Alphas & Millionaires Starter Set

by Brooke Cumberland

  “The news anchor said it’s been going for over four hours. They’ve called in firefighters from all over the state. Some moron thought it would be funny to see it explode,” she huffs, crossing her arms. “Has he called you?”

  I quickly grab my phone and see that I have no missed calls or messages. “No. He said he would call as soon as he could, though.”

  I walk out of my bedroom to the living room where the news is still showing live feed from the fire. The old high school was an four-story building that’s been empty for over a decade. Why the city didn’t tear it down was beyond me. There were always stories about drug dealers and homeless people hiding out in there.

  “Oh, Mylanta! That looks awful!” I cover my mouth with my hands, gasping at the TV screen. The entire building is consumed with flames. There are fire trucks surrounding the building, and at least a hundred firefighters. My heart starts to race as I think of Eric being there.

  Carissa sees the panic in my face and wraps her arms around me. “He’ll be okay,” she whispers. I know she’s trying to soothe me, but for the first time since I’ve met Eric, I’m scared out of my mind for his safety.

  We continue watching the news coverage for the next hour while Carissa makes me coffee and toast. I can’t peel my eyes away, desperate to see a glimpse of him. As I’m taking a bite of the burnt piece of toast, the roof of the building caves in and the flames engulf it in one rapid wave.

  “Ho-ly shit!” I gasp, dropping the toast from my hand, leaving it to fall to the floor. The entire scene is billowing dark smoke, flames and ash. The news anchor can barely get his words out as it happens, gasping, and clearly as shocked as the rest of us. I see firefighters running from the building as it begins to crumble. My mind races instantly at the thought of Eric getting hurt…or worse.

  I’m hyperventilating. I can’t catch my breath and my heart is beating out of my chest.

  “Laney, breathe. In…out…in…out…” Carissa coaxes me. She rubs her hand up and down my back, waiting for my breathing to settle.

  “Riss,” I breathe out. “I have an awful feeling.” I hold my hands to my chest, staring at the TV screen. The news anchor is now discussing the projected number of victims. It’s suspected that there was a meth lab in the abandoned building.

  “Let’s go.” I simply nod, knowing I can’t just stay here and watch this happen any longer. Eric still hasn’t called and I don’t know when I’ll get to hear his voice again.

  I text him in the car as Carissa drives us to the old high school. I tap my fingers impatiently as I mentally beg him to text me back. Of course, I’m not surprised that he can’t. I doubt he even has his phone with him.

  “Lane, it’s okay. Eric does this for a living.” Carissa tries to comfort me but it only puts me in more of a panic. Does this for a living. Is this something I’d just have to get used to? The person I’m for whom I’m finally willing to let down my walls has a job he could literally die doing. He’s rescued me on numerous occasions, but somehow it slipped my mind how dangerous his job can really be.

  We get close to where a mob of other people are standing behind the police tape and Carissa puts the car in park. I yank my seatbelt off and whip the door open, slamming it hard behind me. I run as close to the tape as I can, pushing my way through the crowd.

  I hear the firefighters yelling, shuffling and hauling hoses back and forth. The whole scene is complete chaos, and I wonder how the heck Eric can do this job.

  Carissa rushes up behind me, knocking me off balance. She grabs me quickly before I fall, but it’s too late. My knees buckle at the sight of the entire building falling to pieces before my eyes. The rest of the roof caves in, shattering everything in its way. It all happens so fast; I see firefighters running away from the blaze, screaming at everyone to back away.

  “Reilley!” I hear a man’s voice yell over the chaos. I assume it’s his father, but I can’t tell where the sound came from. I hear it again, and this time it sounds desperate. I begin to frantically search for any glimpse of him, but it’s no use. The whole area has been covered by thick clouds of smoke and ash. Just when I think it can’t get any worse, a huge explosion erupts, blasting numerous firefighters and pedestrians to the ground. I’m still on my knees, but I place my arms over my head to protect myself from any flying debris. Flames and ash cover the now flattened high school. The explosion pretty much took the rest of whatever was still standing…people included.

