Lying Hearts

by Kelli Callahan

  Like hell I was.

  I watched in horror as Ethan ran inside the burning home. Panic rode me like a wild horse, bucking and kicking at my soul, watching my flesh and blood risk his life. I always knew this was going to happen, with the entire family being in dangerous fields. One of us was bound to enter a dangerous situation we might not get out of.

  Vincent came around the back of the truck, his helmet on, and backed up to the steps. I gripped him by the fire jacket, and slammed him against the back bumper, the dent still there from when I kicked it. “Give me your gear right now.”

  “No, fuck off. This is my fire,” he said, shoving me in the chest, his brown eyes raging, daring me to do something.

  Yeah, I wasn’t fucking around when I said I’d have my brother’s six. I cocked my hand back and let my fist fly. When his face connected with my knuckles, he crumbled to the ground in an instant. I ripped the gear from him and shrugged everything on, grabbing the axe from his hand.

  I kept my head down and ran toward the house. Fire was coming out of the windows, the grass burned, and the tree that was full of beautiful green leaves was black, and some of the branches were bare, trickling with hot coals.

  The door was wide open, and the fire hadn’t engulfed it yet, which was good, but a backdraft could happen, and if that happened, we could be trapped inside. Hesitating wasn’t in the job description. That wasn’t what made a good firefighter. I ran inside the house, my breath fogging up the mask with every puff that left my mouth. I looked left, then right, and notice picture frames melted. The couch was on fire, and the stairs going to the second level were on fire too. The black smoke clouded the ceiling, and it was only a matter of time before the place collapsed.

  “Ethan!” I called out, breathing in oxygen into my lungs from the tank strapped to my back.

  To the right was the kitchen and dining room, the open space nothing but a steady evil tendril of raging fear as the red and orange flickered. I turned left down the hallway and noticed all the doors already kicked in and the rooms inspected.

  “Ethan!” I waited for him to reply but none ever came. The fire was too loud, and we needed to get out of here now.

  The walls creaked and groaned, wood started to collapse all around me, but I couldn’t leave without him. When the downstairs was cleared, a horrifying realization sat in my bones and rocked me off my feet into a sprint toward the stairs. I didn’t have time to check the steps for any weaknesses with the axe. I took them three at a time, as far as my legs could stretch safely, and when I made it to the top, the floor under me warped.

  It hit me right then that this was the fire that could kill me. It was a beast, a monster, not some regular grease fire, but something that seemed accelerated. I stepped to the right, trying to get off the weakened floor and got on my stomach to redistribute my weight. I army crawled on the floor to get to the back bedroom. The door was opened, and it was the only room in the house that wasn’t engulfed in fire. Smoke, yes. Thick, unbreathable clouds of it permeated the air, making it nearly impossible to see.

  “Ethan?”

  “Easton! Easton, fuck, thank god. Over here.”

  “I can’t see anything. Keep talking!”

  “To the right, just keep going to the right!”

  I ran into a dresser, and I slid my body across it. The smoke got a bit thinner and thinner, and then the reason became apparent.

  A chunk of the roof had fallen on Ethan, who was protectively laying over Ms. Williams. Ethan had his mask off and kept transferring it between her and himself. She had black soot around her nose, and she looked unconscious.

  “We need to get out of here right fucking now!” I took off my mask, inhaling one last deep breath, and then placed it over his head so he could breathe. My eyes watered, and I gripped the debris keeping him immobile. I heaved it off of him before I took my mask back, took a few more deep breaths, and laid it back over his head.

  A loud whistle pierced through the air, and the smoke started to recede out of the bedroom door. I threw myself on Ethan just in time before a loud explosion happened. The fire burst through the bedroom door and sent the entire room ablaze. The foundation of the house rocked, the roof caved, and Ethan and I shared a moment of fear as we locked eyes.

  I nodded, understanding what he was saying because I loved him too, and then the floor gave way, burying us in fire, stone, and wood. The last thing I saw before everything went black was big green eyes and wild brown hair.

