“Thanks,” she says over her shoulder as she leaves my office.

  Quickly, I log out of my laptop and attempt to straighten up my desk a little when I hear a loud boom, so loud that it shakes my desk, causing me to stumble against it. What in the hell was that? Was that an explosion? Righting myself, I walk on trembling legs out into the hallway to see what the hell is going on when I hear someone yell, “Fire!” Terrified, I rush to the main entrance to find the staff pulling the fire alarm and corralling people out of the building. My mind races to comprehend what’s happening.

  “What’s going on?” I yell over the blaring noise of the alarm. That’s when I see the contractor from earlier.

  “Explosion, the pump, it’s gas and they forgot to turn off the gas line. It’s spreading fast. We’ve got to get everyone out of here!” he says, panicked.

  “Anna!” I yell, and take off for the elevators.

  “What the hell are you doing?” The contractor grabs my arm and stops me.

  “My best friend, she’s on the second floor. I have to get to her.”

  “They’re evacuating. She’ll make it out. You can’t go up there. You have to get out of here.”

  “I can’t leave her.” A lump forms in my throat, the smoke already invading the reception area.

  “I can’t let you go up there. Come on, the fire department will be here soon. Let them handle it. You can’t go up there like that. She’s probably already outside waiting for you. Come on.”

  Just then, the new glass doors that were installed at the end of the hall that leads to yet another set of glass doors to the new indoor pool area explode. The force is so intense, a shard of glass cuts my leg.

  “Now!” the contractor booms. Not taking no for an answer, he bends down and scoops me up in his arms and carries me outside of the hotel.

  “We can’t leave her in there. Please, we have to go back and get her. I can get to her,” I plead with him.

  He sets me on my feet but keeps a hold of my arm. “Look.” He motions his head toward the building. There are flames roaring from the backside where the pool is, and black smoke coats the sky. The doors that we just ran from are now releasing the same smoke. The building is up in flames and Anna’s inside.

  Tears fall from my eyes, and a scream rips from my throat. Please, hurry, I pray for help, for Dad, and Brantley, and the rest of the guys to get here. They can fix this. They can save her.

  “Kinsley!” I hear a deep roar and turn to see where it came from. That’s when I see him, Brantley, with my dad hot on his heels.

  “Over here,” the contractor, whose name I can’t remember, yells out.

  I watch as Brantley turns to follow the voice. I see him visibly relax when he sees me. In a dead run, he rushes me in all of his equipment, moving much faster than I would have thought possible, and pulls me into his arms. “Fuck,” he says, squeezing the life out of me. I hold on just as tightly, thankful he’s here.

  “Let her go, son. She can’t breathe,” I hear her father, my boss, tell me. I know she’s his daughter, but I can’t seem to let her go.

  “Price!” His voice booms, and I know he needs to hold her just as badly as I do. Reluctantly, I pull away from her, and he makes his move tugging her into him.

  My heart is beating so hard it feels as though it’s going to beat right out of my chest. When I heard the tone and it hit me it was her hotel, I lost my shit. I was screaming and yelling at the guys to move it, double time. Not that we don’t always, but it was my life who could be caught in the fire. I don’t think I took a full breath until I saw her standing there, tears streaking down her cheeks.

  “She’s still—” She breaks on a sob, dragging my attention back to her.

  I survey the scene, and smoke seems to be rolling from all sides of the building. We’re running out of time, and I know that I need to leave her to go do my job. “Cap,” I say, getting his attention.

  “I’ve got her, Price. Be safe.”

  “No!” Kinsley screams and jerks away from her father, rushing into my arms.

  My fucking heart cracks open. “I-I love you,” she sobs, those big brown eyes so full of sadness.

  I tug her into me and kiss the top of her head. “I know, baby. I love you, too. This is my job, Kinsley. I have to go.”

  “Anna,” she cries. “S-she’s in-in there.”

  Fuck! Grabbing her arms, I bend down so we’re eye to eye. “Baby, I need you to tell me where she is. Is she hurt?” My mind races with what me and the guys are going to be up against to find her.

