Chapter 27

LENNOX

The sounds of commotion and grunting hit my ears, drawing me back down the narrow hallway. I check the rooms along the way, finding nothing. No sign of my girl. The fire is spreading quicker than I thought it would, and I'm running out of time. Rounding the corner, I find another room, the door closed. Quietly, I press my ear against it.

Heavy breathing and movement is all that I hear, but it's enough for me.

Taking the knob in my hand, I slowly twist it and push the door open.

I find Stevie on the floor on her stomach, her arms tied behind her back with thick frayed rope. Her lip is bruised and bleeding, her hair a tangled mess around her face. Her skirt is tossed up, exposing her bareness.

From my angle, I can't get a clean shot on Jensen without risking Stevie.

Jensen is on top of her, his belt undone, a sinister look on his scarred face as strokes his cock. My blood boils, and I fucking lose it.

"Get the fuck off her," I should as I burst in, tackling Jensen to the ground. My pistol is knocked from my hand, skidding across the floor in the chaos. He groans as we hit the ground. The impact sending a sharp pain down my spine, but I ignore it.

He's strong, but rage fuels my every move. I land a punch to his jaw, feeling the satisfying crunch of bone against my knuckles. He retaliates, with a blow to my ribs that makes me gasp for air.

Stevie is screaming, her voice raw with terror as Jensen and I go blow for blow in front of her. She manages to roll herself off to the side of the room, out of the way to avoid being struck by us. The sheer weight of him is crushing as he grabs my collar, and lifts my head up off the ground.

"Well there he is, Ember's new Knight in shining armor eh. I was wondering when we'd finally meet," Jensen sneers, his face twisted with rage. "She's got you hooked on her magical pussy too does she? I can't even blame you, she made us a lot of money with that thing. She was one of our favorites, you know? Maybe I'll keep you alive long enough to watch us all use it. Give you a little show of all the things that Sweet Dreams taught her."

"Fuck you," I grunt, struggling against him. "Touch her and I'll fucking kill you. I already took out all your men, you're the only one left, you sick piece of shit," Stevie's crying, begging Jensen to let me go, promising she'll do whatever he wants.

Jensen laughs a deep belly laugh, clearly finding my threat empty.

Shame he doesn't know me better.

I land another hit. My fist slamming into the side of his head. His anger and frustration only grow, and he pulls a gun from his waist, pointing it at my face.

"Or I could just end your life, here and now. Make her watch while you take your last breath. Shit maybe I'll use your still warm blood as lube while I fuck her next to your dead body," he spits.

I laugh, "You could try. We both know it's the only way you could ever get some. Especially from a girl like her." I retort, "Pathetic you have to force yourself on women to get your tiny cock wet,"

Enraged, he presses the barrel against my forehead, resting his finger on the trigger.

"Do it." I encourage. It's risky, but right now, risks are something I'm willing to take if it means protecting her. Jensen makes a critical mistake. His eyes leave me, for one brief second, finding their way back to Stevie. She's begging him to stop. To spare me, but even she knows it's pointless. Wasted breath. Which as the smoke grows thicker and more toxic, is a dangerous thing to do.

I use his slip up to my advantage, and make a move to grab the gun. Jensen catches me at the last second, he pulls the trigger just as I shove his arm. The bullet hits my left shoulder, sending a searing pain through my arm and muscle. I push through it, shoving his arm again, sending the gun crashing to the wood floor.

Stevie's blood curdling scream echoes around the small room.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the flames glinting off a blade strapped to Jensen's belt. With Stevie's screams piercing my ears, I make a desperate move, grabbing the knife and shoving it through Jensen's chest.

Once, twice, three, four times.

Blood sprays everywhere, the blade sinking deep, causing bone to crack under the impact.

Jensen's eyes widen in shock, his body twitching as he slumps off of me, falling to the side. The smoke is thickening, the flames catching on the old curtains around the room, spreading fast.

I rush over to Stevie, my heart pounding. "I got you, lil spark!" I use the knife coated in Jensen's blood to free her wrists, pulling her to her feet as I wrap my arms around her. The heat is nearly unbearable, the flames roaring around us as it spreads. But I don't care. I have her.

I have my lil spark, and that's all that matters.

