Page 117 of Game Change

“She said she would call you on her way there.” She goes quiet.

“Are those sirens?” Heath asks. “And why are you driving so fast?” I ignore him and estimate I have twenty minutes until I get there.

“Oh, shit,” Raven says. “I can’t turn down the street, but I think there’s a fire.”

Chapter 62

Brynne

“That’s my house,” I yell at the burly officer, but he stands before me and yells at someone behind me. I’m then pulled away and put behind a barricade. It’s loud, and I can’t hear what the officers say, but I know what I’m seeing.

The house I bought, redesigned, and brought back to life is in flames. I pat my pockets again and curse myself for leaving my coat and phone in the office. I’m lucky I had my keys in my purse. A strong wind blows, but I don’t feel the cold. My entire body has gone numb. I don’t even feel the tears streaming down my face as I watch the one thing I’ve worked so hard to regain disappear right before my eyes. Everything is a blur. More fire trucks arrive. Men scream in my face, but I don’t hear them.

I don’t move until someone lifts me off my feet and carries me away. Only then do I do everything I can to escape, but I’m no match for whoever this is. My tears fall, and my vision blurs. My captor puts me down, and I don’t know when or how she got there, but Raven is here. She puts an arm around my waist to hold me up.

“My car’s over there,” she yells while pointing down the street.

I walk with her, but I turn to look back at the flames. After walking a few feet, I see a sleek black luxury car. It stops in the middle of the street, and Colin jumps out. He doesn’t say a thing. He takes me in his arms, lifts me bridal style, and carries me to the car. Someone opens the back door, and I’m put inside. Raven slides in next to me, and Colin gets behind the wheel. I rest my head on my best friend’s shoulder and cry the entire ride home.

“Why the fuck didn’t anyone call to let us know he was out?” I hear Colin yell.

“Let him handle it,” Raven says, but I pull away from her and burst out of the bedroom.

There are two police officers there, but I don’t need them to tell me what I already know. I know Oliver set fire to my house. I know it because he called me on FaceTime, and I watched him pour the accelerant.

Colin extends a hand to me when he sees me. He pulls me close and kisses my temple. I hold the tears back, unwilling to break down in front of the strangers. I’m relieved when they say that Oliver is in custody, but part of me worries that the legal system will fail me again, and he’ll come after me this time.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Colin says as if he can read my thoughts.

The officers question me, but Colin shuts them down and says we’ll come to the station tomorrow for a statement. The officer gives me a card and tells me where to go.

“I’ll make you some tea, Brynne,” Raven says.

“Coffee is better,” Heath says.

“Who the hell drinks coffee at this time?” Raven and Heath start debating the benefits of drinking coffee versus tea, but with my shoulders hunched, I go back to the bedroom and sit on the bed.

Colin sits next to me, and I rest my head on his shoulder and cry. He lets me. He doesn’t speak. He puts his arms around me and lets me weep on his chest. I don’t know how much time passes, but my nose feels dry, and my head hurts. Someone knocks on the door. Heath and Raven both bring a tray. Raven’s has tea and bottled water, and Heath’s has a frothy coffee drink. They leave without a word, and Colin hands me the water. After drinking half of it, I put the bottle down and rest my head on his chest again. He pulls me onto the middle of the bed, and we lie down with me partially on top of him.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he whispers before gently kissing my temple. “You can rebuild. Don’t worry about the cost. This is your—”

I interrupt him. “I don’t want to rebuild.” He rubs my back but doesn’t speak. That’s one of the things I appreciate the most about Colin. He always listens. “Maybe it’s not meant to be. I lost the house and got it back, only to lose it again. It won’t feel like the house I grew up in anymore. I feel like Oliver’s tainted it.” I sniffle and he rubs my lower back.

“You don’t have to decide today,” he says.

“I’ve decided. The moment I saw the flames, I decided.”

“We can build our own house. You can design it. Whatever you want, and we’ll get it built. And just like you wanted, we can leave it for our kids.”

I sob again and he holds me through my cries.

“We can name the house after your mother. House Helene.”

I let out a giggle. “I love that idea, but we can design it together.”

“Nope. It’s going to be your vision. House Helene, designed by Helene’s daughter. Built by Helene’s daughter’s husband. It will be ours, and it will have no taint. We’ll only fill it with children, love, and happy memories.”

“I love that.” After several minutes of silence, I say, “Thank you, Colin.”

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