  “S-she went to the s-second floor. To the res-restroom.”

  “Captain,” I say, and he nods, pulling Kinsley from me, causing her to sob even harder. He’s no longer active on runs, so he can’t go in. “Baby, I need you to stay with your dad. We’re going to do everything we can.” I kiss her one more time, this time on the corner of her mouth, before running to the truck.

  The first crew is already in action. “Where the fuck you been?” Josh yells.

  “Fuck off, man. Kinsley runs this place,” Derek bites back.

  Josh pales when he realizes what that means. “She’s okay,” I tell him. “Captain is with her, but Anna—” I swallow hard. “Anna, her best friend, is still inside.”

  “What?” I hear from behind me.

  Turning, I see my brother standing stock still, his face as white as a ghost. “Yeah, she’s on the second floor. At least that’s where she was headed.” I watch as fear flashes in his eyes.

  “You ready?” he finally asks, already turning toward the building. “Grabbing my ax, I rush after him.

  “Maybe you should sit this one out,” I suggest when I catch up to him.

  “No fucking way, Brant.” He forges on, and I follow him.

  I don’t know what’s going on with him and Anna. I know there’s something from the way he’s acting, and I also know if Kinsley were inside nothing would prevent me from going in after her. So, in we go as brothers in arms and brothers in blood.

  The smoke is thick, so much so that it’s hard to see. Luckily, I was just here, and remember where the stairs are. I point in the general direction, and know Shane will follow me. We make it to the elevators. I can make out the doors, which means the stairs are close. I don’t know why, but something tells me to check the elevator first. Reaching out, I grab Shane’s shoulder, stopping him. Talking with our masks on is not an option, so I point to the elevator door. He shakes his head, telling me no, but I tug on his arm. That’s our rule, never leave one of your men alone, not if you can help it. We value the buddy system in our line of work.

  Taking our axes, we each force them between the elevator doors. Shane pulls one way and I pull the other, the door budges, but just a little. Smoke begins to swarm in through the small opening we’ve made.

  “Help!” I hear a woman cry, and so does Shane.

  I look over at Shane, and he’s heaving with all his might to get the door open. We both know it’s her, and we have limited time to get her out. The small confined space is already filling with smoke, not to mention it’s growing hotter in here, which means the flames are near. We have to get her out of there.

  We work tirelessly, yanking and tugging on either door, to get a space big enough for her to slide through. Finally, we have an opening. It seems like it took us hours, when in reality, it was maybe less than a minute. Shane drops to his stomach and reaches his hand down the shaft.

  “I-I can’t reach,” the voice tells us.

  Fuck. Shane rips off his mask and even though I should yell at him, I don’t. “Anna!” he yells for her.

  “Shane.” His name is a sob.

  “I need you to listen to me.” He coughs, the smoke already getting to him. “Can you see my hand?”

  “Yes, but I can’t reach.”

  “Try, sweetheart,” he pleads with her. I can hear the fear in his voice.

  “I-I can’t,” she says, coughing.

  I drop to my knees beside Shane. “I have to go in there, Brant, I have to get her out of there.” His voice quivers with fear.

  I give him a thumbs-up, knowing exactly what he means. Crawling behind him, I grab his feet and hold on tight. As he inches closer, squeezing his large frame in between the small hole we’ve managed to create, I move with him, keeping a firm grip on him. As a last resort, one of us will jump in there with her. Chances are if we do that, between our weight and the force of the jump, the shaft will fall, causing them both to be trapped. This is our best option.

  Inch by inch, Shane leans over a little further, while my hands shake from the adrenaline and the fear of losing them both, or all of us if we don’t get her out of here. I can see flames, so we have a minute maybe two tops to make this happen.

  “Anna!” I hear Shane yell. “Can you see my hand? Can you reach it? I need you to try really hard, sweetheart.”

  “I—” She coughs. “I see it.”

  “That’s good,” he rasps. “Grab my hand and when you do, whatever you do, don’t let go. Don’t worry about hurting me. You hold on with everything you’ve got. You hear me, Anna?”

