Hell, Fire & Freedom (Fighting for Freedom) (26 page)

“Run Marie!” I scream. She looks torn, but opens the door and runs. The door swings shut.

“You’re going to pay for that, you little bitch!” Carl hollers, smashing his head into mine. I stumble backward in pain. “Doesn’t feel so great, does it?”

“No, no, please no!” I shout as he swings his fist, catching me in the cheek. I fall to the ground, unable to move as my vision spins uncontrollably.

“I should have just fucking killed you when I had the chance. Now I had to come all the way here to clean up your fucking mess. You ruined everything, you stupid slut! I gave you everything, and you took it all without thanks,” he hollers.

Something inside of me snaps, and I know I’m going to die. Smoke is billowing under the door now, making everything foggy, and if I don’t die from the fire, I’m certain Carl will finish the job. I might as well not go out like a coward.

“You prick,” I shout, choking on the smoke. “You raped me for five years, you blackmailed me, and you fucking used me!”

“I saved you, you ungrateful bitch. You’re a foul piece of trailer trash, just like your mother. You were destined to die of starvation and disease anyway. I should have left you there,” he says spitefully.

“I am nothing like my mother, and I am nothing like you!”

“You think you’re all that now, don’t you?” he spits out. “Went and moved away …” he says, booting me in the ribs. I curl into a fetal position, cursing myself for not protecting my body better. “And got a dickhead of a boyfriend, who thinks he’s a high and mighty firefighting rich bitch!”

“Don’t you talk about him like that,” I holler, before getting kicked in the stomach again.

“I thought I’d come and give him a nice little present; isn’t that sweet of me, Brynn? You seemed to like my presents, too, didn’t you? I found them all at the fucking pawn shop! They were mine, and you fucking stole them! You were mine! You are nothing without me now, you slut.” Carl shouts, now coughing like a mad man. I close my eyes and start to cry. The pain is absolutely unbearable. I feel like every bone in my body is broken, and my lungs and eyes are burning from the smoke. I start to pray that death finds me soon, so that this can all be over.

“Brynn! Brynn!” I hear Blaze shouting. I must be dying, or maybe I’m still dreaming. I try and move my arm to see if I can pinch myself, but it’s no use. It’s not moving. I hear a loud smashing sound and look toward the door.

“Sorry, Brynn, but it looks like your little bitch is going to cut our time together short. I was hoping we’d have more time to play,” Carl says, casually pulling a gun out of his back pocket.

“No,” I try and scream, but it comes out more like a croak.

The door flies open, and Blaze is standing there in full firemen’s gear with an axe in his hand.

“No!” I hear him cry as he catches sight of me on the floor. He rushes to my side, dropping the axe.

“Brynn, Brynn, are you all right?” Blaze asks, lifting my head onto his lap.

Carl starts coughing, and Blaze finally takes notice of him. “Well, isn’t this fucking sweet?” Carl hisses before pulling the trigger on the gun.

“No!” I cry, but it’s too late. The bullet catches Blaze in the left shoulder and he flies back, landing on me. I cringe in pain.

“Fuck!” Blaze cries, before picking up his axe with his right hand and charging toward Carl like a maniac. I watch in horror, thinking Blaze is surely going to be shot and killed, but Carl is too terrified to react before Blaze’s axe is buried in the side of Carl’s abdomen. I watch in horror as blood splatters everywhere, and Carl slumps over, a look of shock and pain on his face.

Blaze grabs the gun from Carl’s hands, throwing it across the apartment. He picks me up in his right hand, throwing me over his good shoulder. My last thought before everything went black was that I hope Marie made it out all right.

~

I wake up feeling as though I can’t breathe; my mouth is dry, and it feels like I’m choking. I start to panic, thrashing my head and arms around before I feel a rough hand stroke my cheek.

“Nurse, nurse!” Blaze shouts. “It’s okay, beautiful. I’m so sorry, it’s okay. Just relax, everything is going to be all right. Don’t fight it,” Blaze says soothingly.

I shift my eyes to the left as I hear the nurse and doctor talking and rushing into the room. The doctor appears at my side. Blaze grabs my hand and holds on tight.

“Just relax, Brynn. I’m going to take this out. You’ve been out for quite a while, and weren’t able to breathe on your own so you’re on a ventilator. When it comes out, just make sure to relax, don’t try and talk right away. Okay?” the doctor asks.

