Page 98 of Romeo

“Hey!Stop, you idiot!You’re going to die!”he yells after me.

Shielding my face, I leap through the flames blocking the front door.Fire licks my skin, but I don’t pay it any mind.I’d walk through the fires of hell for her because she’smine.It doesn’t matter that we’ve known each other for such a short time.Doesn’t matter that it’s not logical because Ifeelit.In my heart.My soul.And I will give every piece of my heart to her if she’ll have it.

If we survive this.

“Jules!”I bellow.The heat makes it nearly impossible to breathe, and I have to shield my eyes as I move forward.“Jules!”I cough, the smoke strangling me just like the garrote did only a few hours ago.

“Riley!”Her scream pierces through to my heart.It’s barely audible against the backdrop of the roaring flames.“Riley!”she yells again.

I scan the room for her, but I can’t see her.

“Where are you?”I call out.

“Up here!”

I tilt my face up toward what is now a flame-covered vaulted ceiling and see Jules at the top of the stairs.They’re completely engulfed in flames, trapping her up at the top.For a moment, it’s as though the world around us comes to a stop.

I search for any way to her, but I can’t get up the stairs, and she can’t get down.

We’re moments away from the structure collapsing down on top of us.

Heat blisters my skin and sizzles against my clothing, but she’s all I can see.God, what do I do?

“You have to jump!”I yell, tears burning in my eyes.She’s at least fifteen feet above me, a fall that would be dangerous in normal circumstances.But it’s our only chance.

My lungs burn as I push my way through the engulfed living room and toward the stairs.The railing above is still intact, and Jules is standing at the very top.

“I’ll catch you.”I hold out my arms and watch with my heart in my throat as Jules climbs over the railing.Eyes wide with fear, she pauses only a heartbeat before leaping off of the ledge.Her body slams into me.I break her fall, but we both end up on the ash-covered ground.

A deafening crack fills my ears.

I roll to the side, shielding Jules with my body as part of the ceiling crashes into the floor.The stench of alcohol fills my lungs.She’s drenched in it.Which means she’s one spark away from going up in flames herself.

We have to move.

Moving quickly, I pull her to her feet and cling to her hand, but with her first step, she hisses in pain and falls forward.

I catch her then swing her into my arms.

My breathing is ragged, my eyes burning, but I keep moving forward.I have to keep moving forward.

The door is just ahead.Our freedom.Safety.

My muscles burn from exertion, but I push forward, summoning everything the smoke hasn’t choked out of me to push through and out of the flame-engulfed house.

The cold air outside smacks into me like a brick wall as I move away from the house then collapse forward onto the pavement, my lungs burning.I cling to Jules, holding her in my arms as Tucker, Beckett, and Sampson rush forward.

Jules’s head is on my chest as I lie on my back.

“I told you, Mr.Hunt,” she chokes.“You’re quick on your feet.”

Medically cleared and freshly showered,I stand on the back porch overlooking Jules’s grandfather’s estate.Romeo is beside me, eyes closed as he sleeps near my feet.He’s been glued to my side ever since I got back.

I hate that what happened caused him so much anxiety, but I plan to make him a big juicy steak as soon as we get home.

Tucker is inside the house, catching up on case notes he volunteered to handle for me, and Beckett is in Edgar’s study, going through his new will and helping put together a plan for Jules to follow now that she’s offered to help Jules sort through the legal mess her brother left behind.

Jules is inside the house, likely resting since she showered earlier.

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