My mind is still hazy with mind-blowing orgasm minutes ago to notice my phone is constantly vibrating on the floor.
“Pyke, your phone.” My love, Camila squeezes my arm that draped around her waist.
“Shush, sleep,” I say between kisses. My cock hardens again into her soft moans as she responses to my light kisses at the back of her neck.
“Seriously, Pyke, that could be an emergency,” she groans, sounding irritated.
“What the hell they want at this time?” I lift my head to check the clock on her nightstand. “It’s three in the morning, Babe.”
She turns her head to face me. “That’s what I mean. Nobody calls at this-”
Her words cut off when her phone rings. We both freeze and stare at each other for good seconds.
She grabs her phone in a quick motion and looks at the screen. I grab it from her hand when I notice the caller ID. I press the answer button and sits straight. Whoever is this caller makes my stomach wrench.
“What the fuck do you want?” I growl over the phone.
“Boss? Boss, is that you?” I instantly recognize Forrest’s voice from the other line, and he sounds terrified.
“Why the fuck are you calling Camila’s number?” My possessiveness over my woman kicks in. I almost tell her I love her while I’m making love to her not long half an hour ago and now someone is calling her phone.
“Boss, are you there?” He sounds more panic, and I hear sirens from the background.
“What the fuck, Forrest?” My voice thunders causing Camila’s to stiffen. I tighten my hold on her arm and mutter sorry.
“The club is on fire.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
“There is a fire in the club, Boss,” he says word by word.
“I’m on my way.” I hang up the line and quickly stand up from the bed.
“Pyke, what happened?” Panic rises on Camila’s voice.
I realize I didn’t tell her what happened when I’m already wearing my jeans back.
“Babe, stay here and call Megan or your aunt to stay beside you until I get back,” I say as I wear my shirt.
“Pyke, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.” She stands up stark naked, glaring at me.
“There is a fire in the club.” I give her a quick kiss. “Be right back.”
She grabs my arm. “I’m coming with you. Kyland is there.”
“No, Babe.”
“I’m coming with you!”
Camila ends up coming with me. We reach the club and the firefighter teams are already around.
Despite the firefighters doing their best to extinguish the fire, the large plume of black smoke still rolling up in the air. The flames continue leaping the upper half of the building.
“Stay here and don’t leave the car, okay?” I order Camila and remind her what she promised me. I kiss her quickly and grab the keys of the club.
She nods. “Please be careful.”
“I will not risk my life for the club, Babe. I’ll just check the situation. My life is only for you.” I hope it’s understandable enough for her to know how much she means to me. She smiles at me, though her eyes still filled with worry.
I stride my way to the group of people and scan to search for Forrest. My stomach sinks when I realize Forrest called me instead of my manager, Kyland. I let Kyland manage the club since he didn’t want to work back for me. I traded my position, for Camila’s sake.
“Forrest, where is Wright?” I yell as soon as I spotted him.
“That’s what bothers me since the fire started. He didn’t tell me if he left the club like he usually did. His phone keeps ringing though, but he doesn’t pick up. His car is still parked in the back.”
I will ruin your piece by piece, Pykie.
“Fuck!” My heartbeat races, nearly explode in my chest in fear that Kyland might be trapped inside.
Adrenaline spikes through my system. I quicken my pace and run to the back of the club, ignoring Forrest calling my name.
“Pyke, stop! What the fuck do you think you’re doing, man?” Forrest grabs my arm to stop me.
“Stay the fuck away from me, Wood!” I jerk my arm off from Forrest’s strong grip. He might look intimidating but he can’t stop me. This is my club and my life.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed? Kyland might not be there. Who knows if he left early or his girlfriend picked him up. You know the fact that almost half of the club is already burned down. You know once you get in, you can’t get out of there alive. Let the firefighters do the job!”
“Kyland might be there, Forrest!” I pull the exit door open. My eyes are burning, nostrils singe as I’m not prepared for the thick gray smoke bursting outward.
“Pyke!” Forrest screams my name as I close the door behind me. I can’t see anything other than the thick gray smoke and rippling of orange flames, devouring the VIP lounges like a starving dragon.
