by A. M. Myers
He surges forward. “Are you fucking kidding me? I would never…”
“Chill, okay?” Rodrigues says, holding his hand up. “I could tell pretty quickly that she was full of shit and layin’ it on a little thick but I can’t look like I’m giving y’all special treatment. I had to come ask you these questions, no matter how ridiculous they are.”
“Yeah,” Sawyer sighs, relaxing back into the couch. “Okay.”
“I’ll talk to the staff here and get the videotapes. That will be more than enough to convince anyone that you had nothing to do with this,” he says as they both stand. As they walk over to the door, I sigh and turn to look out of the windows, wondering what this girl hoped to gain by framing Sawyer for assaulting her. It’s not like it would win him back…
“What are you thinking so hard about over there?” Sawyer asks as he leans down and scoops me up into his arms. I lay my head on his shoulder and sigh.
“Just wondering what Tawny was trying to do by framing you.”
He shakes his head. “You shouldn’t worry about it, baby. Knowing Tawny, she was just trying to get back at me and it didn’t work so we should focus on more important things.”
“Oh, yeah?” I ask, smiling up at him as he carries me back into the bedroom. “Like what?”
My phone rings before he can answer and he scowls as he sits down on the edge of the bed with me in his lap. Nico’s name pops onto the screen and I smile as I answer it.
“Hey, girl. What time are you getting in?”
“I actually got in last night but I thought I’d get a good night’s sleep before meeting up with you to go over business,” she says and I look up at Sawyer and scrunch up my nose.
“I wasn’t actually planning on going into work today so you can take another day. Maybe explore the city or look for an apartment.”
There is a pause on the line and my stomach flips as I wait for her response. She sighs. “So you’ve decided to stay then?”
“I have and I would really love to have you here with me. It’s up to you, though.”
“Can I have a few days to think about it?”
I nod, smiling up at Sawyer who returns it. “Of course. In fact, take that time off as well. There really isn’t much we can do right now since the contractor is still making changes to the office.”
She agrees before promising to let me know her decision soon and I grin as I hang up and turn back to Sawyer.
“Now, what were those important things you mentioned earlier?”
“Well, for starters,” he murmurs, hooking his fingers into the edge of my robe. “The shower I promised you and then I figure we need to go home and move you into your new bedroom.”
I grin. “How do you feel about new curtains?”
“Oh, God,” he groans. “It’s starting already.”
“Get used to it, baby,” I reply and he rolls his eyes as he carries me into the shower and flips it on without stopping to let us get undressed first and I squeal as the robe molds itself to my skin. Sawyer looks down at me, fighting back laughter and I can’t help but smile. Life with this man is going to be so good and I’m more than ready to get started.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sawyer
The blare of an alarm rips me from sleep and I open my eyes, blinking into the haze in front of me as my mind slowly returns to consciousness. I struggle to suck in a breath and my brows draw together and I sit up and scan the room. My eyes burn and sweat drips down the side of my face. I can’t see more than a foot in front of me and it takes my mind a second to register the thick black smoke rolling into the bedroom under the closed door.
Fire!
Turning, I reach over to wake up Juliette but the only thing I find is cold sheets and my heart jumps into my throat, hammering so hard I think it might explode. Where is she? I roll to her side and check the floor next to the bed but she’s not there. Rolling to my back, I sit up and scan the room again, squinting into the smoke as it gets harder and harder to see.
No.
No.
No.
Where is she?
I try to scan the room but visibility continues to decline with each second that passes as more smoke rolls into the room. Stumbling out of bed, I find my jeans and slip them on before grabbing my phone and slipping it into my pocket. Crouching down, I move toward the door. Every fire drill I ever participated in as a kid flashes through my head, telling me to get myself to safety first but there’s no way in hell I’m leaving without Juliette. The heat and smoke intensify as I move closer to the door and I grab one of my t-shirts off the floor, covering my face with it before continuing toward the door. Reaching out, I press my hand to the back of the door and jerk back when the heat seeps into my skin, sucking in a breath as my mind stalls.
I try to picture the layout of my house, ticking through all the exits in my mind but it’s impossible to focus as the heat surrounds me, suffocating me just as much as the smoke rolling into the room. Juliette’s face pops into my mind and my chest aches.
Fuck it.
Jumping into action, I grab the door handle, yelling as it burns my skin, and yank it open. Black smoke pours into the room and orange flames lick up the wall of the guest bedroom as I run past it, looking frantically for my girl and my hand throbs.
“Juliette!” I scream over the roar of the flames, tears stinging my eyes as I start to cough. “Juliette!”
I don’t see her anywhere in the kitchen and I’m trying hard to ignore the idea that she could have been in the guest bedroom for any reason. After we got back from the hotel this afternoon, we moved everything into my room, our room now, so she would have no reason to go in there, right? My stomach rolls as I think about her stuck in that room, the fire raging all around her and shake my head.
No, she’s not in there.
A faint cry pulls my attention to the living room but I can’t see through the smoke.
“Juliette!”
Another cry greets me and I surge forward, crashing into one of my dining room chairs and stumbling to the floor as pain rockets through my body.
