I shook Noah and she moaned again. I could hear the roar of the flames as they ate their way through the flat, inching closer and closer to the bedroom. The smoke had already begun to fill the room, and I knew that at that very moment, it was the immediate threat.
“Noah.” I shook her. “Sweetheart, wake up.”
Her eyes opened, and it took her a minute to focus on me, but when she did, she gasped.
“It’s Anderson,” she coughed, as under her nostrils darkened with soot. “He chased me and Bailey that night, I was leaving him and he tried to kill me because of it. He forced the crash . . . he killed Bailey. I remember it, Elliot. I remember everything about that night!”
I was stunned into silence.
“I recorded it all,” she said as she fumbled with her dress.
She pulled out her phone, tapped on the screen then pushed it at me.
“Keep it safe,” she rasped. “Protect it. It’ll put him in prison.”
I looked from Noah to the phone, then pocketed it.
“You remember?”
“Just that night,” she answered, groaning as her hand went to her head. “I was leaving him. I phoned Bailey and she came to pick me up, she came to help me and he chased us. Elliot, if I hadn’t phoned her—”
“No,” I cut her off. “Don’t. This is not your fault, it’s his.”
I looked down at Anderson. He wasn’t moving, but the rise and fall of his chest told me he was still alive.
“He beat me,” Noah whimpered. “He broke me, Elliot. It’s why I stayed with him and cut everyone out. He controlled everything I did. I never loved him though. I thought I did, but it was always you.”
I heard Noah as if she’d screamed every word.
“He beat you?”
She nodded and began to cough once more, wincing in pain as her hands touched her throat. Her already-bruised throat. I had to close my eyes for a moment and focus every ounce of my energy on getting Noah out of the building and not putting her down to kick the fucking life out of Anderson Riley. He’d killed my sister. He’d abused Noah. I wanted to hurt him, to make him feel pain he could never imagine feeling.
“Elliot,” Noah whimpered. “The fire.”
“Fuck,” I snapped.
My thoughts of revenge had distracted me from the danger at hand.
“I’m gonna get ye outta here, sasanach,” I vowed. “You and me, we’re going to get out of this place and go home, okay?”
“We might have to go to the hospital,” she mumbled. “My head.”
She tensed and went completely rigid as her eyes rolled back. I held her as pain consumed her body, then I nearly collapsed with fear when she went lax. I pressed my head to her chest and heard her heartbeat. Relief smacked into me like a tidal wave.
“Hello!” a voice roared. “Anyone in here? Hello?”
I recognised the muffled voice instantly.
“Texas!” I shouted. “Tex, in here!”
“Irish?” I heard his bewildered reply. “AJ, Irish is here!”
I put one arm under Noah’s legs and another under her back and lifted her from the bed. I adjusted my grip on her and held her close to my body as I approached the bedroom door. The flames were everywhere, but I had no other choice. I had to get us out of there. I ran forward, heat licking all around me. When I entered the main room of the flat, I almost ran smack into one of my friends.
“Fuck,” AJ’s voice shouted through his apparatus. “Noah? Is she breathing?”
Flames had caught on to her hair and AJ was quickly patting them out with his gloved hands.
“Yeah, she’s knocked out.” I choked on smoke as I looked around. “I need to get her outta here!”
“The fire is out of containment on this floor; it’ll reach higher floors soon so we need to move now. The others are sweeping floors five to eight.”
“Help!”
I paused and looked over my shoulder; through the flames and thick veil of smoke I saw Anderson was crawling towards me, crying and choking as he tried to draw in a breath.
“I can’t breathe!” he shouted. “Help me!”
He was crawling over the burning floor as if he didn’t feel pain. His trousers had caught alight, and the longer I stared at him, the more he began to burn. I made a decision in that moment.
“Elliot!” AJ bellowed. “We’ve got to go!”
I turned and passed Noah off to AJ and Pretty; they both had to carry her because the weight and mass of their equipment meant she couldn’t simply be thrown over their shoulder. Both of them instantly backed out of the flat and made their way to safety with her. I turned back for Anderson. I wasn’t like this piece of shite; I was ten times the man he was. He wasn’t getting a quick death, he was going to pay for what he did to my sister, to Noah – behind bars, where he’d have no control over anyone, or anything, ever again.
I’d make sure of it.
I rushed towards him, grabbed his arms and pulled him into the main room. I removed my wet T-shirt and smacked it over his trousers until the fire was out. Anderson screamed in pain the entire time, and I couldn’t find a fuck to give. I was going to save his life, but I was happy he was suffering.
I could see the fabric of his clothing that wasn’t burned away was binding into his scorched, melting skin and I was glad.
So fucking glad.
I bent down, hoisted him up and put him over my shoulder. I steadied myself, then I took off at a run out of the burning heat of the flat and the thick choking smoke. I held my breath as I ran down the corridor, and didn’t suck in a breath until I was in the stairwell. I heard talking, lots of talking, and familiar voices. I left my brothers
