Give the Devil his Due

Chapter 33

What the hell was going on?

The whole fucking house was on fire! I threw the car into park, leaving it where I was in the middle of the road at the end of the subdivision. With shaking legs, I raced towards the structure engulfed in flames. Where was everyone? Where they still trapped inside? Who could have done this?

That last question was just dumb. Of course I knew who was most likely responsible for this. Clint. But how could he have gotten passed all of Mr. Vasquez's security? That question was stupid too. If those three thugs who injected me with drugs could break into the Vasquez house, obviously it would be no difficult feat for Clint who has been strategizing ways to kill us since the moment my father and Mr. Vasquez destroyed that drug.

As I neared the building, I saw figures moving just outside the flames. Then their faces materialized from the black smoke. I recognized the figures as Lucas' cousins, all of them. Marisol and Diego were out here too, tears streaming from both of their eyes. But Mr. and Mrs. Vasquez weren't among them and neither was Lucas or my father.

"Hey!" I called out, running right up to them. Instantly, they all began talking, some trying to explain what happened while other were simply rambling about how hot the flames were. But I couldn't focus any anything that said, not when my heart was pumping at a million miles an hour, "Where is everyone else?"

Silence met my question, the only sound was the roaring of the fire. Then Carlos stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder, "They're still inside. But don't worry. The fire department are on their way. They should be here any second."

Fear and panic caused my stomach to revolt and I nearly vomited my bowl of cereal from earlier. My hand clutched at my chest as I began to hyperventilate, "We have to help them. The fire, and the smoke, they'll die."

"Calm down, Kimber. They'll be fine." Carlos instructed, motioning everyone to move away from the fire. But I knew better. Every time someone told me things would be okay, they never were. Someone always got hurt, someone always almost died. And I couldn't let that happen again, I couldn't sit by and let someone get hurt. Again.

So while Carlos was busy with crowd control, I dashed forward and through the front door which was relatively free of fire at the moment. Of course I heard everyone yelling for me to come back, of course I didn't listen.

Yes, what I had just done was idiotic and downright stupid. I knew that, no need to lecture me. I didn't care whether I was putting my own life in danger or not. My father would run into a burning building to save me if our roles were reversed.

Upon entering the house, I found that the front hallways had yet to be eaten by flames. With careful steps, I made my way towards the study. Black smoke wafted through the house and I knew from countless practices with my girl scout troop that breathing in the smoke could kill you just as fast as the fire could. So I lifted my sweatshirt over my nose and stayed low to the floor.

The study was empty when I checked it. Of course, the only time I actually needed to find someone and they weren't in the study. Okay, so if they weren't in there, the only other logical place would be the basement. That's where Lucas had been when I left earlier. A quick peek told me that the upstairs was lost to the fire so if anyone was up there, they were already gone.

Pivoting on my toes, I headed towards the kitchen. The smoke wasn't as bad in the kitchen but oh was it hot. Sweat had already begun to drip down my back and neck. Choosing to wear this sweatshirt was proving to be a very bad idea though the thick material was allowing me to breath through it without breathing in any of the smoke.