Page 44 of Bitter Lies

“Sir, you shouldn’t be here,” the fireman scolds the person carrying me like I weigh nothing. “How did you get past the others?”

“Just fucking move. I’ve got her. Pick a side: argue or get them out of here.” Leave to him to bark at the nice firefighter while my body bounces on his shoulders.

How the hell did Aiden get here so fast?

Better yet, why is he even here to begin with?

Chapter 17

Aiden

The moment we emerge from the stairwell into the lobby, another firefighter attempts to snatch Isabel from my arms. I ignore him, refusing to let her go, earning several glares before two others flank me as I follow the one carrying Alma.

But the battle is lost once we reach the ambulance. Gently, I lay her on the stretcher, where two paramedics take over. I’m pushed aside and met by a third, who forces me to sit on the bumper as she presses an oxygen mask over my mouth and nose.

“Breathe, you stupid prat. Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to run into a smoky building?” she scolds while ripping my shirt open to place her stethoscope to my chest.

The sudden coolness of the metal makes me flinch. My eyes, however, remain fixed on Isabel, who’s having a difficult time catching her breath, coughing more than I like. The paramedics must agree because they spin the gurney, getting it ready to load on the rig.

Forced to stand and shoved to the side, I watch. When they move to shut the door, that’s when I rip off my mask. “I’m going with her.”

“Are you a relative?” The paramedic closing the door, asks, looking doubtful.

“Yes,” I lie with zero remorse. “Where she goes, I go.”

He nods and steps back so I can climb in. “Tell them we have two. Both with smoke inhalation.”

The one who took charge when we arrived hands me the mask and secures the tank at my feet. “Keep that on until the doctor says otherwise.”

With a sharp nod, I place the mask over my mouth and inhale. My lungs are on fire.

Running into the building was foolish, yet I didn’t hesitate. The moment I spotted smoke spilling from the upper floors, there was no stopping me.

Zane, the guy who picked me up so I could retrieve my car from Silas’s, barely slowed before I had the door open and jumped out. He yelled, but I ignored him.

A few cops on the scene tried stopping me, but I’m well trained in evasive maneuvers. I dodged them like a phantom, vanishing into the chaos before they could figure out where I’d gone.

I had one goal. Get to Izzy. Nothing else mattered.

Our eyes lock as she lifts her mask and smarts off. “A little early for breakfast, isn’t it? Did you not trust me to show?”

“Miss, keep that on. You inhaled a lot of smoke. It’s crucial that we maximize your oxygen intake.” The paramedic fixes her mask and does some adjusting. “We should arrive shortly.”

The proper thing would be to let it go, but I can’t. Tugging my mask down, I say, “Honestly, no. It should bother me, but instead I’m imagining all the ways I can make you pay for it.”

“Sir, the same goes for you.” She shakes her head, trying to hide the ghost of a smirk at the corner of her mouth. “You can talk about your fun little games later.”

That earns an eye roll and a sigh from Isabel. She can pretend to be annoyed, but I know better. The subtle shift of her thighs is all the confirmation I need. This fun little game turns her on as much as it does me.

The more we play, the harder it’ll be to leave her alone.

And after tonight, I’m not sure I can. As I ran up the stairs to the fourth-floor penthouse, there was only one thought in my head. She had to be okay. The thicker the smoke got, the tighter my chest felt.

I tug my mask down again. “Where was the fire?”

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. But I never saw flames or felt the heat.

So, what was it? Fire? Or just smoke?