“Fuck!”
My eyes burn and it hurts to open them but I can’t stop, not until me and my angel are safe. I blink against the smoke and force them open again, letting out a sigh of relief when I see Juliette’s foot a few feet in front of me. Pushing through the smoke and heat, I crawl across the floor to her on my stomach, praying that she’s okay. She moans when I reach her side and I roll her to her back as I glance up at the front door. It’s a straight shot and I can feel the heat of the fire creeping up behind me so we don’t have time to wait.
Standing, I pick her up and try to cover as much of her with my own body as I run toward the front door and kick it open. Clean air smacks me in the face and I take a full breath for the first time since I woke up and started coughing. Red lights flash and bounce around the neighborhood as two fire trucks pull up to the house and people start jumping out. Two paramedics grab a stretcher and run up to me.
“Lay her down,” one of them orders and I shake my head. “Sir, we need to check the both of you over.”
“I’m not letting her go.”
One of them lays her hand on my arm and I jerk back. “Sir, we need to make sure she’s okay. She could have inhaled a lot of smoke and we need to work quickly.”
Sighing, I give in and lay her on the stretcher as her eyes flutter open and she coughs, looking up at me. “Sawyer?”
“Hey,” I whisper, forcing a smile to my face as I cup her cheek in my hand. Pain sears through me from the burn on my hand but I clench my teeth to hold my reaction in. “How are you feeling?”
“What happened?”
I glance up as the fire begins to envelop my house and shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you are okay.”
“Sir,” the other paramedic snaps but I flick her an annoyed glance before turning back to my girl. Juliette turns in the stretcher to glance back at the house and ga
sps.
“Oh my God…”
“It’s okay, baby,” I whisper, my hand throbbing and my chest aching. She shakes her head and looks up at me with tears in her eyes.
“Your house.”
I shake my head. “It’s just a house, sweetheart. You and I are okay and that’s all that matters.”
“Sir, we need to look you both over,” the paramedic says again, more forcefully this time and I nod as I glance over at her.
“I’m not leaving her side.”
She sighs. “Fine.”
I hold Juliette’s hand, ignoring the unbelievable pain that radiates up my arm, as they direct us over to the back of the ambulance. As I sit on the tailgate, I watch two teams of two firefighters each run out of the house before they start blasting it with water. It’s funny, I’ve lived in this house for five years but when I think about what I’m going to miss about the place, it’s only my memories of being with Juliette in there that make me feel sad. I peek over at her as they listen to her heart and ask her what she remembers.
“Not much,” she answers, shaking her head, as a bewildered look crosses her face.
“Let’s see that burn,” one of the paramedics says, arching a brow as she stares down at me and I sigh as I pull my hand from Juliette’s and show her my palm.
“Are you hurt?” Juliette asks, turning to me and her eyes widen with concern. I shake my head, flashing her a smile that I don’t quite feel.
“Just a flesh wound, baby.”
The paramedic sighs. “It’s a second-degree burn but it’s not too bad so I suppose you’re right.”
“See?” I say, turning back to Juliette as the paramedic begins applying some cream to my hand and wrapping it. She sighs and sinks back into the gurney, looking a little pale. “Are you okay, Juliette?”
She nods. “My head just hurts.”
“Did you fall and hit your head?” the paramedic working on her asks as she examines her head. Juliette scowls.
“I don’t think so.”
I shake my head. “I found her in the middle of the floor.”
“You’ve got a pretty good lump on the back of your head.”
I scowl. The back of her head? Almost like someone hit her with something and knocked her out. Holy shit… was there someone else in the house?
She meets my gaze, fear filling her eyes, and I nod. This is the third time she’s come close to death recently and I’m less inclined to believe it’s a coincidence at this point. A firefighter and a police officer walk up to the back of the ambulance and the firefighter holds up a plastic bag with a charred mess inside of it.
“Am I supposed to know what that is?”
He shakes his head. “This is what started the fire in your home.”
“That still doesn’t tell me what that is,” I tell them, looking up at the house as the rest of his team continue to battle the blaze, which has now moved to the front of the house.
Glancing at the police officer, he sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “It’s a timer. It was located in the back bedroom and we also smelled gasoline all over that room.”
“Are you saying this fire was set intentionally?” I ask, like I didn’t already know that, and he nods. I turn to Juliette and she stares back at me with wide eyes. If she had any lingering doubts about her safety, they’re all gone now.
“Do you know of anyone that would want to hurt either one of you? Does anyone have a grudge against you?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“And you, ma’am?” the officer asks, turning to look at Juliette. She meets my gaze for just a moment before shaking her head.
“No.”
He nods. “Sometimes these things are just random but I assure you, we will do everything we can to find whoever did this.” I nod and after we shake hands, they leave us in the care of the paramedics.
“There,” the one working on my hand says as she finishes wrapping my burn. “Try to rest that hand.”
“You got it,” I say, standing up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
She nods and takes a step back, turning to help her partner look over Juliette. I walk across the street and pull my phone out of my pocket, dialing Streak’s number.