STEVIE

The moment Lennox's arms wrap around me, I feel like I've been yanked out of a nightmare. Everything else around us seems to fade away. My heart is racing, pounding against my ribs so hard it hurts. I clutch him tightly, my fingers digging into his back as if letting go would mean losing him forever. The sight of Jensen pinning him down, the blood, the fight—it's all too fresh, too raw. I've never been so scared in my life.

Scared of losing someone that means so much to me.

"Lennox," I gasp, my voice trembling. "I thought... I thought he was going to…"

"Hey, hey, I'm right here," he murmurs, his voice steady despite the chaos around us as he tightens his hold around me, and softly trails his hands down my back.

I cough from the smoke that's thickening by the second. The fire is spreading, and the acrid smell burns my nose and throat, making my eyes water.

"You're bleeding," I say, my hands frantically patting his shoulder, trying to assess the damage. The wound is a through-and-through, but he's losing a lot of blood. Too much blood. "We need to get you out of here."

He laughs, a deep, rumbling sound that cuts through my panic. "Always so worried about me. I've been through worse, babe. This" he pauses, pinching the thin fabric from his blood soaked shirt and pulling it from his skin, " this is just a scratch."

His words do little to calm me, but when he cups my face, his thumb brushing away a tear, and kisses me, the world narrows down to just us. He's my anchor in this blazing inferno of blood and chaos.

Slowly, he pushes me back against the wall. Jensen is behind us, grunting and gurgling on the floor as blood fills his mouth. Lennox glances at him, smirking, before returning his lips to mine. His kiss is demanding, possessive, igniting a fire inside me that rivals the one consuming the house.

It makes me feel things and for once, I don't fight them. I welcome the heat that spreads across my skin with his touch.

Roughly he spins me around, pressing my chest against the wall in a fit of heated, angsty passion. His hands move to my hips, pulling my black lace panties down to my thighs as his lips find the crook of my neck. Kissing and nipping at the flesh along my neck and shoulder.

"I bet she never let you touch her like this," he shouts to Jensen. His heated breath against my skin sends tiny goosebumps prickling along my body. "I bet her body never reacted to you the way it reacts to me,"

His fingers cup my pussy, and he growls, realizing I'm already soaking wet for him. My adrenaline and desire mingling in a heady rush as I melt under his touch.

I moan, my eyes fluttering closed as he touches me. Circling his rough touch around my sensitive folds. The house is burning around us, but all I can focus on is Lennox.

He leans in, his breath hot against my ear. "You're mine," he whispers, his voice rough with desire as his fingers continue their motions. "Jensen, watch. Watch how fucking gorgeous she looks when she actually wants it."

Removing his hand from my pussy, he quickly frees his cock, and lines himself up before pushing himself inside me. Slow and hard, he fills me completely while the old bed and breakfast burns down around us.

"Oh my─" I cry out softly. The sensation is overwhelming, every nerve ending alive with pleasure. His left hand reaches around to grip my throat, while his right hand finds its way to my hip, pinning me against the wall as he pummels into me.

Chaos reigns around us—the building is crumbling, the smoke is thickening—Jensen's bleeding out on the floor just behind us─but none of it matters. Lennox's thrusts are deep and hard, each one sending waves of pleasure through me.

"You're so fucking gorgeous, lil spark," he growls, his voice a low rumble. "Taking me like this."

Jensen grunts, drawing my gaze to him. His eyes lock with mine through the smoke, filled with pain and anger. His breaths come in ragged gasps as the blood begins pooling around him. A burning beam crashes through the ceiling sending thousands of tiny sparks flying up into the air around us, but we don't stop. Lennox continues thrusting into me, harder, faster, his hand tightening around my throat.

"Lennox, please. Make me cum," I choke out.

"That's it baby, I can feel how close you are," Lennox growls as he rams into me again, "Look Jensen. Look how fucking well her wet cunt takes me. Stretches for me."

Jensen grunts and coughs. Blood begins to spill from his lips. The sight alone only adds to my arousal, and another soft moan slips from my bruised and bloodied lips.

"Do you hear the sounds she's making? Sounds your fucking ears were never worthy of hearing." Lennox spits. He pummels into me harder, his balls smacking off my ass. "But now, they're the sounds that will haunt you while you burn in hell, because that's where scum like you belong."

