Chapter 33

THIRTY-THREE

S amantha watched Julio walk away into a sea of chaos. She shuffled down in the seat and closed her eyes against the cacophony of noise and movement. Settling into the feeling she'd had with Julio and Romeo here, the security of being safeguarded.

Even with them gone, she felt it.

Maybe that was God's grace. His mercy. The peace she could feel even though she was alone. She might've been unable to feel Him in that cabin, but He had been there. Just because she didn't "feel" God's presence didn't mean He wasn't there.

"I trust You." She whispered the words, barely a sound emerging from her lips. "Thank You for saving me."

Julio's phone buzzed under her hand.

She flipped it over and saw a text from his parents, part of a group thread. She entered the code he'd always set for his phone PIN—the date of the day they'd met.

Once unlocked, the screen displayed the thread, friendly family chatter. The small talk of people who would be forever connected. Who knew to their souls they were cared for.

Samantha needed to use the video call feature, to make sure Bristol was all right.

She settled for a text.

It's Sam. I'm good. We all are. But pray for Benson. Downtown is on fire.

The door beside her opened. Julio wouldn't be back yet, so instinct had her slip the phone out of sight under her leg. Someone leaned down. Captain Tennet—Dominic.

"Everything okay in here?" he asked.

She nodded, pointing to her throat and mouthing, Can't speak.

"You're too close to personnel and the fires. If you can walk, we should get you farther away from here." He backed up and waved her out of the car.

Samantha slid across the seat, which was more difficult than she'd have thought it would be. She tucked the phone in the back of her belt and flipped her shirt over it. Not foolproof, but there weren't many other places she could put it. Julio probably didn't have Romeo's number, so how would she be able to contact him if something happened?

Which was crazy. This guy was a fire department captain. Why would he do anything to her?

She climbed out of the car and looked around, as if to ask where they were going.

"This way." He touched her elbow. "There's a makeshift shelter in the bank building."

She thought that was quite close, given the building beside it was on fire, but she went with him. She might've had a rough day, but all in all, her injuries were minimal. And she thought that maybe—just maybe—there was enough energy in her to turn feral if the situation called for it.

Kind of like the day she'd faced down Bristol's bullies.

The day she'd met Julio.

He'd saved her from getting expelled for all the fights she'd landed in protecting her sister. And why not? Her parents had expected her to show up for Bristol as if she couldn't protect herself, or even speak for herself. Meanwhile, her sister had been bound and determined to throw off all constraints and make as many memories for herself as possible.

Tennet pulled open the door. "In here."

She managed to say, "You aren't helping with the fires?"

"I'm more of an office type. That's why I landed in investigation." He led her across a lobby, empty of anyone. This was supposed to be a shelter type place? Somewhere people holed up until the danger had passed.

"Where are we going?"

"Up to the second floor."

Yeah, no . "I think I should just head down the street. Go find somewhere to stay out of the way. In case the car isn't far enough."

His touch on her elbow turned to a grasp. She sucked in a breath as his grip turned punishing. She twisted around, nailing him in the diaphragm with the heel of her other hand.

He puffed out a breath, but didn't let go of her. His other hand produced a gun. "Not a good idea. After all, if you run, how are we going to watch Benson burn together?" He dragged her to the elevator and hit the UP button with a kick of his foot.

Samantha wanted to fight him, get away and run for it. The loaded gun pointed at her stalled her before she could even figure out how to subdue the bigger man so that she could make a run for it.

Then he would surely shoot her in the back.

He dragged her into the elevator.

"You aren't going to get away with this," Samantha warned. She just had to figure out how to request backup on Julio's phone, behind her back, with a gun in her face. "Someone will figure out what you did."

Dominic's face twisted into a grimace. "No one has ever known." He laughed. "It got too easy, setting fires. I needed a new challenge."

"Sylvana."

"Worth imitating, learning from." The elevator rose. "And then I surpassed him. I became greater than the master, and now I will complete my work and no one will mistake it for anything other than me. Doing what I was born to do."

"Destroy." She stared at him, her mind flinging around solutions like a pinball machine, unable to settle on one thing.

"Ascend."

And she was supposed to go with him?

The elevator stopped on the top floor. Doors slid open, and he shoved her into the hall.

Samantha slid the phone out because she had to try. She couldn't not try—or there would be no solution. No help. No backup.

Lord…

She didn't even know what to ask for. But God knew. He would show up, in those small ways she'd been missing. Directing people. Bringing her family together—her brothers and sisters who bled blue. And the fire captain she'd loved since middle school. Her partner. People she'd never met but had heard stories about, and they'd shown up to find her.

As if she was worth showing up for.

She typed the pin code without looking. At the end of the hall, she looked down. Quick enough to see she'd unlocked the phone. Green button. Call Romeo. That wasn't going to work. Frayer was an option—she could call his chief.

Samantha lifted her gaze on where they were going and kept the phone out of sight. Maybe Dominic didn't care enough to see what she was doing, too fixated on his task. Whatever plan he had in place.

She stumbled on the carpet toward a fire door at the end, marked ROOF.

He nodded. "Through there."

At the same time she hit the handle, she looked down at the contacts list and saw ALVAREZ, R. Samantha hit the Call button and slid the phone down her front, praying it would remain in her hand out of sight. "Where are we going?"

There was no way they'd be able to hear her voice through the phone line.

But they might be able to hear Dominic's.

"Up." His voice echoed through the stairwell.

"Why do we need to be on the roof?"

"You'll see."

She reached the top of the stairwell.

"Faster now."

Samantha stumbled out into open air, filled with smoke. A plane flew overhead, followed by a helicopter carrying a water container. Probably a good idea to call in people who dealt with huge fires in a situation like this where she could barely breathe. Multiple buildings were ablaze.

The whole thing was overwhelming.

She wanted to lie down and curl up into a ball until it was over.

But at the same time, she had their suspect right behind her.

"The bank isn't affected by the fire." Samantha tried to speak loudly enough for whoever was on the line to hear. Had Romeo answered and not hung up? She had no idea. "What are we doing on the roof, Dominic?" They needed as much information as possible if they were going to rescue her and stop him.

"The bank isn't affected by fire…yet." Dominic grinned, as though pleased with himself, then shoved her out into the middle of the roof.

"What do you want?" she asked, her tone pitiful. "You're destroying Benson!"

"I will ascend. And you're coming with me." Dominic tipped his head back and laughed, his arms outstretched.

The building below them rumbled. The structure shuddered and shook beneath her feet. She scrambled back to the edge, stumbling to the ground and slamming against a low wall at the edge.

Lord Jesus, help me .

The expanse between her and Dominic dropped down into the floor below, and a cavern erupted under them as the building was consumed by flames. Only a ring around the opening remained. Flames licking up through the break where the floor had fallen away.

Dominic lifted his hands to the sky.