  Luna.

  Chapter Eleven

  Luna

  There were a lot of things to be afraid of in this life.

  Heights.

  Spiders.

  Death.

  Hell, maybe even life for some people.

  Me? I was afraid to lose a loved one. I guess, in a way, that would be under the category of death. It was something people never expected to have happen to them. Sure, you see people’s loved ones passing away, a hearse driving to the cemetery with a crowd of cars behind it to lay the person in a box to rest, and then there were the obituaries. Death surrounded us every day, but for it to actually touch you? To affect you?

  That was something else entirely.

  Death was scary even if it was normal, even if it felt like there was nothing normal about it.

  It was how I found myself running toward the entrance of Camden Memorial Hospital. I had tears stinging my cheeks. I pumped my arms, and my entire body shook. I don’t know how I managed to keep myself upright. As I ran, my foot caught a pothole, and I tripped. I fell hard, barely catching myself with my hands.

  My palms scraped against the rough pebbled surface, but I barely even register the pain and the blood. I pushed myself back up, ignoring the calls of my name from behind me. I left London, Oliver, and my parents in the dust.

  There was a sting on the side of my face, and my knee hurts, but none of that mattered.

  I was so scared.

  So many years my life I spent angry at Easton. I never wanted anything to do with him, not after he ruined my name and gave me severe trust issues, but I never wanted anything to happen to him. I wanted to be blissfully unaware of him living his life, being happy, and when I died, maybe he’d die too, so I wouldn’t have to be blissfully unaware anymore.

  And it wasn’t just Easton.

  It was Ethan too.

  God, if anything happened to them, I wasn’t sure what I’d do. I loved them both so much, for different reasons and in different ways. I stepped through the automatic doors, the burst of heat drenched over my skin, which only made me hotter because I was sweating from running and panicking.

  I saw Easton and Ethan’s parents sitting in the tan leather chairs. Noah and Brooke Moore were the staples of good parents, just like mine. Noah had brown hair and Brooke had blonde, nearly white, just like Ethan. There were uniforms everywhere, firefighters and police officers alike. It was like a swarm of them as they waited to hear about their fallen brothers. The cops were here for Zeke, which brought a wave of support and comfort for him.

  Hell for me too.

  Seeing all these people here for people they cared about was overwhelming.

  Evan, Zeke, and Ezra stood around their parents. Evan and Zeke were pacing, and Ezra had a hold of his mom’s hands, probably saying something sweet to her. I couldn’t make it out, but knowing him, he was telling her everything was going to be okay.

  “Have you heard anything?” I asked, raising my voice over the hum of people talking through the entire waiting room. My question came out as a choked sob, and Zeke turned from Evan. When he saw me, he ran toward me and engulfed me in a hug.

  His silver police badge dug into my shoulder, and my forehead found his chest. I clutched onto him for dear life, his shirt drying my tears. “What happened? What’s going on, Zeke?” My mouth sounded clogged with water as I spoke through emotion, and I tried to swallow the spit that gathered, but the more I cried, the more spit filled my mouth.

  A cold breeze hit my back
, and when I turned around, I saw my parents and my friends standing in the doorway. My friends came to me, and my mom and dad bolted for the Moore parents.

  Zeke straightened and peered down at me with bright green eyes. His pale skin was red, his eyes watered, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts. He tried to speak, but nothing was coming out of his mouth.

  Evan, the oldest, strolled over to us, his badge clipped his waistband, and he slapped his hand on Zeke’s shoulder, squeezing the muscle to show support, that Evan was there, and that he had control.

  “Glad you’re here,” he said, the low baritone oddly brought comfort to me.

  “Where else would I be, Evan?” I spewed, feeling defensive. I felt like he was accusing me of not wanting to be here. Like he was surprised I showed.

  I might not trust Easton any further than I could throw him, but that didn’t mean I didn’t care. I loved that man more anything in this world. And Ethan? He was a good friend. I loved him too, and the last place I wanted either of them to be was here, fighting for their lives.