  “Noooooo!!!!” I belt out as soon as I see the damage. Carissa wraps her arms around me, keeping me still. “Eric!” I scream again, praying for a miracle that he hears me.

  I see the firefighters helping the rest of their crew to their feet, along with first responders checking for any injured people. Oh God, please let Eric be safe!

  The scene gets louder and louder with the sounds of hysterically crying and even more sirens. I’m shaking uncontrollably, begging for the air to enter and exit my lungs. The smoke is heavy and makes my eyes water, but I don’t care, I’m not leaving until I find Eric.

  I scan the crowd again, hoping to God he’s nearby. A few firefighters are off to the side being treated and I notice they have their masks off. I thread through the crowd as fast as I can until I find someone.

  “Sir, do you know where Eric Reilley is?” It sounds more like a plea than a question. “Have you seen him?” I continue.

  His eyes glaze over, fighting back what I assume are tears. “I’m sorry. I don’t know. Last time I saw him, he was inside.” My heart drops from my chest and falls to the ground, shattering into a million devastating pieces. I fall to my knees, covering my face as the tears flood out.

  “Reilley!” I hear someone yell. I quickly turn around and wipe my eyes when I realize it’s Eric’s father being called. I stand to my feet and walk toward the man that once helped Carissa and me.

  “Mr. Reilley?” I ask softly. “Do you know where Eric is?”

  I can tell he’s just as frightened as I am. He simply shakes his head as he continues looking and questioning his crew.

  “Velaney!” Carissa yells, jumping up and down to see me through the mob.

  “Over here!” I yell back, waving my hands in the air. Deep inside me, I know the truth. If he was in that building during the explosion, there is no question that he didn’t make it out. But I’m not ready to admit that yet. No way. Never.

  “Oh my God! Don’t do that to me!” she scolds, embracing me in a tight hug. The moment her arms clamp around me, my head falls to her shoulder, letting loose every single emotion I never let myself feel. She doesn’t question it. I stand there for a moment, getting myself back together. She wipes away the tears under my eyes with the hem of her shirt and gives me a gentle smile.

  Turning back around, I face the damage in front of me. I close my eyes, saying a quick prayer —begging God to bring Eric back to me. Despite my crappy childhood, Eric had somehow managed to get through my barriers. I have suffered so much during my twenty-three years …I’m not sure how much more I can take.

  “He’s gone,” I whisper to no one in particular, but I’m certain Carissa can hear me. She links her hand in mine and squeezes it lightly to remind me she’s there.

  I can’t understand what’s happening. Why bring someone into my life, just to take them out so damn soon? The sounds of more sirens and a chopper flying above drown out my thoughts. I notice a half-dozen more news stations showing up to get interviews and a story.

  My heart is breaking. Feels like it’s literally breaking. Why hasn’t he come out yet? Why hasn’t anyone found him, or gone in looking for him? What the hell is going on? I want to scream. So damn loud. But I can’t, because nothing comes out.

  “Pull your shirt over your mouth,” Carissa whispers in my ear as I start to choke on the smoke that has made its way over here. I oblige and pull my shirt up, breathing in the scent of my deodorant and Eric’s cologne. His unique aroma is still on me from before he left early this morning.

  I
continue to scan the scene—first responders, firefighters and mobs of people, all looking in awe at what has happened. People are crying all around me. I assume they are families of the crew, but I don’t ask. Either way, the situation is awful.

  I move along the police tape, getting a better view of some crew members that are talking to reporters.

  “Yes, there were a few men inside during the explosion. Those men are still unaccounted for, but we are still searching and remaining hopeful.” Hopeful?

  The reporter asks a few more questions before I hear a gradual loud roar of applause. There’s dozens of firefighters clapping, hooting and hollering. I’m frantically searching around for what they see when I spot two firefighters walking out from behind the building. They are carrying a third fireman who looks to be in critical condition.