If this club is not my second home, I won’t be able to move with my eyes shut closed as they sting like hell. The choking cloud of noxious smoke enters my lungs in a scorching pain, making me cough furiously.
I run blindly towards the back of the bar where the blazing flames are a little bit far from me, but still, the heat is oppressive and it feels like it can roast me in seconds.
I realize all these things here have an alcohol content-highly flammable, but I can’t let Kyland die in here. I shrug off my coat and use it to cover my nose and mouth and breathe deeply. My eyes sting and teary.
“Wright! Are you in there?” I shout as I run towards the corridor that leads to the office-his office. I slam my fist on the door as soon as I reach there while I cough the hell out as the smoke that continuously burns my lungs.
I hear heavy footsteps from behind making me stop banging the door. I grip the doorknob tightly, holding my breath.
“Sir, you can’t be here!” A fireman wearing a dark coverall with reflective striping and a black helmet grabs my arm and drags me away from the door.
I continue coughing. “M-my f-friend is in there! Let go of me!”
“Nobody is in here, sir.”
“Kyland is in here, asshole!” I fish out the key and blindly insert it into the keyhole. My breathing wheezes, my body weakens and I begin to shake. I suddenly remember my promise to Camila.
Squeezing my eyes shut, allowing the tears to fall down my cheeks. Before I can unlock the door open a loud explosion erupts making us enter the room forcibly.
“Hey, wake up, asshole.” A hoarse male voice hits my ears, forcing me to open my eyes.
It’s Wright.
I squeeze my eyes shut. It’s stings like hell like I wash them with soapy water.
“It’s been two days, asshole. You’re making us all worried. I know you can hear me,” Kyland says, laughing slightly.
The club, the fire, and the explosions.
My hand instantly on my face, sits up abruptly. I realize I’m not in my room when I look around.
“Seriously?” Wright laughs-belly laugh. “You thought your face is burnt, huh?”
My gaze lands on him. He has left blacked-eye, split lower lip, and a bandage around her head.
“You okay, man?” I wince when I find my throat is burning and achingly dry.
“Here, sips some water, baby boy.” He offers me a bottle of water after placing a straw into it.
I grab it from him with shaky hands and sip it continually.
“Funny how an asshole drinks like he’d been dried to death in the desert,” he chuckles.
I clear my throat when he takes back the bottled water from my hand. “Seriously, Wright. What happened to you?”
He looks serious this time. “I was supposed to be charred. I mean cremated alive.”
The text message from his phone I received was real. My knuckles crack at how strong I formed them into fists. My stomach twists making me suddenly sick. I feel guilty, he almost died because of me.
That bitch!
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t worry, Hughes, I’m fine. I owe you my life. You could’ve just left me alone there and burned alive to death.”
“Then Camila will burn me, too, right?” My eyes widen when I suddenly remember I left her in the car. “Where is Camila, Kyland?”
“She’s fine.”
“That doesn’t answer my fucking question!” I roar, then wince.
“Relax, asshole. She’s on her way. She keeps texting and asking me if you’re awake. She can’t stress herself anymore. She collapsed when she saw your unconscious body carried to the ambulance.”
I curse all the curses in the world.
“Can’t I keep her away from danger just for a fucking day?” I rub my sweaty palm on my face, breathe deeply to calm myself, and face Kyland. “Is she okay?” The worry is still wrapping my voice when I ask him again.
“The doctor discharged her after the result of her test came out.”
“I need to go home and see her. Call the doctor to discharge me, Kyland.” I drag myself out of bed after pulling out what had been attached to me. My head snaps to the door when it swings open.
“Pyke!” My woman wraps her slender arms around my body before I can blink.
“You, stupid moron!” she exclaims, then grips my hospital gown and sobs into my chest. My fingers run through her chocolate lacks and bury my nose on top of her head. My free arm wraps possessively around her petite body.
“Please, Babe, don’t cry,” I whisper. My heart aches to see her crying because of me. I know I broke my promise, but I can’t tell her about the message either. I made the hardest decisions in my life that night. If Kyland dies and my conscience keeps haunting me every night or I die trying to save the person Camila dearly loves.
Because of me, the people I care about are suffering and someone is paying for the mistake I did years ago. I can’t let Kyland die because of me.