  “I’m scared,” she cries.

  “I-I know, baby. On three, I want you to grab onto my hands with both of yours.” He coughs again. “Ready?”

  “Y-yes.”

  He counts off and then yells, “Pull!”

  I tug with all I’ve got, bringing them both up. Once Shane is back enough that his upper body is flat on the floor, I let go of his legs and rush to kneel beside him at the door. Reaching down, I pull on his arms, giving him my strength. Together, we get her hands on the ledge. Keeping an arm on his, I reach the other out and grip Anna’s arm.

  “I’ve got her,” I tell Shane.

  He lets go, shakes out his arms and gets up on his knees. Leaning over, he grabs her other arm and we haul her up and out of the shaft. Shane immediately wraps her in his arms, and I’m just about to tell him we can do that when we get the fuck out of there, but I should have known better. He scoops her up in his arms, Anna holding his mask to her face. “Go!” he shouts, and I lead the way.

  The fire is in the lobby, so we have to walk to the far end of the building, barely escaping the blaze. Anna’s a trooper. I don’t hear a peep out of her while we fight our way out of the building. We reach the door and I break the glass that’s already cracking from the heat. Once it’s clear, I run through, followed by Shane, who’s still clutching Anna to him.

  We made it. I pray that the rest of our team, guests, and staff made it out. Before I can even take a relieved breath, we step across the street, and another explosion happens and the remaining front windows blow. The building is too far gone, and there’s no way we could go back in. We barely made it out.

  Dad keeps a firm grip on me while I cry and keep my eyes glued to the building. Specifically to the door that Shane and Brantley disappeared through what seems like hours ago. I can’t take my eyes off it, not until I see them safe and sound. I refuse to think of any other outcome. They have to come out safe and sound.

  “You have to calm down,” my father says, rubbing my back.

  “How Dad? How exactly am I supposed to calm down? My best friend, my boyfriend, and his brother, their friends, your men are in the building. My staff—”

  “Have all been accounted for, same as the construction crew,” he reminds me.

  I don’t bother to respond. I just keep my eyes on the front door, hoping and praying they make it out safely. Finally, I see a figure at the door. When glass shatters and a firefighter walks through, I know it’s Brantley immediately. I try to run to him, but my father tightens his grip on me. Behind him is Shane, with Anna in his arms.

  “Brant!” I yell. His eyes snap up and find mine. I watch as he turns, I assume to check on Anna and Shane. He takes off his mask and puts it over Shane’s head. I watch as he takes Anna from his arms, even though it looks as though Shane isn’t too happy about it.

  “Come on,” Dad says, and we walk toward the waiting ambulance. All I can do is walk with him. He’s my strength at this point. I’ve never been so terrified. Even though they’re all out safe, I still can’t seem to wrap my head around it. I could have lost her, my best friend, and Brantley, the love of my life, and his little brother. I can’t stop the tears as they run hot and unchecked down my cheeks.

  We stand just a few feet away, Dad not letting us get any closer. Brantley walks Anna into the back of the ambulance and lays her on the gurney. He says something to the paramedics, before patting Anna’s arm and climbing out. Shane immediately climbs in and takes a seat beside her. There’s some commotion, and they try to get him to go get in the other ambulance, but he refuses to leave.

  Brantley walks straight toward me, and finally, Dad lets me go. Brantley holds his arms open and I run into them. He wraps me up immediately. The smell of smoke clinging to his blackened skin takes my breath away, but I don’t dare pull away. I need to feel him. “Missed you,” he rasps. His throat is thick from the smoke.

  Lifting my head, I look up at him. “I love you,” I tell him.

  He grins. His soot-covered face makes his white teeth even brighter. “I love you, too.”

  “You did good, son. Both of you,” Dad praises him and Shane. Brantley nods. “It’s a total loss,” Dad says. “We’re just at the point where we’re keeping it contained. There are two other stations here. “Go ahead and follow them to the hospital, both of you.”