“Yo,” he answers. “What’s up?”
I suck in a breath and run my hand through my hair. “I’m watching my house burn down right now.”
“Fuck! Are you serious?”
“You think I’d joke about this?” I growl.
“No, of course not.”
“This is the third time Juliette has almost died in a month. Have you found anything?”
He sighs. “How about we meet up tomorrow and I’ll fill y’all in but I gotta warn you, it’s not much.”
“Yeah, okay. We’ll talk tomorrow,” I tell him and after we hang up, I run my hand through my hair again, staring up at the dying flames and the charred rubble that I used to call a home. I just hope I can end this before whoever is trying to hurt my girl actually succeeds.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Juliette
“What is that frown for, sweetheart?” Sawyer asks, smoothing his thumb over my eyebrows as we lay on the bed in his room at the clubhouse. I sigh as I turn to him. My teeth sink into my bottom lip and my stomach rolls.
“Sawyer… I’m so sorry about your house.”
The guilt has been eating away at me since I saw the flames consuming his house last night but he hasn’t once blamed me even though we both know I’m the one that brought all this drama into his life. He’s just amazing and he deserves a whole lot better than I’m giving him. Sighing, he pulls me into his arms.
“Baby, I’ve told you multiple times that it doesn’t matter. It’s just a house.”
“I’m going to buy you a new one,” I promise and he shakes his head. It’s the least I can do. I mean, the man literally carried me out of a house as it burned down around us and sat with me all night in the emergency room as they treated both of us for smoke inhalation. They tried to put us in different rooms but Sawyer wasn’t having any of that and after arguing with him for ten minutes, they just gave in and cleared a space for him in my room.
“Us. We’re going to buy us a new house.”
I peek up at him with a pleading look. “Please let me make this up to you. It would be nothing for me to buy any house you want.”
“Baby girl,” he breathes. “The only damn house I want is the one you’re in so how about we take this shitty situation and use it as an opportunity to start over and build our home, together.”
“You’re amazing.”
He grins. “I know.”
“Oh my God. You just ruined the moment,” I say, rolling my eyes as I push him away from me and he laughs as he pulls me back into his body and presses his lips to mine. Moaning, I melt against him as my eyes close but he pulls away too soon.
“Are you ready to get out of bed and go talk to Streak?”
My heart skips a beat. “Has he found anything?”
“Only one way to find out, angel. And we should do it soon since I need to go soon.”
“Okay,” I sigh, nodding. I’m not sure that I’m ready to find out any information that Streak may have uncovered but it’s time to face this thing head on. After the car accident, I assumed it was just that - an accident - but after being shot at and almost burning to death in a fire, I have to admit that something more is going on here.
After we get dressed, Sawyer takes my hand and leads me down the hallway to Streak’s room, or as Sawyer called it, his lair before he knocks.
“What?” a voice yells from behind the door and Sawyer rolls his eyes.
“Get your ass up and come talk to us.”
Something slams against the door and I jump. “Fucking make me.”
“He’s not a morning person,” Sawyer says with a grin as he opens the door. Marching into the room, he grabs a cup full of water off the desk and holds it over the half naked body on the bed. “Last chance before I dump th
is on you, fucker.”
“Asshole,” he growls, peeking open his eye before turning to me and sighing. “Fine. I’m getting up.”
I stare at the floor as he stands up in a pair of boxer briefs and nothing else. He scoops a pair of jeans off of the floor and pulls them on before walking across the room and plopping down in the chair in front of his desk.
“You can’t put a shirt on in front of my lady?” Sawyer snaps and Streak’s eyes flick to me.
“Why? She been living in a cult and never seen a man’s chest before?”
Sawyer shakes his head. “I’m gonna kick your ass once you’re fully awake.”
“Bring it, pussy,” he snaps, wiggling his mouse to wake his computer up. “Now, you want to hear what I found or not?”
I nod. “Please.”
“Ooh, manners… I like it,” he says, flashing me a cocky grin and I can’t help but giggle. “But unfortunately, I haven’t found much of anything yet. Gavin is broke as shit but it’s not like he benefits from your death so I can’t see why he would hurt you.”
Something nags at me and I scowl, trying to pin it down but it’s like each time I get close, the wind picks up and blows it away from me again. Why? Why did that statement impact me?
“Something wrong?” Streak asks and Sawyer turns to me.
“Baby?”
I shake my head. “Something about what you said… It triggered… something but I don’t know what it is…”
“Okay,” Streak says, nodding as he studies my face. “I’ll keep digging then and get back to y’all.”
Sawyer nods and takes my hand before leading me out of Streak’s room. We walk back to his room and he sighs as he pulls me into his arms.
“It’s about time for me to go. Are you going to be okay?”
I nod. “I’m good, baby. Go run your errand and don’t worry about me. I’m safe here.”
“Okay,” he sighs but he doesn’t release me. I laugh and swat at his chest.
“Sawyer, I’m fine,” I assure him, pushing up on my tiptoes and kissing his cheek before dragging my lips to his ear. “Go and get this done and when you get back, I’ll be waiting in bed. Naked.”
