Keep Me Safe(73)
“Yes, baby?”
“I really do love you.”
He squeezed her again, unable to control the urge to hold her as tightly as possible.
“I love you too, Ramie.”
“Caleb?”
He chuckled. “What, you imp?”
“That medicine you gave me made me loopy.”
“I see that,” he observed dryly. “Go to sleep, baby. I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.”
“I’m afraid to close my eyes,” she whispered.
“Why is that?” he queried.
“What if I wake up and you’re not here and this was all just a dream?”
Again he nudged her chin upward and then fused his mouth to hers in a deep kiss. For several long moments, he did nothing but kiss her. It wasn’t overtly sexual and that was what he liked about it. It was just a sweet and innocent kiss, one shared by two lovers who were both in need of comforting.
“Does that feel like it’s all just a dream?” he whispered against her mouth.
“If it is then I never want to wake up.”
“Me either, baby. Me either.”
He held her in silence, simply stroking his hand up and down her slender spine. She made a deep sound of contentment and went limp against him. He continued his slow caressing until he was certain she slept.
Long after she had fallen into deep and dreamless sleep, Caleb lay there, awake, her in his arms, her soft body molded to his.
“Keep the people I love safe,” he whispered. “It’s all I’ll ever ask for.”
THIRTY-ONE
THE explosion rocked the entire house, yanking Caleb from deep slumber. He jackknifed up from bed, his pulse hammering in his neck and wrists.
“What the ever-loving fuck?”
He shook the fog of sleep from his mind, positive that he’d been having his own nightmare about losing Ramie in the explosion. But no. It was too loud. Too real.
Panic slithered up his spine and he reached desperately for Ramie, trying to rouse her from her drug-induced sleep.
His bedroom door flew open and Beau burst in.
“Get up!” Beau yelled. “You have to get out. The house is on fire.”
Caleb scrambled up, dragging Ramie’s limp body with him.
“Come on, baby. I need you to wake up. Come on, Ramie. Wake up!”
“Where are Quinn and Tori?” Caleb demanded. “What the fuck is going on, Beau!”
“We don’t have time for questions,” Beau yelled. “We have to get out now! Quinn’s getting Tori.”
Caleb threw Ramie over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and surged into the hallway to see Quinn herding Tori toward the stairs. Quinn quickly recoiled, thrusting Tori behind him and then shoving her in the direction of Caleb’s bedroom, which was at the very end of the hall.
“Stairs and the safe room are out!” Quinn hollered. “We’ll have to go out a window.”
“We’re on the second fucking story,” Beau bit out.
Caleb didn’t waste time going over the logistics. Already he could see flames licking up the stairway. To his horror the ceiling collapsed at the other end of the hall where Quinn’s and Tori’s bedrooms were, and smoke came billowing up through the opening.
“Son of a bitch,” Caleb swore. “Everyone in my room. Now!”
Beau herded his younger brother and sister into Caleb’s room. Tori was obviously shell-shocked, her eyes wide and haunted.
“Get the window, Quinn,” Beau ordered. “Caleb’s got his arms full. We’ll have to do the best we can and hope we don’t break our damn necks getting out.”
“Let me go first,” Quinn said quietly. “I can try to break Tori and Ramie’s fall.”
“No, wait,” Caleb said. “Slow down and let’s think about this before we do get ourselves killed. We can get on the roof outside my window dormer and then make it down to the garage roof. It’s only one story there and much less distance to fall.”
“Let’s go then,” Beau barked. “We don’t have much time before the whole place goes up.”
Quinn slid the window open and then climbed out, hanging on to the eaves as he inched out onto the roof.
Beau helped Tori through the window and Quinn held his hand out for her to grab so she didn’t fall.
“You go,” Caleb directed Beau. “I’ll have to hand Ramie to you. She’s out cold.”
Beau ducked out after Tori and after making sure she was in a secure place on the roof, Beau reached back and carefully hooked his arms underneath Ramie’s shoulders. Caleb eased her legs out so that Beau was dragging her along the rooftop in the direction of the garage.
Already Caleb could feel the heat of the fire. Below them might already be consumed and it was only a matter of time before the roof they were standing on fell in as well.