  He dipped his head and stared at me with the same green eyes Zeke had, only more intensely. Evan guided me out of the middle of the walkway to the side where a random picture of a clown hung in the middle of a beam, but it was a bit crooked. Dust coated it like a thick layer of sickness from other people that visited here.

  I crossed my arms under my breasts, suddenly cold and wishing I had Easton’s warmth. I never thought anything like this would happen in Camden. Finding myself wishing to be by Easton’s side instead of wishing myself away from it.

  “You heard about the fire on Fern St, right?” he asked.

  I nodded. Everyone had heard about it. It was the biggest fire that had happened since the Hampton Mansion.

  “Easton went in there to follow Ethan. He wasn’t supposed to be there. He was off duty, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and saying Vincent, the guy with a black eye, has that because Easton punched him and stripped him of his gear. When he got into the house, the fire had pretty much taken over, but he— uh—” He cleared his throat. I had never heard Evan get emotional, but he was now, and it was a rarity to witness. “He didn’t want to leave without Ethan. The house became unstable, and Easton covered Ethan with his body as the floor gave way. They were buried under debris for a while before they got the fire put out.”

  I gasped, lifting a hand to my mouth as my chin wobbled with a fresh wave of fear, sickness, and worry. The heaviness of the situation settled in my bones. London and Oliver cursed behind me, and Oliver took my free hand, clutching it with all his might.

  “It’s been hours since they were pulled free, but we haven’t heard anything yet,” he said.

  I shook my head. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t. Denial washed over me like a hot shower. Everything was going to be fine. Easton would be okay. Ethan would be okay. And then we could all get back to our lives. I needed to see Easton’s eyes again. He had to be okay. My stomach turned, and I doubled over when nausea hit me out of nowhere. “I think I’m going to be sick,” I grumbled, fighting wave after wave of bile pushing through my throat.

  Evan grabbed a chair and pushed it under me, then made me sit down. He shoved a small trashcan between my feet, and it only made me sicker when I saw a piece of chewed-up gum sticking to the plastic. I glanced away, legs shaking uncontrollably as I tried to look at the door that blocked us from the doctors.

  Evan’s hand rubbed circles over my spine, trying to soothe me. “It’s going to be okay. They are strong. They will make it.”

  “How can you be so sure?” I asked, bringing my watery gaze to Evan, wells of steady teardrops dribble down my cheek.

  He smiled at me sadly, brought his thumb up to wipe either side of my face clean, and exhaled. “It’s going to take more than death to keep Easton away from you, Luna. If he’s dying, he’ll fight it if it means getting back to you.”

  “This isn’t about me!” I hissed, trying not to let my heart warm at the thought of Easton fighting something as strong as death to be with me. It was romantic in a dark, twisted way. “It’s about Easton and Ethan living.”

  “I know, I’m just saying, Easton has an anchor.”

  Ethan didn’t.

  No, that wasn’t right. He had friends, me, his brothers loved him, the people of this town loved him. Surely that could be an anchor.

  Knowing Easton was on the verge of life or death made me wish all the years we spent apart, me being angry and bitter, didn’t happen. It wasn’t worth it now. It all seemed so trivial, so unimportant. Was I ready to jump into his arms and trust him? No. Did it mean I wanted to move forward? Yes.

  I’d never forgive myself if something happened to him without setting things right.

  Actually, setting them right. Not just wanting to end the conversation because I didn’t want to talk to him.

  I pressed the heel of my hands to my eyes as I let regret wash over me. I should have been stronger and faced him years ago. Instead, we acted like children over something that happened when we were just children.

  Time ticked by slowly. The gloomy sky had just darkened to the pitch of night when the doctor came out of the double doors. Every single person in the waiting room stood, and the doctor paused, overwhelmed by the number of people squeezed into such a small room.

  “The Moore family?” the doctor called out, standing in the middle of the hallway. The green scrubs had soot on them, and he ripped off the scrub cap on his head as he waited for people to approach.

