Aric stared at me for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then he sprang into action. “That means we have to leave right now,” he said, leaning over to collect Sami’s bag from the floor. “Start packing, Sami. We’re out of here in ten minutes.”
Sami widened her eyes, but moved to do as her father asked. I stopped her with a hand on her arm.
“We can’t leave yet.”
“What?” Aric was incensed.
“We can’t leave yet,” I repeated, refusing to back down. “We know who the enemy is here. We can face him and put a dagger in the heart of the Academy for good.”
“And how do you plan to do that? Are you going to burn the entire campus to the ground?”
“I haven’t figured that part out yet,” I admitted, choosing my words carefully. “I simply don’t think running will get us anywhere. They’ll merely follow us home.”
“At least we know we can defend our property,” Aric spat. “We can’t defend this apartment. They know we’re here. They could be coming right now, for all we know.”
“I don’t think that’s the case. At least, well, I hope it’s not the case. They didn’t know we were in the basement. We entered the athletic building under glamour, and Martin never saw us. We have a little time to work here.”
Aric looked torn. “Zoe, we’re talking about Sami here. Do you really think she’s safe?”
The question was simple, but it irked me all the same. “Do you really think I’d purposely put my child in danger?”
“No. I think you want retribution for all of this, though, and you might not be seeing things properly.”
He had a point. Still … . “The enemy is here. The answers are here. We’re here and so are our friends. If we ever hoped to end this and give Sami something akin to a peaceful life, I don’t see us getting a better shot than this.”
Aric rolled his neck and stared at the ceiling. I could practically see him counting to ten. “Baby, you know I trust your instincts,” he said, his voice softer than it was a few seconds before. “But I’m worried. I refuse to pretend I’m not. This is our child.”
Tears pricked the back of my eyes as his words sank in. He was right. I couldn’t fight knowing Sami might be in danger. “Okay. We’ll pack up right now and go home.”
Aric blinked three times in rapid succession. “Really?”
“You and Sami are the most important things to me,” I replied. “We’ll go. We’ll head home and regroup, figure something out. Maybe we can take Rafael with us and he’ll serve as an extra bodyguard or something.”
“I vote for that,” Sami interjected. “He can sleep in my room.”
“Don’t push it,” Aric warned, although a small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Do you think this is the best course of action, Zoe?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer. “I don’t know. I won’t go against you, though. I would never forgive myself if I did and something happened.”
Aric heaved a sigh. “Let me think for a second.”
I obliged, turning my attention back to my dinner. I couldn’t help but notice that Sami seemed more interested in the photographs on the phone than her food. “What do you see?”
“What?” Sami looked surprised when I addressed her. “I’m not sure. Um, I think, um … .”
“What do you see?” Aric pressed.
“I’m pretty sure this guy has been at my school,” Sami replied, exhaling shakily. “He was a visitor who came to my class right before school let out for the summer. He seemed nice and stuff, but he spent a lot of time talking to me.”
“About what?” I had to force myself to remain calm.
“Nothing important,” Sami said hurriedly. “He just asked about things I enjoyed … like movies and books and stuff. He didn’t seem evil.”
I exchanged a quick glance with Aric. “He’s been there, Aric. He’s been close to our home. Nothing will stop him from returning.”
“I know.” Aric blew out a sigh, resigned. “Fine. We’ll stay. First thing tomorrow we move into a hotel, though. I don’t feel safe here any longer.”
“Agreed. I … .” I trailed off when screams filled the air outside the window. “What’s that?”
Aric ran to the window, yanking back the curtains so he could peer outside. When he swiveled quickly, his eyes seeking mine, all of the color had gone out of his features.
“What is it?” Sami asked, her voice shrill.
“I don’t want anyone to panic,” Aric intoned. “It’s just … the building is on fire.”
As if on cue, Sami screamed. So much for not panicking.
Twenty-One
“We’re all going to die!”
