Page 22 of Raze
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Kell asks, his blue-green eyes searching me for what I’ve taken.
“I did. To Old Red, now?” I ask, changing the subject. “You still haven’t explained what that is or what it has to do with firefighters.If it’s sleeping in a fire truck, you can count me out right now.”
On the bright side, it’s not a fire truck. It’s a firehouse.
An old, abandoned firehouse.
In the south side that the rest of the city has abandoned. Buildings that haven’t been up to code in years. Overpriced rent. High crime. Underfunded schools. The term landscaping means giving plant life free will to do as it pleases.
That’s where we are.
“Please tell me this is just a pit stop on our way to Old Red,” I say while climbing out of the car. It’s pretty obvious that this is it. The entire building is made of brick, aside from the trim around the roof, windows, and doors. The surrounding bushes are overgrown and blocking windows and the front door, while vines have raced up the side and burrowed into the gutters.
Kellan and Dane get out of the front seats and look up at the massive building. The garage, or the bay where the firetrucks usually go, is three doors wide and a drive-through. The pavement on either side of it joins into a single driveway before it meets the street. “Wait until you see the inside.” Kellan grins at me. He opens the unlocked man door and goes inside. The wide garage door in front of us rattles and groans as it slowly lifts from the ground.
As it rises, we see more of Kellan while he pulls on the chain that drags the door up. “Dane, pull her in.” He waves at the car once thedoor is all the way up. Dane gets behind the wheel and drives in.
I’m still rooted to my spot and trying to get a handle on the fact that this is the place Aiden chose for us to go. I see the no technology angle. This place is probably at least twenty years abandoned, let alone updated, by the looks of it, but why not a house?
“Pretty, isn’t she?” a husky voice whispers in my ear.
I startle at Jackson’s sudden appearance. “Shit! Where did you come from?” He looks up at the tree behind me and then back at me. Of course. Really, I should know better by now. I sigh and answer his original question. “It’s nice in an…old-fashioned way, I guess.”
Jack stuffs his hands into his front hoodie pocket and smiles at the building. “It’s an unexpected hideout and abandoned. But we’ll fix her up.”
I’m not really sure what they see in this building until I step inside. If I look past the plants that have moved in, the dirt and dust, and broken glass, I can see the appeal. The floors are a rich mahogany, which matches the kitchen cabinets and long wooden beams across the ceiling. There is a long brick wall that runs along one side of the kitchen into the living area. There are meeting rooms, a fully equipped gym, two living areas, offices, a laundry room, and then one entire hallway of dorms. The rooms are only a bed and dresser, but I’m still pleased to see that I’ll at least have my own room.
It looks like it was abandoned unexpectedly based on all thethingsstill lying around and collecting dust. Pots and pans, old furniture, papers, knickknacks, books…as if people up and left in the middle of the day and never came back.
The walls without brick are blanketed in old, musty wallpaperand cobwebs are hanging like spooky decorations throughout.
The building is old and dirty, but I’m pleasantly surprised when I flick a switch and the lights turn on.
“I called and had the utilities turned on this morning.” I startle at Aiden’s unexpected voice behind me.
He lowers the metal pole he’d used to hook over a dozen shopping bags until they all rest on the floor, then digs through them. Aiden pulls out a rag and cleaning spray and hands them to me. "We're all on cleaning duty now."
Wonderful.
Chapter six
Raegan
There’s something therapeutic aboutpulling weeds. I get to use brute force to yank them out by their roots, some harder than others, and after a power pull of ten minutes, I can see the difference I made. That’s probably the best part; seeing progress so quickly for my efforts.
I’ve gone as far as I can with cleaning between yesterday and today. It’s now up to Dane apparently to fix anything that’s broken, with Kellan’s help and Aiden running the errands for whatever is needed. They’re doing some updates as they go as well, already adding more light fixtures to brighten the place up and getting fresh furniture.
Overall, the firehouse is shaping up to be a really nice place to live. Even though it’s so big, it still feels cozy and warm.
I push my hair from my face and sit back on my heels with a sigh. I’ve tackled a quarter of the raised garden so far. I think I’ve earned a break.
Something white falls on the gentle breeze and lands in the bucket of weeds. I fish it out and smile at the paper crane. I twist back andlook up at the roof.
Jackson’s sitting with his knees up and wrists dangling over them. His full, pink lips are tilted in that smile of his. The one that’s sharpened by violence and coated in darkness. I can tell just by the look in his eyes that he’s killed people.
We all have. Though some of us more than others. But it’s that off-kilter glint in his cerulean eyes that says maybe he’s lost count of the stains on his soul. And he’s still hungry for more.
Those very same eyes fall on me, and it takes my breath away. Not out of fear, like it should. I’m starting to see beneath his smiles and calm demeanor for what he really is. Jackson is dangerous.But so am I.