  The Moore family stood immediately, and I did too, but then I dumbly remembered that my last name wasn’t Moore. A wave of disappointment hit me. Maybe I could have had the last name already if Easton and I hadn’t been ignoring each other over the years.

  “You coming?” Evan asked me, holding out his hand for me to take. “You know damn well you’re just as much a part of us as we are of you.”

  I gave him a wobbly smile and gave him a small nod. I winced when he squeezed too hard on my injured palm, and as we walked down the white-tiled hall, he flipped my hand over to see the scratches where I fell. I had forgotten all about that until right then.

  “Wow, all of you are here for Easton and Ethan Moore?” the doctor asked. All of the brothers surrounded the doctor, along with our parents, and of course, London and Oliver were on my heels. “I’m Doctor Titan. Both men are stable—”

  All of us let out a breath of relief and cheered. Evan picked me up in a big bear hug and spun me around before dropping me back on my feet.

  “—But! But!” Doctor Titan yelled over the ruckus of early celebration. “Ethan has some significant burns over most of his body. Easton, even though the medics said he was covering Ethan, has a few third-degree burns, but they won’t need the extensive care that Ethan’s will need. Ethan broke a leg while Easton broke his arm. Both have severe smoke inhalation. They are on oxygen until I declare otherwise. Ethan is in a medically induced coma to help with the pain of his burns. They cover sixty percent of his body.”

  “My baby. Oh, god. My baby,” Brooke, the mom of the boys, caught her face with her hands and sobbed. “My boy. My baby boy.” Her shoulders shook, and the agony ripping from her chest made a few waves of emotion bubble up in my chest. “No!” she yelled, and Noah held on to her tight when she buckled over, clutching her head to his chest. His fingers ran through her hair, and I knew he was trying to stay strong, but water crept out of the corner of his blue eyes. He was devastated and about to fall apart too.

  “Easton is awake if you’d like to see him. He’s pretty out of it. We have him on a lot of pain meds, but his third-degree burns are on the arm that isn’t broken.” Doctor Titan said. When I heard that Easton was awake I wailed, but this time it was with relief.

  Evan held me as I wept. The emotions that burned through me were so intense, they nearly forced me to my knees to pray, and I wasn’t the praying type, but I was then. I was in that moment.

  “Um, I say family only, but he has
a lot of family.” The doctor looked at us with tired eyes, not really sure what to do with us all.

  “We will be quiet,” my mom said, pleading with the doctor to let us all go, and Brooke reached to her left side to take my mom’s hand. They had remained friends after all these years, and I was glad that they had each other. “Please,” her voice trembled, reminding me of tremors before an earthquake broke the ground.

  The doctor’s dull blue eyes, lifeless and tired, softened around the edges as he looked at a devastated mother. He had a soft spot for her, or maybe it was a soft spot for sad women. I didn’t know. “Okay, but you have to remain calm, okay? I know it’s scary and seeing them in the hospital beds will be a shock.”

  Everyone nodded, and I took the first step toward Easton. I didn’t know what the future held for us. I just hoped it held more than pain and kept his heart beating along with mine.

  Chapter Twelve

  Easton

  Holy shit, I felt like I fell through a floor and landed on a person.

  Oh, wait.

  Yeah, that did happen. I blinked my eyes open; the cold hiss of the oxygen inflated my lungs, and severe pain radiated throughout my entire body. It was like someone ran me over with a truck, then reversed for the hell of it. The lights were low, so my eyes adjusted easily to the room. An annoying beep came from my right, and I grunted, wishing the damn thing would turn off. My arms were killing me, and when I looked down, I noticed my left arm was broken and a bandage covering half my arm on the right.

  My brows pinched together for a minute before I remembered what happened.

  The fire.

  Ethan!

  “Fuck!” I yelled, jolting up, and the rustle of my body had me crying out in pain. My arm was on fire, and there was nothing I could do since it was in a cast. The heart rate monitor started going ballistic. I needed to find Ethan.

  The floor caved. We fell. It was hot.