  “Oh my word,” I whisper, staring intently at the two walking up. My vision is blurry from the smoke, so I can’t make out their faces yet, but a part of me finally feels…hopeful. Like maybe life isn’t out to get me after all…

  A couple of first responders rush to the injured fireman. The two men lower him to the ground to be examined, and finally, I spot him.

  “Eric!” I shriek. I dive under the police tape and run as fast as I can into his arms. He barely sees me before I crash my body into his. I wrap my legs around his waist as tight as I can. He’s still in his uniform, but I cling to him anyway.

  “Velaney?” he breathes out, clearly confused about my reaction. I simply nod against his neck as the tears begin to fall again. He squeezes me tight before dropping me to my feet.

  He rips his gloves off and throws them to the ground, cups my face and wipes the rest of the tears away. He sees the panic in my eyes, and lightly kisses each eyelid with so much passion and love that I almost break down again.

  “Sweetheart,” he whispers. I don’t let him continue before I push my lips to his, tasting the sweat and smoke that he’s managed to survive.

  I break the kiss, letting his forehead lean against mine. “I was so worried, Eric. You have no idea,” I breathe out weakly, trying to maintain any composure that I have left. “I thought you were gone.”

  He breathes in and out slowly before answering, “So did I.”

  “Reilley!” a few men behind me joyfully yell. I’m sure his crew was just as worried.

  “I’ll be right back, I promise.” He kisses my lips once again, leaving them begging for more. I watch as he runs to his father, engulfing him in a massive hug.

  I walk back over to Carissa, whose wide grin makes me finally smile. For a split second, the panic that just receded comes flooding back in. How can anyone stand this kind of pain and panic every time there’s a fire? How am I supposed to be okay with Eric doing this when I can’t even imagine what these other firefighters’ families go through…

  “I can’t do this, Riss,” I mumble, turning her cheesy grin to a pouty frown.

  She knows exactly what I’m talking about. “Yes, you can, Lane. You have to.” I see the seriousness in her eyes, but all I can feel is fear and pain.

  The part that scares me the most is losing someone close to me. That’s been the basis for most of my life. Up until I was eight years old, my parents were my world. Heck, even Aiden was. I loved my family. But betrayal, denial and pain will always be what keeps them at a distance…a far, far distance. I’ve already lost my family, how can I bear to lose someone I might possibly love?

  “This is too damn hard, Riss. What if I fall madly in love with him, all Cinderella fairytale style, and then something happens to him? I won’t be able to handle that. I know I won’t be able to. He had me on my knees in fear for his life, and we’ve only been together for like a minute. What about weeks…months…years from now, when we’re in love, get married and we have a family—and then something happens to him? How exactly am I supposed to let him close to me, love him, even, and then in a millisecond have it all taken away from me?”

  Carissa’s face looks mad when she places her hands on my shoulders and pulls me in closer to her.

  “Listen to me, Velaney Rose. You are going to experience hurt, fear, pain, and possibly even heartache, but that’s life. You stand back up and you begin again. It’s not easy. It sucks. And it might damage you, but that’s how you build a thick skin. You take what life hands you and you do your damn best to survive.”

  Carissa is a bull. She doesn’t take crap from anyone, me included. That’s what I love about her. She’s outspoken, funny and direct. Her parents kicked her out of the house when she was eighteen years old, after getting suspended from school. She had been caught smoking on school grounds. She wasn’t all badass, as she made people believe. She had a hard shell just like I do. She uses her brash personality as a way to keep people at a distance, yet she let me in as much as I had let her in.

  “Yes, mom,” I mumble, getting her to smirk back at me. “Take your own advice first though, okay?”

  “I don’t need to take my own advice. I’m not having a mini-meltdown,” she teases, pulling me in for another one of her infamous hugs.

  “Thank you,” I whisper in her ear. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  The old high school is now millions of pieces of metal and wood. It’s suspected that a dozen people died due to a meth lab explosion. It’s a shame, even if they were doing something illegal. They still had families, friends and people that cared for them. I doubt my family would even acknowledge my death. Heck, they barely acknowledge my existence. I think that’s what pains me the most. The fact is, I had done nothing wrong, yet was born into a family of hear no evil. I am certain they will forever disown me after having Aiden put in jail. Let’s see mommy and daddy bail him out of that one.

