Splendor(125)

“I’m headed directly to Miss Lockwood’s place now, sir,” assured Simon calmly. “Would you like me to call my contact at the police department during the drive – just to see if they’re aware of anything – ah, amiss in her area?”

Ian closed his eyes, not wanting to imagine any one of a dozen horrible things that could have happened to Tessa – being robbed, raped, stabbed, God knew what else in that questionable neighborhood she lived in. “Yes, please, Simon. And thanks, mate.”

While Simon made his call, Ian tried like hell not to overreact. There could be a perfectly logical explanation as to why Tessa wasn’t answering either of her phone lines. There could be a power failure in the area, which would account for why her landline wasn’t working, and why she hadn’t been able to charge her cell phone. Or maybe there had been some sort of gas or water main leak in the neighborhood, and all of the residents had had to be evacuated temporarily. Or just perhaps –

“Sir.” Simon’s voice intruded on his thoughts and then Ian was listening in horror at what his chauffeur was very reluctantly telling him. “I’m afraid Miss Lockwood’s apartment building – well, there’s been a fire, Mr. Gregson.”

***

The scene surrounding the two block radius near Tessa’s apartment building was utter and complete chaos. Ian pushed his way past barricades, completely ignoring the shouts of the police officers who had undoubtedly been told to keep all but essential personnel out of the area. He didn’t give a flying fuck if a dozen strong men tried to make him leave – no one was going to prevent him from finding Tessa.

He and Simon had smelled the thick, acrid smoke in the air blocks away, could see the flashing lights and beacons of all the emergency vehicles. Simon had been able to obtain some additional information from his contact at the police department – the man evidently was both a neighbor and a fishing crony – but the data hadn’t helped ease Ian’s fears in the least. There were no casualties reported, at least not yet, but several residents of the building had been taken to the hospital. Initial reports indicated that the fire had started on the uppermost floor of the building – the fifth – while Tessa’s unit was on the second. It was that bit of news that gave Ian the most hope that she’d found her way out of the building unharmed, but nothing was going to fully appease him until he found her.

A task which was going to be a near impossibility from the looks of it. There were emergency vehicles parked haphazardly all along the street – fire trucks, police cars, ambulances – and dozens of people running to and fro, shouting at each other, with no one person seemingly in charge of controlling the scene. The fire was still burning, filling the air with thick black smoke, and the heat from the flames was stifling.

A young Asian policewoman made a rather feeble attempt to get Ian to vacate the area. “Sir, you really can’t be here, I’m afraid,” she told him, trying to sound authoritative. “Emergency personnel only. You’ll have to leave this area at once.”

He shook his head. “Not until I find someone. I’m looking for a young woman, mid-twenties, tall, blonde hair. Have you seen anyone fitting that description?”

“Sir, I really have to insist – ”

“Please.” He turned the full measure of his charm on the pretty young policewoman. “Please, officer, I’m desperate to find her. Do you have any idea where they took the people who had to be evacuated?”

The policewoman hesitated before giving a slight nod. “I’m not positive, but I thought I overheard someone saying they were taking the residents into the Chinese restaurant down the street. You can check there, but then you’ve really got to leave.”

Ian gave her a dazzling smile. “Thank you, officer. I truly appreciate it.”

And then he was off, running as fast as his weary, jet-lagged body would move, trying to stay out of sight before another emergency responder noticed him and tried to get him to leave.

Ian was not an especially spiritual man, but he offered up every prayer he could remember from his youth as he hurried along. The very thought that Tessa could be injured – or worse – was not something he could bear to think about. If he were to lose her now, when they’d really just found each other, he wasn’t sure he’d want to go on living either.

The Chinese restaurant in question was closer to two blocks away than one, but he didn’t care and offered up a silent thanks as he walked inside the dimly lit establishment. Inside, the chaos continued, as the victims of the fire seemed to be either shouting or crying, and in at least half a dozen different languages. A couple of individuals carrying clipboards with Red Cross badges clipped to their collars were bustling about, attempting to calm as many people as they could. Ian considered approaching one of them to see if they knew if Tessa was here, then gave up and went to look for her himself.