Page 17 of Playing With Fire
“I won,’ I assure him.
I leap into the building careful to avoid the flames. The fire hasn’t spread too much inside. I cover my nose and mouth with my shirt and make my way through the house in search of Alex. I find her pretty easily. She has been tied to a chair and she’s unconscious. But she’s unburnt, that has to count for something.
“Alex, baby, wake up, please,” I say placing a hand on her warm skin. She stirs a little but she doesn’t open her eyes. Relief knocks through me. At least she's alive.
I hurriedly untie her and lift her into my arms. I look around in panic for a way out because I can’t go back the way I came. My eyes burn and I can feel the smoke starting to affect my senses. Fortunately, a wall collapses, providing a path for me. I run through and take a shaky breath of clean air.
I’m still worried about Alex. She needs medical attention. I run to the front of the building where thankfully, an ambulance is already waiting.
When she opens her eyes 10 minutes later, I’m happier than I’d ever been in my life.
“Hey,” I say, clutching her hands tight. I’m never letting go again.
She blinks slowly in confusion. With my help, she’s able to sit up on the stretcher and when she catches sight of the still-burning building, realization dawns in her eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Ritchie. I’m sorry you had to go through that again,” she says as tears well up in her eyes.
Because she knows. She’s the only person in my life who knows how much pain I’ve gone through and she knows how hard I fight even now to never go through it again.
“I’m just glad you’re safe,” I tell her placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Wesley?” she asks in a whisper and I shake my head.
The bastard is probably halfway to California by now. He had better hope I never see him again because if I do, I’ll kill him.
“It wasn’t him. He led me here but there was another man. The other man was the one who wanted to kill me. I didn’t know I destroyed his family. I thought I was helping. I thought I was doing something good for the world.”
I can see her already starting to doubt herself and her beliefs. One of the main reasons I tried so hard to stay away from her when I was a kid was because I didn’t understand her. I didn’t get how a person could be so selfless. She didn’t care about herself and was only happy if everyone else around her was happy. It was hard to relate to her and I was also scared of bringing her down. She was sunlight and I thought I was a darkness that could destroy her.
But I was wrong. She makes me feel whole and understood but more than anything, she brightens up my world in the best way possible. I loved her when I was 8, I loved her when I was 18 and I love her now.
“You do something good every day. You’re a literal angel, Alex. Don’t ever doubt that. You’re good and you’re special and you’re awesome.”
“Robin Hood is a thief despite his good intentions. And so am I. You were right and I was wrong,” she takes a deep breath before continuing, “I’m going to give up being Robin X. No more hacking and stealing money. I’ll use my skills in other ways,” she vows.
“I’ll support you every step of the way,” I promise.
“What if the man finds out I’m not dead. What if he leaks my identity to the world?” she asks fearfully.
“He won’t do that. I’ll find him and I’ll ruin him before he can. Plus, I’ll make sure there’s no proof. You won’t ever get in trouble, Xandra,” I assure her.
She looks up at me and I can see so many emotions simmering in her amber colored eyes.
I promise myself that no matter what, I’ll find that man. And I’ll make him pay for what he did to her.
“Thanks for being here with me,” she says.
“I would rather be here than anywhere else. When I saw you in danger today, I felt like I was dying. I’m sorry it took me this long to realize that I love you, Alexandra. I’ve loved you since the first time I met you.”
She smiles and it’s the most beautiful thing in the world.
“I love you too, Ritchie.”
Chapter 10
(Alex)
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