I wait anxiously as he removes the ventilator. My mouth feels dry, and my throat feels incredibly sore. I lift my cupped hand to my mouth, trying to gesture that I’m thirsty. It seems to work as the nurse comes back with a cup of water and a straw.

“Just tiny sips, love. I know it feels like you can drain the ocean dry, but you haven’t had anything in your belly for almost two weeks, and I don’t want you to get sick,” she says calmly.

Two weeks! I’m sure that my eyes bug out of my head, and I look to Blaze, completely confused.

“Shhh, babe, do you remember what happened?” Blaze asks. It all comes rushing back to me.

“Marie?” I mouth.

“She’s fine, babe, completely fine. She’s been staying with me. Stella actually just took her to school about an hour ago. She insisted on taking her exams yesterday and today. She’s been studying by your bedside since you were brought in. I think she wants to be a doctor now,” he chuckles.

I point to my shoulder and then to him. He pulls down the corner of his shirt, exposing a white bandage. “Went straight through—I’ll be back to normal in a few weeks. It’s healing well,” he promises. I nod, feeling a lot better than I did a few minutes ago … Blaze and Marie are both okay. Then I remember Carl, and dread takes over my body.

“Carl?” I mouth again, worried that he’s still at large.

“He’s dead, Brynn, but not from the axe,” he says cautiously, as if expecting me to be upset by the news. All I feel is relief coursing through my veins. I didn’t want Blaze to get into trouble for protecting me. “He died from smoke inhalation before anyone could get to him.” I just nod my head and squeeze his hand tightly, my eyes growing heavy again.

“Sleep, baby,” Blaze whispers.

Chapter 19

One week later…

“Babe, it’s happening. I already talked to Marie, and she wants to stay there, too. She’s been staying there the last three weeks with me anyway,” Blaze argues.

“Look Blaze, I love you, I really do. I just feel like I’m forcing this to move too fast,” I admit.

“Brynn, I wanted you to move in even before the fire destroyed the condo, did I not?”

“I guess, but …”

“The only butt I want is yours … in my damn bed. Now let’s go,” Blaze commands.

It’s been three long weeks since the fire. Well, that’s a lie—the first two flew by for me, considering I wasn’t even conscious. The coma was thought to be caused by smoke inhalation. They have every hope that there should be no lasting effects. The last week has been a challenge, though. I am still in a lot of pain, but I know I need to work through it if I want to get better. It’s kind of hard to do when everyone is babying me, though; oohing and ahhing over every little thing I want to do. I can barely even use the washroom in peace.

All broken bones have done most of their healing, and the only thing I’m left with now is a fractured cheek bone and two healing ribs. Not bad, all things considered. I can walk and function just fine, and I stopped my pain medication yesterday. It’s still probably not going to feel the greatest on Blaze’s Harley, though.

Marie has been in the hospital every day. She studied her butt off and finished her exams despite everything. She told me while I was in the hospital that she wants to become a doctor. I promised her I’d do anything I could to make sure her dream became a reality.

Damien Flynn was charged with aiding and abetting an attempted murder and is now in prison with no chance of bail while he awaits trial. I feel like I can finally breathe and rest easy.

We walk through the hospital doors, and I look around for Blaze’s bike, but it’s nowhere to be found. He pulls a key fob from his back pocket, clicks on the button, and I look in the direction of the beep.

“You bought a Jaguar?” I ask him disbelievingly as I stare at the beautiful new Jaguar XKR-S in French racing blue. It’s absolutely beautiful.

“Not quite,” he says.

“What do you mean ‘not quite’?” I ask, walking toward the car, and rubbing my hand over her shiny exterior.

“Babe, I drive a Harley, not a car,” he says, shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh,” I say, not quite understanding. “Did you rent it or something?”

“No. Just thought you and Marie wouldn’t quite fit on the back of my bike. Figured you should have something to get you two around.”

“No, no, no,” I start. I’m not taking this. He throws the keys to me, and I catch them so they don’t fall to the ground.

“Get in,” he says, opening the driver’s side door.

“I can’t.”

“Jesus, woman, you’re as stubborn as a mule. My shoulder hurts, so you gotta drive,” he says with a wink. I’m not sure if he’s lying or not, but I feel a pang of guilt and climb into the plush leather seats.

