Page 149 of Live for Me

“Utah?”

Something about having her voice directly in my ear again made me feel like I could breathe a little easier in this disaster.

“Yes, angel?”

“Everybody okay?” she asked.

I looked back down the hallway in the other direction to see New Jersey forcing a still-coughing Kyle along with his arm around Jersey’s shoulders and Dandy on the other side.

Nevada seemed to instinctually know to step to the other side of Indy to keep a body between her and New Jersey.

I shrugged my shoulders like Memphis could see it. “All alive for the moment. Or at least for as long as I can keep New Jersey away from Nevada. We need a way out that isn’t the kitchen.”

“Still need to get back into the garage,” Jersey added. “I’m not leaving Hades here in this.”

“Right. I can’t think of anything more important right now than another car,” I said and started to pick a very careful path through the fire that would get us into the bathroom. Out that window would be the closest choice for New Jersey to get back to his precious vehicle. Listening to the two old Marines bicker on that entire journey about whether or not Kyle could be trusted to walk on his own yet didn’t even feel like it could be happening in the real fucking world.

“Even if your lungs recover and you feel fine, your heart might be in danger,” Nevada said at the worst possible fucking time. “Widow-maker’s heart attack happens after the fact. Too much strain on your system from the smoke.”

“I don’t think anyone asked you,” Jersey hissed. “Seriously, why hasn’t anyone set her ass on fire yet? The whole fucking house can burn but we’re just going to walk her out of here with us?”

“It would appear that way,” I said while I forced the bathroom window open. “You’re up first, old man,” I said and motioned to Jersey. It had to be me or him to secure the outside before the others climbed out, and I for damn sure couldn’t leave him in here with Nevada. He seemed to realize that was the case because he didn’t even bother to argue. He took the M4 with him and hopped right out that window. I only waited a couple seconds before motioning to Indy to go next. We just didn’t have the fucking time to wait around and find out which part of the house would cave in next. Once Indy was on the ground, I went through the effort of very awkwardly taking Dandy in my arms and hanging the whole top half of my body out that window to lower her down to Indy.

“You’re not such a terrible kid,” Kyle said to me on his way to the window. So, at least I’d managed to win over one old Marine in this shit show just by being gentle with his dog.

“Coming with us or going down with the house?” I asked Nevada.

She shocked the hell out of me when she seemed to consider the options.

“Get over here,” I said impatiently. “Go.”

“I didn’t do this to you guys,” she said so quietly that I barely heard it.

“Yeah, it’s really not me that you’ll have to convince.”

“I think I’m with Jersey on this one,” Memphis added in my ear. “Toss her in the fire.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Now, now, sugar.”

“What?” Nevada asked.

“He’s not talking to you, bitch,” Memphis snapped, knowing damn well Nevada wouldn’t hear that either.

“Out,” I said to Nevada quickly, before Memphis really did demand that I set a human on fire. I wouldn’t have felt good about it, but I couldn’t say with any amount of certainty that I wouldn’t have done it.

Jersey paced around just a few steps outside the group trying to watch in every direction while I took his place under Kyle’s arm to get him ready to move again.

“The garage, Indy,” I said and nodded toward the back of the house to tell him to start moving that direction.

“Been waiting my whole life for this moment, hoss,” he said and pulled a gun from his belt. It was hard not to smile at that.

“Down!” Jersey screamed.

Nevada listened.

Kyle dropped straight to the ground before I’d even realized I wasn’t holding him up anymore.

I was on a knee not even half a second later.

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