The sight of Jensen dying, his eyes losing focus, is both horrific and strangely satisfying and as his last breath leaves his body, my orgasm builds, an unstoppable wave of pleasure.

I hold Jensen's stare until his eyes go blank, and in that moment, I find my release, my body clenching around Lennox as I cry out.

Lennox follows me over the edge, emptying himself inside me. The feeling of him filling me up, claiming me, is electric. He continues to thrust into me while he rides out his release. His hold on me tightening as he comes down from his euphoric high. When he's done, he wastes no time. He slaps my ass, pulling my head back with the hand around my throat, and biting my bottom lip. "That's my fucking girl," he growls, his voice dripping with pride and possession.

It brings a smile to my face, as he takes my hand and leads me out of the house. The flames roar around us, the smoke thick and choking, but we don't look back. We've survived, together that's all that matters.

As we step into the night, leaving the inferno behind the sounds of sirens can be heard.

"Get in, we need to go," he shouts as we reach his car. For the first time ever, Lennox doesn't open my door. Instead, he climbs in the driver seat and starts up the engine.

"Really?" I pause, crossing my arms over my chest.

Clearly confused and flustered, he's eyes snap to mine as I stand just outside the passenger door. It takes him a minute to realize what my issue is, but when he does, he rolls his eyes. The gesture and look of disbelief on his face makes me smile.

Grabbing the handle I open the door and climb inside, "Just kidding," I laugh.

"Lil spark─" he whispers, shaking his head. "You are a pain in the ass," He presses his lips to mine, before he takes off down the dirt road through the Bayou.

He's right, but that's what he likes about me.

As we drive back to the city, the morning sun begins to rise, casting a golden hue over the French Quarter. The air in the car is thick with the scent of smoke and blood. Rolling down the window half way, I fill my lungs with the much needed fresh air. It's crisp, carrying the faint scent of fallen leaves . The traffic is light, a mix of early risers and night owls making their way home as we drive through the Quarter.

I lean my head against the window, watching the world wake up around us. My thoughts are a jumbled mess, replaying the events of last night over and over again. The terror, the adrenaline, the fire—both literal and figurative—that raged within me. But despite everything, I feel a strange sense of lightness.

Jensen is gone, and with him, a part of the weight that's been pressing down on me for so long. Lennox pulls up to my apartment and turns to me, his expression a mix of anger and relief. "What the hell were you thinking, turning yourself in like that?" he demands, his voice rough.

"I had to, Lennox," I reply, my voice shaking. "I couldn't bear the thought of anyone else getting hurt because of me. I love you, and I'm not willing to lose you or anyone else I care about."

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I get it, Stevie. I do. But never again. There's something you don't know. Something I didn't get the chance to tell you before you ran off trying to be all selfless and shit." he explains, his tone softening but it's clear he's upset with me still. I get it. I'd feel the same way if roles were reversed. "Sweet Dreams aren't after you."

Confused, I straighten my back, lifting my eyes to his, "What do you mean?," I whisper, my voice breaking. "Jensen was fucking working alone. The only people who knew anything about you setting the fire back in Atlanta, were him and the men working for him. Sweet Dreams doesn't know you're alive or that you got away."

Sweet Dreams aren't after me?

How is that possible? How could Lennox even know that for sure?

"How do you know?" I ask with a shaky tone. Then what Jensen told me comes back, that Lennox had been killing off his men.

"Jensen's own men told me. Before I slit their throats," he says firmly, his eyes burning with determination. Before I can even process the words he's said, he takes my hands in his, "Don't you get it. You don't have to run anymore. There is no one looking for you."

Tears spill from my eyes, "I don't have to run…" I whisper softly to myself. As if saying the words will make it feel more real.

"You're safe, Stevie and I want you to stay in the Quarter. Stay with me." I look at him, the weight of his words sinking in. He wipes away my tears with his thumb, a smirk playing on his lips. "Besides, the city looks so pretty. Don't you want to burn it with me, lil spark?"

I let out a shaky laugh, the tension easing slightly. "Buy me breakfast?" I ask, a faint smile tugging at my lips. "And we'll see if you can keep up."

"Deal," he says, leaning in to kiss me softly. The world may be burning around us, but as long as we have each other, we'll face whatever comes next, together.