Sami hit the wall of defeat pretty fast.
“Oh, geez,” I muttered, slamming into the bedroom and shoving the few things we had into two duffel bags. I threw them in the middle of the living room before grabbing Sami’s items and doing the same with her bag.
For his part, Aric tried to calm Sami as he watched through the front window.
“Do you see anything?” I asked.
“The parking lot is filling with people watching the building,” Aric replied, stroking Sami’s head as she sobbed. “I have no idea if they’re enemies or curious onlookers. I don’t recognize the faces from your photos, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”
“Where is the fire now?”
“Not far.” Aric clearly didn’t want to go into details as he shifted. “We need to get out of here regardless. We can’t stay.”
“Do you have the keys to the Explorer?”
Aric dug into his pocket as I surveyed the bags. He jangled the keys for emphasis as Sami babbled like an idiot.
“I don’t want to die! I have too much to live for.”
“She gets that from you,” Aric said, managing a wan smile as he tried to grapple with Sami’s clinging arms. “How do you want to do this, Zoe? I don’t think setting everyone in the parking lot on fire is a smart move.”
He wasn’t wrong. “I say we go straight for the parking lot, get in the Explorer and find a safe place to collect ourselves.”
“Do you have any idea where that safe place would be?”
I shrugged. “The most important thing is putting distance between us and this apartment complex.”
Aric nodded grimly as he glanced at the bags. “Can you lift those?”
“I was going to throw them over the balcony.”
“That works, too.” Aric reached for Sami as I moved to the sliding glass door. “We’ll buy whatever we need once we sort through things. It’s going to be okay, Sami.”
Sam buried her face in Aric’s neck as she sobbed, distress overwhelming her as smoke began to fill the apartment. Aric and I noticed it a few minutes before she did, and by the time she caught up the panic doubled as she dug her fingernails into Aric’s neck.
“We’re going to suffocate!”
“We’re not going to suffocate,” Aric soothed, petting the back of her head. “I promise that won’t happen.”
“There’s smoke coming in. You can’t breathe smoke!”
Aric graced me with a weary look. “Do you want to help here?”
“I think you’re doing a fine job.”
Aric scorched me with a look. “She’s afraid!”
Something about his words tugged at my heartstrings and I took a moment to move closer to Sami, resting my hand on the back of her head. “It’s okay, Sami. We’ll be fine. We’re leaving right now. I just have to throw the bags over the balcony and then we’ll go down the stairs and head straight for the parking lot. It won’t be so bad.”
Sami sniffed, fat tears sliding down her cheeks. “I think we’re going to die.”
I felt bad for her, but couldn’t stop the annoyance from rolling through me. “I don’t see why you think she gets this from me,” I said after a beat. “I don’t panic in situations like this.”
“Well, she certainly doesn’t get it from me,” Aric said, grima
cing as he swiveled toward the balcony.
“She gets it from being twelve,” I offered. “This one isn’t on you or me.”
“Yes, that’s the most important thing,” Aric gritted out, moving to put Sami on the floor. She fought the effort. He looked helpless when he shifted his eyes to me. “There’s someone on the balcony.”
“What?” It took me a moment to comprehend what he was saying. When it sank in, I stormed to the door and threw it open, readying my twitchy fingers for attack. Instead Rafael breezed through the door, knocking me back, and impatiently glanced around the room.
“Is there a reason you’re hanging out in a burning building?”
Sami instantly straightened her back when she realized Rafael had arrived, swiping at her tears as she tried to collect herself. “They won’t stop talking,” she offered. “They don’t believe me when I say we’re going to burn.”
Rafael cast her a fond glance. “You’re not going to burn. Don’t be dramatic.”
Sami’s mouth dropped open. “I’m not being dramatic!”
“I believe she gets that from you,” Rafael said, gripping my shoulder as he met Aric’s gaze. “We must go now.”
“We’re going to throw the bags off the balcony and then go down the stairs,” I offered.