I swear I feel an orgasm rip through me from just putting my hands on the wheel.

“Sexy, isn’t she?” he says, climbing in the passenger side and closing his door. “She reminded me of you, except, you know, less stubborn. When you hit the gas she doesn’t question you before she purrs,” he says with a laugh.

“Hey now, be nice! I’ll drive her home, but then you have to take her back. I can walk just fine,” I argue.

“Babe, I live twenty minutes out of town. You can’t walk. If you don’t like it, you can pick out another one,” he says slyly.

“Sure, like an ‘89 Volvo. That would do the trick just the same,” I laugh, thinking back to the only car Ma ever owned.

“Not safe babe,” he growls.

“Oh, and a motorcycle is?”

“It is when I’m driving it. Now say thank you, and listen to her purr,” he orders, and for once, I do as I’m told.

We arrive back at Blaze’s a little while later. I was tempted to speed the whole way home, but managed to keep myself under control. I would love to let her loose, but it’s not going to happen. As pretty as she is, she needs to go back. Blaze grabs my hospital bag, and I rush inside to find Marie on the couch with a solemn look on her face.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, moving quickly to her side. She’s clutching her cell phone tightly.

“The doctor just called … Ma died last night,” Marie says, tears now falling from her eyes.

“What? What happened?” I ask, knowing full well. I am actually incredibly surprised she hung on this long. I guess I inherited something from her after all, my stubbornness.

“They said she passed in her sleep last night. She had nobody there, Brynn. She died alone, because I left her,” Marie says, weeping loudly.

“I’m so sorry, kiddo,” Blaze says, sweeping Marie up into a hug.

“I guess I should book some tickets to go back home,” I offer.

“I’ll do that, beautiful,” Blaze says, kissing my temple and leaving the room.

I’m left in the incredibly awkward situation. I wish I could cry over Ma passing, but I feel like it’s almost a relief. I’ve had this hanging over my head since we last left Oregon. I’m at least glad we’re now safe, so we’re able to go back for her funeral, though.

I truly can’t believe that Carl is dead. I thought I would live the rest of my life in fear of him not going to prison, being released from prison, or even escaping prison. His death has finally given me peace. The hospital tried to make me see their therapist about the fire, but I told them it could wait until I could see my own. Watching Carl get hit with an axe was surprisingly not as traumatic as seeing Blaze get shot. He still isn’t able to lift his arm perfectly, but the doctors are hoping he’ll be back to one hundred percent in another week or two.

I look to Marie and whisper some comforting words until Blaze comes back in the room.

“Earliest flight I could book us was tomorrow night. We’ll be able to sleep through the flight, though, and make it in time for the funeral in the morning,” Blaze says.

I start to panic, wondering how in the hell I’m going to pay for a funeral. I don’t even know how much they cost—just that it’s probably more than I have. Oh well, we may not have always gotten along, but she deserves a nice funeral, and Marie deserves to have that closure, as well. I excuse myself from the room, and look up the number for a local funeral home. I decide to cremate her as I know the thought of bugs crawling through her eye sockets would freak her out. Or at least she always hated that worm at the bottom of the tequila bottle. Same thing, right?

The funeral home says they will work with me on a payment plan, and I call the hospital to thank them for all that they’ve done and let them know the funeral home will be picking up her body.

I stay up late scanning social media sites for photos of Ma. I manage to come up with two that I blow up to 8x10 and send in to a one-hour photo place. We can pick them up tomorrow before going to the airport. When I feel like I’ve done all that I can do, I search out Blaze. He’s in his office on the phone, talking to what sounds like a potential client.

While I was in the hospital, I finally found out what sort of business Blaze’s father left him. It turns out my good friend, Antoine, is actually one of many. His father ran a business that supplies bodyguards and safety personnel to high profile celebrities and political figures all over New York, as well as nine other locations in the United States. Now Blaze runs it all for him.

Maybe I should offer to be Ian Somerhalder’s personal bodyguard? I’m guessing that wouldn’t go over very well with Blaze. He feels terrible for not forcing me to get a bodyguard the night of the fire. In all honesty, I’m still relieved. He could have shot and killed them as well, and I’d always have that on my conscience. Marie and I are safe now, and that’s all that matters.