The Enforcer - Kelli Callahan Page 0,17

plugging it into the wall next to the bed. “Right now, I’m staying at a friend’s house,” I say.

“Which one?” she asks.

“Um, you may not know him. Jake,” I say, partly hoping that she doesn’t know him.

“Jake? Jake Griffin?” she asks her voice raised.

“Yes! Be quiet!” I say.

“Why are you staying there and not a hotel?” she demands. Sighing and flogging myself in the bed, I close my eyes.

“That’s a really long story, sweetie.”

“I have time,” she argues.

“No, you really don’t, because your grandma’s gonna come looking for you soon.”

“Oh, you’re probably right. She’ll try to give me a second helping of meatloaf!”

“Just get back to her!” I smile. Sliding my hand up over my face, pushing back the tears that fight to come forward.

“I miss you, mom!”

“I miss you too, sweetheart. Have a good night.”

“Okay. Good night, mom.”

“Good night, Holly.”

I keep the phone pressed to my ear until she hangs up before setting down the phone. Shutting my eyes tight, refusing to cry, I inhale deeply, then exhale slowly. Now is not the time for this. Crawling into bed and pulling the sheets up high to my neck, I only hope that Jake doesn’t need anything in here because the doors are locked and the lights are out, and I have to sleep this off; It’s the only way I will survive.

I jumped up right in bed, my heart pounding in my chest. What woke me up?

“Diana! Diana!” a voice shouts from the hallway, as I begin coughing, gasping for air.

“Diana! Can you hear me? Open up!” the voice calls, and I hear a loud thump at the door. Jumping up out of bed, disoriented by the smoke around me, I reach for the lamp, flicking it on just as Jake smashes in through the door, knocking it off its frame and collapsing onto the floor.

“Diana! Are you alright?” He coughs as I whirl around the room, looking for the source of the smoke.

“Where’s your cough coming from?”

“I guess, I think, the entire building is on fire,” he says.

“The entire building?” I ask in confusion, whirling around, trying to decide what to do. “I don’t know what to do!” Grabbing me by the arm, Jake pulls me down the hall and pushes me to the floor. The hallway is thick with smoke as fire alarms go off in the building.

“Come on! We have to get out of here!” he says. “There’s a fire escape in the hall. Follow me,” he says, crawling ahead of me and glancing back every couple of seconds to make sure I am close behind him. I keep my eyes fixed on his boots as we make our way to the front door.

It hurts to breathe. My lungs fill with soot, and I feel dizzy. As I crawl further through, the dimly lit room goes dark.

“What happened?” I ask panic welling up inside of me.

“We lost power,” he says. “Come on. Stay close! We’re almost out the door.” Crawling until I run into him, I hear his hand turn the knob, pulling the door open as a thick cloud of smoke flashes into our room, and the double red flashing lights of the emergency power illuminates the hall. “Let’s go. Hold your breath. Just pull your shirt over your nose,” he orders as we continue to crawl below the heaviest portion of smoke and reach the end of the hallway. This should be it,” he says, his voice raspy, and panic bubbles within me as a flashback overwhelms me.

I freeze, unable to move as an explosion down the hall echoes, shaking me to my core. I find myself no longer in the hallway with Jake, but in my bathroom, while my home burns around me. Suffocating. Someone’s screaming.

“Diana!” Jake’s familiar voice snaps, and I feel him jerk my shoulder. “Diana! We have to leave!” I can’t move. All I can do is stare, squinting. Close to my face are dark eyes, reflecting the pulsing lights of the hall. He nods, then, rising, throws me over his shoulder and climbs out the window to the fire escape. There are sirens below and more flashing lights. I have time to wonder why sirens and ambulances use such frequencies when they can trigger seizures.

Opening my eyes, my head lowing side to side, I groan; my head hurts, and the air feels too tight in my chest. All this smoke can’t be good for me, especially so soon. I double over, choking for the air around me. My panicked