Brittney asked brightly as they examined the weapons. "What are your names?"
"I'm Sean, and my buddy here is Zach. Who are you?"
"I'm Tricia," Brittney said, "and this is Megan. You don't need to worry about those two. They're just here as protection."
"You're mighty pretty, Tricia," Sean said, glancing back at her. "I always did have a fondness for redheads."
Harper was glad he'd chosen to compliment Brittney; if he'd aimed that comment at her, she might have gagged a little in her mouth. Brittney took it in stride, though.
"Maybe if you're a good boy," she said, "I'll let you find out if that's my natural color."
Sean let out a low whistle. "Is that a promise?"
"Did I say it was a promise?"
Sean laughed. "I like you," he said. "You've got spunk."
Zach glanced back at them, shook his head, and said, "Sean, get your head on straight. We're not here to flirt. We're here to trade. Now, help me inspect these weapons. Make sure they got the right stuff."
Sean jumped up into the truck and went over to the crates. He began sorting through them, muttering to himself as he did. Once they were satisfied, they hopped back out of the truck.
"Now for our part," Brittney said.
"We don't have it here," he said.
"What? That wasn't the deal," Harper said. "We were supposed to do it here."
Zach shrugged. "Plans get changed, darling. We'll take you to the it and we can trade then. There's someone who wants to meet you beforehand."
Brittney shook her head. "No. If you can't respect the terms of our deal, we'll go find someone who can."
Both men took their guns out, and aimed them at Harper and Brittney. Alec and Conner both stormed forward, and Sean switched his aim to Conner.
"The way I figure it, you don't have much of a choice," Zach said. "If you don't agree, we kill you here. Come with us, and you get to live. Now, now, there's no reason to look so upset. If we wanted you dead, you'd be dead. So get in your truck, and follow us if you want to make this deal."
Brittney and Harper exchanged a glance and then went to the truck, climbing in the front. Alec and Conner got in the back.
"This isn't going how it's supposed to," Harper said.
"Sure it is," Brittney said. "They want us to meet someone. That's got to be their boss. Who else would it be? This is good. Because they were telling the truth: if they wanted us dead, they would have shot us right there. Even with Alec and Conner there. They wouldn't have cared."
"Yeah," Alec said. "It's going to be alright, Harper. Don't worry. We're going to be with you the entire time."
Conner was silent and Harper twisted in her seat. He was wearing a blank expression that she didn't much like. "What do you think, Conner?"<
br />
"I don't know," Conner said. "I mean, it makes sense, I suppose, that they'd want you to meet their boss. It means they trust you. I'm just glad those were real weapons in those crates. I was worried the police might have swapped them out in hopes they wouldn't realize they were fakes. If that had happened, we'd have been fighting back there."
"I'm still not sure about this," Harper said. "I mean, I thought while we were at the police station sure we can do this. I mean, we've faced worse. But that was when I thought we were just making a simple trade to score good points with them."
Brittney rolled her eyes. "It would have ended up this way eventually," she said. "They would have sent us back to meet these guys again eventually. After all, we're undercover FBI agents, Harper. Try to start acting like it."
Harper felt like Brittney had slapped her. She immediately became defensive.
"But we're not," Harper said. "We're not agents, and you know what? You didn't like this plan from the very start. Remember in the police station when Moore was on the phone? You were trying to convince me that we didn't have the chops for this."
"I was wrong," Brittney said. "And I know you're not as scared as you're letting on. Part of you likes this. Part of you craves this. You like the excitement and the danger. Don't try and deny it. I've known you since we were five. I can tell."
Harper said nothing, but she knew Brittney was right; she felt more alive right now than she ever had before she met the Afterlife crew. No matter how frightened she was, no matter the level of danger, she felt more at home with this kind of stunt than she had at Patrick's Pub. It seemed like another life, one that she could barely remember.
"Did you and Ileana ever do something like this?" she asked Alec.
Alec nodded. "A few times, actually. We were never police officers, but we ran our fair share of lies to end corrupt businesses. Ileana especially hated those that made use of cheap labor. There was this restaurant that we took down... they were paying children and teenagers to work there. Five cents an hour. And of course, they couldn't complain. They were getting paid, and they had to help support their families."
Kinda Like Van Helsing (Afterlife Book 4) Page 7