“The stairs are fully engulfed,” Rafael countered. “I tried to use them to come up … that wasn’t an option.”
Wait a second … . “How did you get up here? We’re on the second floor. Did you fly?”
“I jumped,” Rafael answered. “That’s hardly important now, is it?”
“I told you we were going to die,” Sami muttered.
“Stop being a defeatist,” Aric chided, pressing a kiss to Sami’s forehead as he swayed back and forth. “If we can’t go down the stairs then we have no choice but to go off the balcony. There are people watching from the parking lot.”
“I don’t see where we have a lot of choice,” Rafael argued. “We cannot stay in this building much longer. The third floor is already gone and the weight of the building will fall inward soon.”
“Inward?” Sami’s eyes sparked. “Does that mean the fire is going to fall on us?”
“No fire will get you,” Rafael promised, grabbing two of the bags from the floor as I reached for the third. “We have to go off the balcony.”
“Then the balcony it is,” Aric muttered, kicking the door open further and carrying Sami out to the small square. “How do you want to do this?”
“Well, I was thinking that I could hop down first and take Zoe with me,” Rafael replied. “I can move in a manner that won’t look strange to those watching. Then you can pass Sami down to us, I will catch her, and hopefully people won’t be overly focused on you when you jump.”
I threw the first bag over the balcony railing. “I don’t like the idea of being separated from Sami.”
“It will be for less than a minute,” Rafael shot back.
“Yes, well … .”
“Zoe, it’s going to be okay,” Aric prodded. “Rafael is right. We need to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible.”
I wordlessly watched as Rafael tossed the other two bags over the edge. I didn’t like any of this, yet we couldn’t stay where we were and figure out another option. Finally I blew out a sigh and bobbed my head. “Okay.”
“Good.” Aric brushed a kiss against my cheek. “I’ll be right behind you. I want you on the ground to catch Sami when I send her down.”
“Yeah.” I slipped an arm around Rafael’s neck so he could help me over the edge. He would do the bulk of the heavy lifting for our descent, but something caused me to snap my head back to the apartment, almost completely filled with smoke now. “I guess we’re officially saying goodbye to this place, huh?”
Aric followed my gaze, his lips curving. “It died a good death. We don’t need it any longer. We have each other. That’s all that matters.”
He was right, as always. “I know.” I snapped my arm around Rafael’s neck and nodded. “Let’s go.”
“Finally,” Rafael muttered, annoyance getting the better of him. “So much drama.”
“Just wait until Sami tells this story to Paris and Kelsey,” I supplied. “Honey, you haven’t seen drama.”
“I cannot wait.”
“SO, WHAT happened here?”
The uniformed police officer, who looked young enough to potentially date Sami, flipped open his notebook an hour later and stared at us. The escape from the apartment went completely as planned. The escape from the parking lot was another story. By the time we hit the Explorer – Sami clinging to Rafael this time – fire trucks were roaring in and we were essentially cut off from escape.
“We were inside having dinner when we heard people yelling in the parking lot,” I replied, keeping my voice flat and lifeless. “My husband looked out the window, saw the fire, and then we left via the balcony because it was too dangerous to go through the stairwell.”
“I see.” The officer blinked his eyes several times. “That’s it?”
“I’m not sure what else you want us to tell you,” I answered, leaning in to Aric as he moved up behind me.
“Well, I thought you might have more information,” the officer admitted. “I … oh, wait. The captain is here.”
Captain? I shifted my eyes in the direction the officer looked, my heart stuttering when I recognized the face staring back at me. It had been eighteen years since I saw it, gray lightening the hair and lines changing the face slightly, but I’d recognize him anywhere.
“Officer Obnoxious,” I intoned, crossing my arms over my chest as the captain closed the distance between us. “I guess I should’ve seen this coming.”
