The Enforcer - Kelli Callahan Page 0,4

leather boots. Reaching the doorknob of the bathroom, I start to shout.

“Diana? Are you in there? If you can hear me, say something.”

There is nothing but the crackling of flames threatening to engulf me and the home. I don’t think there’s fire in there. Grabbing the chair that is propped under the doorknob, I yank it away and toss it back into the flames. What the hell was this? Did somebody trap her in there?

Gasping in pain, I grab the knob and twist quickly. I dart into the bathroom, ducking low, and slip on the wet tile, smacking my head with a hard crack. My vision wavers as I slide my hand behind my head, flinching at the pain. Pulling my fingers close to my face, I blink at the trickle of blood trailing down my fingers. Great, just fucking great.

“Diana?” I croak, forcing myself to sit up and squint. There. Under the window, illuminated under the soft glow of moonlight, is Diana lying face down on the tile.

Crawling toward her, I press my hand to her mouth and let out a sigh of instant relief. Thank god, she’s breathing. Bending down and picking up her naked body, I pull her close to me, keeping my eyes on her face as I adjust her weight. I don’t have time to look for clothes if any remain. Turning back around behind me, I squint at the fire that is now creeping up along the ceiling of the once-glamorous bathroom.

I yank a towel from the bar and drop it in her bathtub full of water before throwing the wet towel over her head. Then, I grab another to throw over as much of her body as I can to act as a cover. I hoist her up again and throw her over my shoulder.

“Diana,” I mumble. “Gotta make this quick.” Walking carefully along the tile, I try to hold my breath, and my lungs burn. The heat of the bedroom feels almost too much to bear. My boots stick to the melting carpet as I walk into the hallway and head back toward the stairs. A loud crack makes me look up and I jump back in horror as a piece of ceiling falls right in front of me.

Fuck. The roof is caving in. We don’t have much time. I don’t care if the stairs will hold my weight or about what awaits us below, I have to get us out of here. I brace myself and jump over the flaming rubble and start trampling down the stairs, cursing as the heat licks my skin. God, I can only hope I’m not on fire again.

I barrel through the fire and out the front door onto the lawn, collapsing to the ground and dropping her in front of me. Sirens and flashing lights reveal themselves. Doors slam quickly as firemen and paramedics race toward us.

“Sir! Sir, are you okay?” they ask as I cough and gag. My lungs are desperate for the smoke-free air around me.

“Help her,” I choke as paramedics uncover her face. “Help her,” I say, as the world around me spins, and I collapse onto the grass beside her.

Chapter Three

Jake

I hear beeping and squint as I blink against blinding lights. I raise a hand to shield my eyes and cringe at the pain, letting out a low groan.

“Whoa there,” A familiar voice calls as I continue to blink at the blurry images around me. I can’t see clearly. Squinting, I slide my hand over my eyes, gasping in pain again at the pressure. My hand doesn’t feel like my hand. There’s something on it. Forcing my body into an upright position, I groan at the burning sensation.

“Jake, hold on. Take a goddamn minute,” the familiar male voice echoes in my ears. “Jake, I’m serious. Be still or you’re gonna hurt yourself.”

“Noah?” I ask, my voice sounding muffled.

“Yeah buddy, it’s me,” he says, turning. I squint at the blurry outline of the man I’ve known for years.

“What happened?” I croak. My voice sounds raspy like I haven’t used it in a while.

“There was a fire,” Noah says, and I feel pressure on the bed as he sits down. “Tell me what you remember.”

Staring at the blur of blue and black, I blink and sit in silence. After a moment, I look down blinking harder, through the pain. “I... I was driving.” I say slowly as the memory becomes more clear. “I was checking in on something. I can’t remember what. But