Page 33 of Deceptive Vows
THEA
Standing outside in the dark,I struggled to comprehend the black, smoldering rubble of my home. I was thankful the fire department arrived quickly and contained the fire before it had a chance to spread to my neighbors.
Now that the flames were out, the cold settled into my bones.
There was no way it wasn’t a total loss. While it didn’t completely burn to the ground, there wasn’t a room untouched by the fire. The depth of sadness reached places in my soul I couldn’t voice.
I’d picked this place for the way the light hitthe floor at sunrise. It was the first place that felt like mine. So far, I’d managed to maintain my composure and hold back my tears. I hated the idea of anyone seeing me as weak.
“Thea!” Lucas’s voice cut through the noise, and as I turned, he nearly knocked me over, taking me in his arms. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Thanks to Nazar.
I’d momentarily frozen as the flames raced to the ceiling. Typically, I kept my head in situations, but I think in that moment, I’d been too shocked to process that my home was on fire.
He was just a few steps away, facing me, on the phone with Pasha, who had called while the firefighters were putting out the fire.
“Before you make a comment,” I leaned back, “he was the reason I got out unhurt. I…froze,” I whispered the last word. I hated admitting that to Lucas, but I didn’t want him thinking badly of Nazar for being on the phone instead being with me. His first priority was Pasha—his Pakhan and best friend.
“Oh, Thea,” Claire’s voice came from behind Lucas. A second later, she had her arms around me. “I know how much this house meantto you. I’m so sorry.”
“No one was hurt, and things are replaceable.” I prayed some momentos were spared, but I didn’t have a lot of hope.
The fire had spread so quickly, but the place was old. When I had it remodeled, it wasn’t a total gut. It had been surface since it had been updated twenty years ago.
Claire took my hand in both of hers. “You can come stay with us.”
Before I could respond, the rest of my family arrived, all surrounding me, making sure I was okay. What a relative term. Physically, I was fine. Even mentally, I thought I was good. Mostly, I was in shock.
Nazar joined us and leaned in. “I’m sorry about that.”
“He’s your Pakhan. It’s okay,” I whispered back.
Anna set her hands on her hips. “We’ve got a room too.”
“Or me,” Aunt Helen said.
Lex crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a cocky smile. “All of us have a spot. You just need to pick your favorite.”
“Exactly.” Dimitris nodded, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. Nastyhabit, but he’d picked it up when he was thirteen.
Ma had been beside herself when she caught him. He’d tried to quit multiple times, but it’d never stuck. I loved him, but living in an ashtray wouldn’t work for me.
“Or me,” Nazar added quietly. “The penthouse has plenty of room.”
Amid the rubble and chaos, my stomach did a flip at the prospect of spending so much time with him. Close, uninterrupted, and free to speak without listening ears. I looked at him and smiled. “Uh…”
A blonde fireman approached and stopped as my family gathered around me. “Ms. Kalantzis, you’re the homeowner, correct?”
“Yes, I am.”
“The fire’s out, but you’ll need to stay out until we can determine if it’s safe.” He rubbed his jaw with his hand. “We’ve noticed some things that seem unusual, but we’ll need our arson investigators to take a closer look before we can say anything definitive.”
Unusual… “Wait, you think this was arson?” My gut had already screamed it, but hearing it from him made it real.
“I think we need to wait for the expert, but it can’t be ruled out.”
Anger settled in the pit of my stomach. Marco. This wasn’t just a fire. It was a shot across the bow. I wouldn’t let that show on my face though. I gave him a weak smile. “Thank you for everything. I appreciate you getting here so quickly.”
