Naomi looked deep into his eyes and saw how much he wanted to let her stay, to give her what she wanted. Then she thought of Lash, and her heart ached. She was still upset with him, but she couldn’t help that she needed him, wanted him with her. He would understand.
No, Jeremy’s right. She had a job to do. She pushed the thought of Lash to the back of her mind, focusing on what was expected of her.
“Okay, let’s go.”
They caught up with Chuy’s truck as it rambled down a rural gravel road. There were no other houses in sight, and she wondered how far from town Megan lived.
After a few minutes, he finally turned the truck onto a dirt path, barely visible from the road. He came to a stop a few yards from a small ranch house with green shutters. The porch was a matching dark green that looked freshly painted. On one side of the porch, a Texas flag hung proudly. A U.S. flag waved on the opposite side.
A few yards to the left of the house were a few cars. Most of them had flat tires. She smiled, thinking how Chuy and her father would love to get their hands on them. They loved to bring old cars back to life.
Naomi took a deep breath, wishing she could turn back time. She missed her parents.
She furrowed her brow as she inhaled a strange odor. “Do you smell that?”
She looked to Jeremy with alarm when he didn’t respond. He simply looked down at her with a knowing sad look in his eyes.
Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. Whatever it was, he knew, and he wasn’t telling her. She tensed, readying herself. Whatever was coming, it was coming soon. She hoped and prayed that Chuy wasn’t involved.
She watched carefully as Chuy jumped out of the truck, ran to the door, and opened it. Megan’s pink lips curled into a delicate smile.
A breeze blew hard, making the flags flutter wildly. Megan swiped a hand around her hair as it blew wildly in the wind and then tied it into a ponytail.
“Everything looks all right,” she said, glancing at the house. “Thank you for everything tonight. You don’t have to fix the truck. I can get it towed in the morning.”
“I want to. Lalo and I fix up stuff like that all the time. It’s simple, really.”
“You’re sweet.” She tapped his muscular chest. Her finger slid down his tight-fitting T-shirt and started outlining his abs. She then looked up at him and smiled.
Chuy reached out and tucked a loosened blonde strand behind her ear. “So are you.”
He dipped his head, and his lips gently touched hers. Her hands worked their way up his bulging arms and into his thick hair. A soft moan escaped her as he placed a hand against the small of her back and pressed her against his chest.
The front porch light switched on, and there was the sound of a door slamming.
“Megan, is that you out there?”
They jumped.
“Crap! It’s my aunt.” Megan stepped away from Chuy. “Yeah, it’s me. Are you guys all right?”
“Emma’s in her room, sleepin’ like a rock.” Verna took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the pocket of her robe. “The house could fall down ’round her and she’d still be sleepin’. Nothin’ can wake her up once she’s down.”
“That’s good!” Megan yelled back. “I’ll be right in!”
Verna placed the cigarette in her mouth. “Take your time.” She raised the lighter.
“I should be going,” Chuy said as Megan turned back to face him. “I’ll call you—”
Naomi heard the flick of Verna’s lighter, followed by a loud explosion. She screamed as fire flashed out toward Chuy and Megan.
Chuy threw himself over Megan, sending them both to the ground. Without thought, Naomi rushed to them, her body shielding both from the intense heat.
“Aunt Verna! Oh my God!”
Chuy tightened his grip on Megan, who clawed the ground. His eyes widened at the ball of fire blazing on the side of the porch.
There was another explosion, and flames shot through the windows, sending shards of glass flying through the air. He covered Megan with his body and ducked his head.
“What do I do?” Naomi looked in horror at the spot where Verna was.
Jeremy stood by her, holding her hand. “You’re doing it. Just stay with Megan.”
“Emma!” Megan cried as she tried to push Chuy off her. “I have to get Emma.”
Emma!
The thought screamed in Naomi’s head and slammed her chest like a sledgehammer. An image of a cute little girl with red hair, freckles, and chocolate-stained lips flashed before her eyes. She looked frantically at Jeremy, her eyes wild.
He squeezed her hand, eyes glistening, and shook his head.
“No. Stay here. I’ll get her.” Chuy scrambled to his feet. “Where is she?”
“Second door on the right. Towards the back of the house. Hurry, please, hurry!” Megan cried.
“Chuy, don’t!” Naomi screamed as Chuy leapt to his feet and headed for the burning house.
Jeremy tackled her by the waist when she attempted to run after him.
“Let me go! Let me go! It’s Chuy!” She kicked out, trying to escape his grip.
“You can’t do this,” he grunted as she continued to struggle against him.
“He’s my family. Please, please let me go,” she cried, tears streaming down her face. He was too strong for her, and he wasn’t budging.
Slowly, he turned her to face him. Fiery shadows danced on his tense face. His eyes flicked between her and the house. He brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and gazed intently into her eyes. “Stay with Megan. Whatever happens, do not leave her side.”
She nodded as she choked back the lump in her throat and watched Jeremy fly into the house.
Naomi turned at the sound of Megan gasping and crying. She stayed on the ground clutching her stomach and mumbling Emma’s name over and over.
Naomi circled Megan, twisting her hands as she fought a war within herself. She was torn between wanting to calm Megan and wanting to run inside the house. She knew it was her job to stay with her. She had been given direct orders. Every fiber of her being wanted to disobey them and go protect Chuy, her own flesh and blood, at any cost. It was eating her up, having to protect the woman she had once loathed and being forbidden to help her own family. She could only hope that Jeremy would help Chuy and Emma.
Naomi inhaled sharply as a sudden thought crossed her mind. Jeremy is the angel of death. He is in there with Chuy.
Curling her fingers into fists, she banged them against her thighs. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? And she’d let Jeremy go in there! Who was he there for? Chuy? Emma? Maybe it was Megan’s aunt.
She glanced at the spot where the older woman lay. She jerked her head away as bile rose in her throat at the sight of the poor woman.
Guilt gnawed deep within her. What kind of angel was she? She couldn’t believe she was hoping someone else would die, just so Chuy would be safe.
Sirens screamed in the distance, and she prayed for them to come faster. She stared at the front door, where the flames grew larger.
“Come on, Jeremy. Come out with them. Please come out,” Naomi prayed.
Fire engines emerged from the distance. Within minutes, they came to a halt near them.
Megan got up and ran to them. “They’re still in there. My Emma is in there! She’s just a little girl. Please get her!”
Just as two of the firemen ran into the blazing house, Jeremy stepped out.
Pained eyes locked with hers.
No! No! No!
She felt herself failing as the world collapsed around her. Flashing lights of the fire engines shrank into tiny specks of light as the darkness took over. Sirens and the yells of the firefighters merged into one sound that muffled until there was nothing but white noise whistling in her ears. She wheezed, struggling for air as a sea of pain washed over her, drowning her. She reached out, desperate to hold on to something, anything to keep her from falling further into the darkness. A pair of strong arms found her and held on to her tight as she sank to her knees and wept.