Chapter Eleven

Alessandro

T he siren on my dashboard wails as I race through the streets, my heart pounding out of my chest.

"Pick it up, Heidi. Please fucking pick it up," I growl, my phone clenched in my hand like a fucking lifeline connecting me to her. I nearly had a goddamn heart attack when I picked up the phone and heard what was happening—her at the bakery, Don threatening to burn it down and blame her.

I haven't heard her voice in a good five minutes, not since she sobbed an apology to me. That nearly fucking broke me. She sounded so scared, so small.

"Pick up the phone again, angel. Please."

But she doesn't pick it up again. And I don't hear her voice. Instead, the line just beeps and then goes dead.

Fear claws at my throat. I can't get the image of flames devouring her bakery out of my head. Of Heidi trapped inside, choking on smoke.

Oh God.

I throw the phone, gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white. If she's hurt, if that bastard... A groan rips from my lips at the thought of her trapped inside, helpless.

I know exactly how bad fires can get. I fight them every damn day. The thought of my angel caught in one, scared and defenseless, has bile rising in my throat.

As soon as I turn the corner, I see the black smoke and vicious orange flames pouring from the bakery.

No. Oh, fuck no.

I hit the gas, racing up the block as my squad turns the corner behind me in the engine, Dillon and half the fucking Sheriff's Department only seconds behind them in their cruisers.

I screech to a halt outside the bakery, tires burning rubber, too goddamn afraid to think, to breathe.

"Heidi!" I roar, launching myself out of the truck and sprinting for the building. Heat sears my face, but I don't care. I have to get to her.

"Alessandro!" Emmett comes out of nowhere, grabbing me. "You can't go in there, brother."

I wrench myself out of his grip, refusing to listen. I can't listen. I can't stop.

"She needs me!" I shout, shoving past him as I stumble toward the flames pouring from the building.

And then I see her. She's on her knees, her arms clutched around Rivin, both of them covered in soot. Outside. Alive .

Relief slams into me so hard that I almost drop to my knees.

"Heidi!" I roar, racing toward her as my goddamn heart threatens to crack in half. I scoop her trembling body into my arms and race away from the inferno, Rivin bounding beside us.

She clings to me, her cheek pressed to my chest. Smoke clings to her hair, her skin, her clothes. "He s-saved me," she sobs, her voice muffled against my throat. "Rivin saved me. Out the office w-window."

A coughing fit seizes her, and fear lances through me again. I need to get her away from here now. She needs oxygen and a doctor. God only knows how much smoke she inhaled in there.

"I've got you, angel," I murmur into her hair, my voice shaking as I sprint toward the ambulance pulling in beside Dillon's SUV. "You're safe now."

Tears blur my vision as my words register. She's safe. Thank God she's safe.

"Alessandro!" Dillon shouts.

I lift my head, glancing at him. "I've got her."

Relief sears his expression. He jerks his chin in a nod. "I'm going after Don," he growls. I was in his office when she called. He knows exactly what happened.

"Good. Find him before I do." If I find him, I'll kill him. There won't be any stopping me. Not after this. Not with the way I feel right now.

Dillon nods, turning to sprint back to his SUV.

I reach the ambulance and carefully settle Heidi onto the stretcher as soon as the paramedic, Steven, flings the door open for me. "I need oxygen over here!" I bark at him.

He immediately rushes to grab a mask for her.

"Get one for the dog, too," I demand, glancing down at Rivin. He saved my whole world today. I sink a hand into his thick fur, exhaling a shaking breath. "Jesus, Rivin. I owe you."

The dog grins up at me, tongue lolling as he pants for breath.

"We need to get her to the hospital," Steven says, recalling my attention.

"Alessandro," Heidi whimpers, fear in her voice. Soot streaks her heart-shaped face, her green eyes glassy and afraid. "Please don't leave me."

"Never, angel." I cup her cheek, pressing my forehead to hers as I hop into the back of the ambulance with her, Rivin scrambling in beside me. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

My whole universe has shrunk down to this brave, beautiful woman clinging to me like I'm her lifeline. And I am. I will be. Forever.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The steady chirp of the heart monitor fills the sterile hospital room, but I barely hear it over the roaring in my own head. Heidi is nestled in the narrow bed, an oxygen cannula looped under her nose, an IV threading into her arm. But she's alive. Breathing. Safe.

I haven't left her side since she was wheeled in here. Wild horses couldn't drag me away. Rivin either. The vet had to come here to look him over. As soon as we tried to get him to go, he made it clear he wasn't fucking budging from this room without Heidi.

