Smoke curled under the door, drifting in sluggish curls toward them. Livy shivered. How harmless the smoke looked, but how deadly it would be when it wrapped itself around them and completely took over until they couldn’t breathe. She backed toward the corner. They were going to die. Right here in this room. Tonight.
The smoke would kill them long before the fire consumed their bodies.
Through a fog of fear as thick as the smoke slithering under the door, Livy watched Jake. He found a metal rod and pried against the bars, using the iron as a lever, trying to create an opening big enough to escape through. Sweat beaded and rolled down his face.
A whimper gurgled up her throat.
Lord, we need You now more than we’ve ever needed You. Please, Lord.
Jake stopped, lowering the heavy iron rod from the window. “It’s no use. The bars are bolted tight against the frame.”
Livy slid down the wall into a puddle.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Have mercy.
Jake hurried across the room, hunkered down, and grabbed her by the shoulders. His eyes, their green depths fierce in the flickering light, stunned her. “We will make it, Livy. Don’t give up.”
Livy shook her head. There was no need for words.
Desperate time stood still.
“Please don’t cry, Livy.”
The air left Livy in a rush, leaving a desperate feeling of yearning inside. Tears tracked down her cheeks. With shaking hands, she traced his features, her fingers lingering on his cheekbones, the stubble along his jaw, and finally, his lips.
Jake hauled her to him, covering her mouth with his in a burning kiss that rivaled the fire raging out of control not thirty feet away. All too soon, he jerked away, rested his forehead against hers, and gazed long and deep into her eyes. He didn’t say another word, but his expression glowed with a passion that seared her to the core.
A passion they would never have a chance to explore.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jake held Livy tight against him. He loved her, and he’d give anything to see her safe. If possible, he’d die to save her. “Lord, help us. If there’s a way out, show me.”
The smoke grew thick. The roar of the fire gained momentum with each passing moment. Livy slumped against him and coughed. She’d given up. His heart lurched. She couldn’t die. He’d beat a hole in the door first. His gaze darted to the only escape route.
The door.
“Come on. Head down. Crawl.”
He half dragged, half pulled her across the room. He caught a whiff of blessedly cold air. He pushed her to the crack between the door and the floor. Livy scooted close, sucking the oxygen in. Jake cocooned her with his body. Breathing. Wishing. Hoping. Praying.
God, did You bring us this far to let us die? Is this the end for us? What about Ma and my brother and sisters? Who’ll take care of them? And Mrs. Brooks and the orphans? They need Livy.
He blinked against the acrid smell of smoke, tears forming in his eyes. He focused on a hinge, shining black against the wooden door. He stared at the gap between the hinge and the door, his brain foggy and disoriented.
Suddenly the significance of the crack became clear.
He scuttled across the floor and grabbed the iron bar. Using brute force, he shoved the end of the shaft into the space and pried.
God, give me strength. Do it. Do it now.
A nail moved, screeching against the wood. Adrenaline surged through Jake’s body, and he wedged the bar even tighter. Pressing his back against the floor, he used the leverage to force the hinge to give way, groaning with the effort.
Three more tries, and the nails popped out.
“Livy,” he rasped, “we’re free.”
She responded with a moan.
He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her away from the door. She clawed at him, trying to get closer to the air. He blocked her and used the bar to pry the door away from the frame.
A swoosh of fresh air slapped him in the face.
He scooted Livy’s small frame toward the opening. “Go.”
She crawled out, her movements sluggish.
Jake wedged his shoulders between the heavy door and the frame, forcing his way through. He paused, breathing in, regaining his strength to push on to freedom.
Livy stumbled toward the frozen creek.
“No. Not that way.”
She ignored him or simply didn’t hear him in her haste to get as far away from the burning building as she could. Jake strained to get through the opening he’d created, his