“Yes, sir.”
I switched over and pressed the phone to my ear. The second I heard that roaring in the background, I knew exactly what was going on.
“Mr. Rossi!”
I shot up from my chair. “Where are you? I’m coming right now.”
“It’s the warehouse! It’s on fire, sir! I don’t know what happened!”
I charged through my safe house condo on the other side of town.
“How long has the fire been burning?” I asked.
“No clue, sir! But the roof is completely engulfed. So, at least thirty minutes.”
I feared the worst. “Is anyone inside?”
“A few of our men, sir. I can’t get to them. I’ve called the fire department, but they are a ways out.”
“Did the sprinklers kick in?”
“No, sir.”
“Did the alarms go off?”
“No, sir. I walked around the building, and the lines were cut. This place was completely cut off from the world when the fire started. Everything will be gone by the time the fire trucks get here.”
“Fuck!” I roared before taking a sobering breath. “Okay. I’ll be there soon. I’m not too far away.”
“I’ll be here, sir. To be honest, you’ll beat the fire trucks here.”
“Fucking hell, this is a nightmare.”
I raced down to the town car and hopped inside. I set a course for the warehouse as I hung up the phone, and fifteen minutes later, we pulled up. The town car parked beside the one I already had parked here. I slipped out and watched as mounting flames shot up from the rooftop of my main warehouse. I scoured the entrances as windows burst, flames licking the outside of the building. Everything was crumbling. Even the fire-retardant materials I had insulated the place with were slowly caving under the pressure.
Then, the warehouse manager jogged up.
“How bad is it?” I asked.
I looked over at him and saw his panicked face.
“What is it? Spit it out.”
He swallowed hard. “Sir, I’m sure it was me hearing things, but…”
I turned to face him. “But what?”
His eyes widened. “I walked around the building and could’ve sworn I heard a woman’s voice inside.”
I didn’t waste another second. I ripped my suit coat off and raced for the building. Even though my warehouse manager yelled for me to stop, my legs continued to push on. I tore through the fire-laced entrance. I patted down the flames on my clothes, then ripped my button-down shirt off and wrapped it around my nose and my mouth, tying it off in the back. A beam started cracking above my head and I dove forward, listening as it caved behind me.
Blocking off the main entrance for anyone who wanted to get in.
Or out.
“Bonnie!” I exclaimed.
Flames whooshed overhead, tearing through the roof as if it were ice cream.
