I round the corner and head inside the diner with Aiden, not wanting him to witness firsthand what his father’s job entails. Aiden’s dealt with enough in his short life; the lastthing he needs is a taste of the existential dread that fills me every time Liam walks out the door for work. I’m consciously aware that every time could be his last.
“Rosie, would you mind watching Aiden for me?” I ask.
She agrees without a moment of hesitation. “What do you say we make a pie, kiddo?”
Aiden nods vigorously and rushes through the swinging doors into the kitchen.
Rosie eyes me with a concerned expression.
“I’ll come back when I know what’s going on.”
“You keep us posted. Livie and Wilder will be in shortly, and they can take Aiden up to the ranch if need be.”
“Thanks, Ro. I owe you.”
“That’s what family does, sweet girl. Go on.”
I rush out the door. Instead of getting into my truck, I jog down the street and stop beside the small crowd forming in the parking lot of The Ridge. Cade and Paige are there, along with the other bartender whose name I can’t remember.
“What’s going on?” I ask, taking in the despair on Paige’s face as she clings to Cade.
“That’s Dean’s apartment,” she says. “We haven’t heard from him or Cara since the fire started.”
My heart sinks, and I pull out my phone, shooting off a text to Liam in the futile hope that maybe he wasn’t dispatched.
Ruby: Are you at the fire on Main?
Ruby: Please be safe.
There’s a frenzy of activity around the building. People in uniform rush around with hoses while another team works to get the ladder in position near one of the upper-floor windows. My body is shaking. What will happen to Liam, and to our friends?
An arm bands around my shoulders. It’s Cade pulling me into his side. “He’ll be ok,” he murmurs, his voice wavering slightly. “They’ll all be ok.”
I’m not sure if he’s saying it for my benefit or his own.
“Is he in there? Did you see him?” I don’t have to say his name. Cade knows.
“No, but it looks like everyone available was sent out today.”
My hands shake, and it’s all I can do to stay upright. The flames only seem to lick higher the longer we watch. The smell of smoke assaults my senses, creating an intense burning in my lungs. It's nothing compared to the fear coursing through my veins.
Part of the roof collapses inwards seconds before a man in a uniform comes out carrying an unconscious woman over his shoulder. He passes her off to the paramedics, and I get a glimpse of red hair—Cara. Paige gasps, and my entire body seizes.
When her rescuer turns, spotting me from across the road, time slows. The world around me quiets, and every bit of strength I had left vanishes. He’s wearing a mask, but I know it’s him. My whole body is begging me to go to him.
He shakes his head and barrels back into the building.
A scream tears from my throat, and my body jolts forward, but Cade holds me tighter.
My effort to get away is futile, and my words are a garbled mess. “I’m going to lose him!”
He releases Paige to wrap both arms around my waist, stopping me from running after him. “Breathe, Ruby. Let himdo his job. You have to trust that he’ll do everything he can to come back to you.”
When I stop fighting, Cade loosens his grip, and I blow out a long, steadying breath. The smoke grows thicker as the flames die out, but Liam is still nowhere to be found. In a flurry of activity, another team enters the building.
Time passes in a blur until they bring out another woman who looks to be about my age. I don’t recognize her. She’s fully conscious and placed on a gurney.
Out of my periphery, I see them dragging out an unconscious and bloodied Dean. He’s wearing one of the masks, and Liam isn’t with him. My stomach roils, and a persistent ache settles heavy in my chest as my mind cycles through every possible outcome.
