Page 119 of Serial Burn

“I talked Carly into bringing me. I told her I was coming and she could help me or not. So she did. I was going to just stay in the car, but when I saw what you were doing—”

“Get out of here! I got this!” The door swung open and he pushed through, pulling his weapon and scanning the area. The smokewasn’t thick yet, but it was billowing from below. “Someone get Eli away from here. He’s around the side, near the entrance to the basement. I’m inside and looking for Jess.”

“Nathan, the firefighters are here,” Cole said. “Get out of the building.”

He hesitated. Heard a cough. He recognized that cough. “Jesslyn!” She was on the floor, scrambling to her feet.

The door behind her burst open and Samantha and Derek Morgan appeared. Samantha aimed her weapon at Jesslyn and Nathan lifted his. “FBI! Drop it!”

She paused, and for one heartbeat of a moment, he thought she would. Then she let out a scream of pure rage and Nathan fired. Three pops center mass. She dropped. Derek cried out and went to the floor with her. Then raised his head, eyes wild. Accusing. Determined. “No!” He launched himself at Jesslyn and latched on to her arm. “This isn’t how it was supposed to go down! I wasn’t supposed to be here! No one was supposed to know I was involved. They were just supposed to kill her! You ruined it all. It’s all your fault!”

“Stop!”

But he started dragging her back into the fire. She kicked hard and threw out a hand, catching Derek on his cheek. His head snapped back and he let go. Jesslyn went to the floor once more.

The smoke was so thick now, Nathan was having trouble keeping her in sight. “I need help in here!” The comms buzzed with promises that backup was on the way, but if he went much farther in, he was going to lose all sense of direction.

“Here!”

He spun. “Eli? You followed me?”

“I need to help. Ihaveto help if I can.”

“And I have to get Jesslyn out. Please, Eli, help by staying safe. I can’t help her and you too.”

“Stop, Nathan. You can’t. You’re terrified of fire.”

“I’m more terrified of losing Jesslyn!”

Eli moved toward him and handed him a hose. “I tied it to the porch. Tie the other end around your waist so you don’t get lost.”

Nathan took it. “Okay! Now, get out!” He didn’t have time to see if Eli obeyed, he had to get to Jess. He tied the end of the hose around himself and dropped to the floor. He was able to drag in some fresh air and army crawl. “Jesslyn!”

And then he was practically on top of her. She had Derek face down, hands cuffed behind his back.

“Nathan!” James’s voice was in his ear.

“Yeah! I’m okay.”

“Firefighters are coming in to get you. The whole place is about to go! Call out so they can track you.”

“Over here!” he yelled and choked. Then grabbed Jesslyn. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Peachy.” Her raspy voice, hoarse from the smoke, was the sweetest sound he’d heard all day. “Grab this guy,” she said. “I may have knocked him out.”

“I can get him if you can follow this to the exit.” The smoke was so thick and swirling, making visibility nil. “Hold on to the hose.” He coughed and forced himself not to drag in a deep breath. “It’ll take you right out.”

“I got it.”

“Then I’ve got Morgan. Go!”

She disappeared into the smoky haze, and for a moment he panicked, but could feel her tugs on the hose so he knew she was okay. He gripped Morgan by the collar, turned him on his hip so his hands wouldn’t drag on the cement floor, and pulled the man behind him toward the exit.

Finally, lights from flashlights greeted him along with firefighters and paramedics as they took Derek Morgan from him and helped him out the exit and down the stairs. He coughed and gagged until someone slapped an oxygen mask over his face. He looked around. Eli ran toward him.

“Jesslyn,” he croaked.

Eli reached him. “She’s okay. Smoke inhalation and a few bumps and bruises, but she’s all right.”

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