  I know I should stay. I am the manager after all, but there’s nothing I can do. Dad assures me that he’ll dismiss the staff, those who have been cleared and released by the medics. He again reminds me that everyone is all accounted for. The police have already contacted the hotel owners, so there is nothing left to do.

  “Thanks, Cap.” Brant walks us over to the ambulance. “We’ll be right behind you,” he tells Shane.

  “Thanks, man.” He’s holding Anna’s hand.

  “How is she?” I ask him.

  He looks down at her and gently moves some hair out of her eyes. “She’s going to be just fine,” he says, never taking his eyes off her.

  “Thank you, both of you,” I say, squeezing Brant a little tighter.

  “Let’s go to the station so I can shed my gear and we’ll head to the hospital.” I nod my agreement and let him lead me to my car. I’d follow him anywhere.

  Once we’re in my car, he reaches over and grabs my hand, not letting go the entire five-minute drive to the station. Neither one of us speaks as he turns into the lot and kills the ignition. Bringing my hand to his lips, he places a soft kiss on my knuckles before releasing me and climbing out. Not willing to be away from him, I quickly reach for the handle, but he beats me to it. He’s already there, opening my door. Taking my hand, he leads me into the station and over to the wall of cubbies that houses each of their gear. We stop in front of B. Price, and he strips out of his gear, shoving it inside.

  Turning, he wraps his arms around me and buries his face in my neck. I do the same, holding onto him. My feet lift from the floor as he holds me to him, suspended in the air. “I was so fucking scared, Kinsley.”

  He eventually places my feet back on the ground, then leads us to a bench and sits, pulling me into his lap. His grip is firm around my waist. “I’ve never felt that kind of fear before,” he says, kissing my temple.

  “I get it now,” I tell him. “I hate that my dad missed things when I was growing up. I was the selfish little girl who just wanted her daddy. Today—” I swallow back the emotion clogging my throat. “You’re a hero, Brantley. You and Shane, and my dad, this entire department. You save lives. You take time away from those that you love, to save the loved ones of others. I knew this, but I never understood I guess, until my best friend and the love of my life were the ones in danger.”

  “We’re not heroes. We’re just doing our job.”

  “You are. You’re all unsung heroes. I feel like such a fool. I’ve been so focused on what my father missed, that I never let myself grasp the enormity of what it is that you do. You ran into a burning building, into the eye of danger to save a life. I owe you and my father both an apology.”

  Brantley cups my face in his hands. “You’re safe, they’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

  “No, it’s not. I’ve been selfish and making it all about me. It’s so much more than that. I don’t even want to think—” He interrupts me.

  “Kinsley?”

  “I mean—” He cuts me off again.

  “Kinsley?”

  “What?

  “You love me?” he asks, his voice low.

  “More than anything.”

  “That’s all I need, baby. You and your love.”

  “You have it. Always.” I kiss him softly. “Now, we should head to the hospital and check on Shane and Anna. I have a feeling you might need to force your little brother to get checked out. I can sit with Anna while he does.”

  “What’s going on with them?” he asks.

  “I don’t know. I know she’s interested. We were going to have lunch today. That’s why she was there. The ground floor water was turned off, so she went to the second floor to use the restroom before we left. I had planned to grill her for details.”

  “He was scared to death, white as a ghost when he found out it was her.”

  “They’ll figure it out. This might be the push they both needed.” He pulls me back against his chest. “I have all I need right here.”

  “Me too. And you just might be right.” With one more quick kiss, I climb off his lap and we head to the hospital.

  It’s been a week today since the fire. I insisted that Kinsley stays with me, not willing to be away from her. She didn’t fight me on it. What she did insist on was that Anna came with her. That was fine with me. I have the space. Shane seems to be visiting more this past week as well. He’s been staying at our grandparent’s place while they’re out of town.

  “So they’re going to rebuild?” Shane asks Kinsley.

  “Yeah, but it’s going to take some time. Apparently, there’s a lawsuit against the construction company. It’s seemingly their fault. They neglected to turn off the gas.