  I watch as the rest of the crowd thins and leaves Carissa and me with a few other spectators. The smoke has diminished and the fire has died down. The ambulances all rush to the hospital and soon after, the video crews are gone. All that’s left are the firefighters wrapping up their hoses and taping off the scene.

  I wait as I watch Eric with the rest of his team. He doesn’t look like he’s just been put through hell and back. In fact, he looks strangely at peace, as if he’s won a war or something. The idea strikes a shiver through my body. How can anyone be so calm after such a horrific event?

  Possibly something I will never understand. Eric has been doing this for years now, and I’m sure he’s used to it, but I don’t think I could ever be.

  “Sweetheart, you didn’t have to wait for me. You must be exhausted.”

  “Are you kidding me? I was scared out of my freaking mind! How can you just stand there as if nothing happened? Like people didn’t just die, like you didn’t almost die?” I start to shout, unwillingly letting my emotions get the best of me.

  “Hey, hey, calm down.” He cups my face again, smiling back at me. “This is all part of the job. It’s something I’ve grown accustomed to. If I got emotionally involved every time something bad happened, I wouldn’t be able to do my job right.” It sounds like he’s making a good point, but all I hear is ‘I’m a robot and have no real feelings.’ Although, I know that isn’t true about Eric at all, a part of me can’t help but feel pained at how well he reacts to this situation.

  “This is too much, Eric. I don’t think—”

  “Shhh, baby,” he soothes, cutting me off. “I’m sorry you were scared. Please, don’t worry. Let’s just go home and get you back in bed.” I sigh and nod, not wanting to have a fight with him about it right now. I know I’ll never win that battle. Of course he loves his job. He knew what he was getting himself into…but did I? I never even thought of the ramifications before Eric and I became close.

  CHAPTER 14

  A week goes by and things finally return to normal. The shock of the explosion, and fear for his life, no longer consume me. I still feel petrified anytime I hear sirens, but after the huge explosion at the high school, Eric tries his best to text or call more often during his shift
s. I hate that I’ve become this girl. A girl that needs to keep tabs on her man. Her man…which he is, right?

  This whole relationship stuff is too damn new to me. I have no idea what I’m doing, and I’m scared I’ll ruin it…or worse, have my heart broken. At this point, however, not being around Eric would break my heart.

  “Mornin’, sweetheart,” Eric whispers into my ear at which I can only assume is before sunrise. I cover my head with the sheets and roll to my other side. “Oh no ya don’t, missy. Time to run,” he orders, making me burrow deeper at the thought of leaving my warm bed.

  “You’re evil, you know that?” I mumble as he pulls the sheets from me.

  “I beg to differ, but we can discuss that later. For now, up!” He rips the blankets off, making my legs spring to my chest for comfort and warmth.

  “Eric! I’m freezing!”

  “Damn, sweetheart. What I wouldn’t give to be your bed right now.” That was the plan, my friend. Carissa and I went on a shopping trip the other night and well, let’s just say she picked out some more tasteful bedtime attire. I want Eric to stop thinking of me as the fragile, once-damaged little girl. I’m twenty-three years old, for goodness sake. I want him…need him…and crave him so much that I think I’ll combust if he doesn’t start touching me soon.

  “You like?” I ask, unfolding to give him a better view from the front.

  “Uhhh…yeah, you could, um, say that,” he stutters, brushing his palms through his hair as he tries to find the right words. Or any words at all, for that matter.

  “Why don’t you come lay with me? Please?” I look up at him through my eyelashes, hoping my plea is good enough to convince him. His touch is way better than running. I never thought I’d say that, but it’s true. The way he makes my whole body quiver takes every ounce of pain out of me. The way his lips bruise my skin as he suckles on my neck washes away every terrible memory I’ve ever had. It’s as if he’s just what I needed…the spark to help me live again.