He's currently curled up at the foot of her bed, his head resting on his giant paws. I'm not even mad about it. He saved her life today. If he wants to stay by her side permanently, I'm not going to say a goddamn word of complaint. He can do whatever the fuck he wants for as long as he wants, as far as I'm concerned.

All of Heidi's sisters, her brother, and her brothers-in-law were here earlier. The doctor kicked them out, declaring them too noisy for her emergency room. Truthfully, I think she just wanted Heidi to get some rest, and that was never going to happen with her sisters here.

As soon as they left, the doctor slipped a little anxiety medication into Heidi's IV to help her sleep. She's been passed out for hours, but I can't shut my fucking mind off.

Dillon is still out there, searching for Don. If he doesn't find him soon, I may lose it.

"Mm, 'Sandro?" Heidi stirs, her scratchy voice tugging me out of my spiraling thoughts.

"Hey, Sunshine." I smile down at her, combing gentle fingers through her tangled hair. Even the hospital lighting can't dim her radiance. "How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty," she croaks. "And my throat hurts. But you're here, so I'm perfect." Her smile is weak but genuine.

"I'll always be here, angel." I press a soft kiss to her temple, just breathing her in. The faint scent of smoke still clings to her hair, but underneath is pure Heidi—warm sugar and sunshine. "You're never leaving my sight again."

"'Kay," she sighs, snuggling against my chest. I wrap myself around her, mindful of the wires.

For a long moment, I just hold her, memorizing every single perfect inch of her—the soft puff of her breath against the side of my throat, the comforting weight of her in my arms, the way her fingers play through the hair at the nape of my neck. My whole world, safe and sound.

I didn't think it was possible to love anyone this much, but Heidi crashed into my life and changed everything. She's not just my heart—she's my soul, my present, and my future. I'll burn the world down before I let anything happen to her again.

"Marry me," I blurt.

Heidi's eyes fly wide open, and I curse inwardly.

Smooth, Banger. Real smooth.

But I'm not taking it back. Not now, not ever.

"W-what?" she stutters. "Alessandro, what did you just say?"

I frame her face in my hands, stroking her soft cheeks with my thumbs. "Marry me, Heidi Marsh. Make me the happiest man in the goddamn world. Today, tomorrow, forever."

Tears shimmer in her emerald eyes. "You're serious," she whispers. "This isn't the smoke inhalation talking?"

"I wasn't the one in the fire, Sunshine." I groan at the reminder. That's never going to be an easy memory. For the rest of my fucking life, it's going to haunt me.

"Oh, right," she whispers, her dilated eyes wide. "You're serious?"

"Completely fucking serious." I capture her mouth in a searing kiss, pouring every single thing I feel for her into it, right down to my damn soul. "Say yes. Please."

"Yes," she breathes against my lips. "Yes, yes, yes!"

The heart monitor speeds up as I kiss her again, stealing her breath and that sweet fucking smile, claiming both as my own.

Right up until Dillon interrupts us, clearing his throat from the doorway.

I glance up at him, torn between frustration and relief. It's been fucking hours since we last heard from him. Easton and Ashton Gannon, his new deputy, have both been by to check on Heidi, but they had no news about Don fucking Waters.

"Tell me," I growl, ready to know one way or another.

"We found Don," he says without preamble. "His sorry ass is in jail."

A weight falls off my shoulders. For the first time since I heard that prick's voice on the phone, I take a full breath. "Thank fucking God," I growl as Heidi relaxes beside me, exhaling a tiny breath.

"How's my bakery?" she asks, her voice small.

Dillon gives her a sympathetic look. "Not great, sweetheart."

Her shoulders slump, tears welling in her eyes.

"Hey, hey," I croon, cupping her face between my palms, careful not to jostle the oxygen cannulas. "Don't worry about that right now, okay? We almost lost you today. We can replace everything in the bakery. We can't replace you."

She nods, her bottom lip quivering. "You're right. I just..."

"I know," I murmur, pressing my forehead to hers as Dillon's phone rings. He slips out, leaving us alone again. "But my whole goddamn life lost color and meaning today, angel."

"Mine too," she whispers, her gaze flitting across my face. "When I thought I'd never see you again, I... I didn't want to die when I just found you."

"Jesus," I groan, kissing the fuck out of her again. "Your bakery is going to open, Heidi. I swear to you that we'll make it happen."

"Okay," she whispers, resting her head against my chest as her eyes drift closed again.

I'm not sure if she believes me or not, but she will. When it comes to her, I'll never fail again. Even if I have to move heaven and earth to make it happen, she'll have her dream. I won't stop until she does.