Dale Perkins eyed me for a moment, making me wonder if he was trying to place me. He shook himself from his reverie after a few seconds and waved off the younger officer. “I’ve got this one, Smith.”
“Sir?”
“I said I’ve got it,” Perkins repeated. “I’ve questioned them before, and Mr. Winters is the son of a state senator. I’ll handle the questioning today.”
“All right.” The officer shot another dubious look in our direction before shuffling off.
Perkins kept an eye on him until he was sure the man was out of earshot. The look he graced me with after that was anything but pleasant. “Why is it that whenever you show up, trouble isn’t far behind?”
I shrugged, weariness overtaking me. “Just lucky, I guess.”
“Does this fire have something to do with you, Ms. Lake?”
“Mrs. Lake-Winters,” Aric corrected, catching me off guard. “She’s my wife.”
“Fine.” Perkins blew out a sigh. “Does this fire have something to do with you, Mrs. Lake-Winters?”
I shrugged, noncommittal. “I guess anything is possible.”
Perkins growled as he shook his head. “Unbelievable. Well … .” He tugged a hand through his graying hair. “We need to talk, but we can’t do it here. There’s a restaurant around the corner.”
“That’s good,” I shot back. “Sami didn’t get to finish her dinner.”
“Sami?” Perkins furrowed his brow and when he caught sight of my daughter leaning against the back of the Explorer, Rafael standing watch, he merely shook his head. “I’ve got twenty bucks that says that kid is a handful.”
I didn’t bother hiding my smirk. “I’m not taking that bet. I already know she’s a handful.”
“Yeah, well … I’ll meet you at the diner in ten minutes. I wasn’t kidding when I said we needed to talk.”
“We’ll meet you there.”
“CAN I HAVE a hot fudge sundae for dinner?”
Sami wasted no time once we were seated at the all-night diner and began milking her recent tragedy before we had a chance to harden our hearts.
“Absolutely not,” Rafael answered, taking me by surprise. “You shall have a healthy meal – or whatever passes for a healthy meal in this place – before dessert.”
&nbs
p; Aric and I exchanged amused looks.
“But I want ice cream,” Sami pressed.
Rafael wasn’t about to back down. “Healthy food first.”
Even though she had a crush on him, Sami wasn’t above bypassing his word to get what she wanted, so she turned a set of expectant eyes to me. “I want ice cream.”
“You need to have something substantial before your ice cream,” I said. “How about a bowl of soup? We’ll split a sandwich, and then you can have as much ice cream as you want. How does that sound?”
Sami tilted her head to the side, considering. “Is that going to be my best offer?”
I nodded.
“Fine.” Sami blew out a dramatic sigh. “I guess I need nourishment after almost dying.”
Aric pursed his lips as he slipped his arm around the back of my chair. “Don’t bother denying that she gets that little personality gem from you.”
I wouldn’t dare. “Just as long as you admit she gets that worrying thing she does from you.”
“Deal.”
After placing our orders, Aric turned his attention to Perkins. He didn’t distrust the man – as far as Covenant College cops go, Dale Perkins was pretty much our only ally – but he clearly wasn’t ready to wade into the trust pond with both feet. “So, Captain Perkins? I see you’ve been working your way up the ranks.”
Perkins nodded as he sipped his coffee. “It wasn’t hard. After Mrs. Lake-Winters graduated, well, the amount of crime on campus dropped astronomically. Working my way through the ranks was quite easy given the drop in paranormal crime.”
Sami’s mouth dropped open. “He knows.”
I nodded. “He knows. He helped us a few times.”
Perkins mustered a small smile. “You look like your father.”
“I hear that all of the time,” Sami said. “Five minutes from now you’ll say I act like my mother.”
Rafael snickered as he handed Sami a crayon so she could draw on her placemat. “Yes, she’s quite the mix of both worlds.”
Perkins’ eyes were thoughtful as they landed on Rafael. “You were around back then, too. I haven’t seen you in years.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 71
