Hell, Fire & Freedom (Fighting for Freedom) (11 page)

Way to go, Brynn
.

I take a deep breath, wipe my tears, and calm myself as best I can. I notice some curious faces walking past us, but do my best to ignore them. I’m sure they’ve seen stranger things in their lifetimes.

“I think we need some cell phones; I saw a booth back there,” I say, trying to laugh a little and shake off the horror that I’m still feeling.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Marie agrees.

We walk to the booth and grab some simple cell phones with texting and calling. For thirty dollars a month, we now have some peace of mind. I’ll also feel better about her walking to school alone in the morning.

We arrive home after eating supper in the food court and put away our purchases. I wash the dishes and fall into bed, exhausted. Today has been emotionally draining in so many ways, and I’m glad it’s finally over.

Chapter 9

The next few weeks fly by. Blaze doesn’t come into the café again, and every day I feel more and more like it was a mistake to send him away. There’s nothing that can be done about it now, though. I move on with my life, finding joy in cooking new meals, a task that used to give me anxiety. I get a lot of reading done, and I help Marie study.

She starts doing better in her swim meets and comes in second place twice. She’s even brought a new friend, Jill, over a few times for supper and to study. I’m just so proud of the woman she’s becoming.

Ma is still in the hospital waiting on a transplant. She’s becoming weaker by the day, and the doctors advise us to come in and say goodbye soon. I’m saddened by it, but I know it’s going to break Marie’s heart.

Tara calls and says she has news, so Marie and I head over there after work one day.

“Brynn! Marie! How are you girls doing? You look fantastic!” Tara croons as we walk through the doors of her office.

“Thanks, Tara, we’re doing pretty well. We love New York, and I can’t thank you enough for the job at Frothy Moustache; they’ve been so good to me,” I say, accepting her hug.

“I’m so glad. I knew it would be a perfect fit. What about you, Marie, how are you doing?”

“Pretty good, thanks. I’m on the swim team at school, and getting better grades than I was back home. Brynn’s pushing me to keep them up. She wants me to go to college, but I’m not sure I’m cut out for it just yet. I don’t want to be a burden on her for another four years either,” she says, and I know she’s just being honest, but it really hurts.

“Marie, you’re smart, you’re driven, and it would a shame not to go college. It would be an honor to help you through school considering you’re going to have to take care of your old spinster of a sister years down the road anyway,” I say, trying to make light of the situation. I hope she doesn’t see how much it kills me that she still doesn’t feel deserving.

“You come in here next year, Marie, and we’ll help you fill out all of your applications. Just keep thinking about what you would enjoy doing,” Tara offers. “Now, why don’t you girls have a seat, I have some good news for you,” she says, passing me a stack of stapled papers. “I just got those in this morning. Are you ready for it?” she asks excitedly. I nod.

“You are officially a divorced woman,” she says.

Tears spill over immediately, as I feel a huge weight being lifted from my shoulders. I stare at his signature, wondering if he signed them because he was forced to, or because he was glad to be rid of his clumsy wife. Hopefully the latter, and he’s given up on his vow to kill me if I left him. I start to worry he’ll take in another girl and do the same thing to her.

“Has he been charged yet?” I ask Tara hopefully.

“Not yet, Brynn. We’re still waiting on a court date. The police are watching him there and trying to build a case. I know they’re interviewing your neighbors right now. They’re going to want you to fly down for the trial and testify. Do you think you’ll be able to do that?”

I try and picture myself facing him again—this time with courage, knowing I have the upper hand. Unfortunately, all I can picture is lying on the floor a bloody mess after he’s beaten me and shown me who’s really in charge. I’ll never have the physical power over Carl, but so long as I keep speaking up, I’m going to at least have the upper hand in the law. That has to count for something.

“I’m not sure I can face him again, Tara, but I’m willing to try. I need to make sure he stays as far away from us as possible, and from any other woman as well,” I say, looking to Marie. She looks terrified at the thought of going to trial.

“I’ve also got a question for you, Tara,” I start, and watch as she waits for me to continue.

“Our ma is really sick. When we called the doctor the other day, he said she might not have much time left. I know Marie would like to see her, but I’m scared. Carl is still a free man, and being in the same area as him terrifies me. He’s promised that he would kill me if I ever left him. I know there’s the law on my side, but he’s never particularly cared about that,” I tell her.

Tara thinks for a minute before she replies, “I can’t say that I would advise you to go. I can set up every precautionary measure that I can, though, if you do decide you want to go. I have a detective friend who’s working your case who could escort you to the hospital and then back to the airport. I still worry about Carl finding where your flight came from, though.”

I look over to Marie, who is still devastated about Ma’s impending death. I reach out and grab her hand. “I think we’ll talk about it some more before making any decisions. Thanks, though, Tara,” I say.

“No problem at all. Now is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, I think that’s it. Thank you for letting me know about the divorce and for speeding up the process. This is such a dream come true. I’m no longer legally tied to him in any way, and that’s incredibly freeing,” I say honestly.

“Don’t think of yourself as a divorced woman, Brynn; think of yourself as a survivor, because that’s what you are. That’s what both you
and
Marie are,” she says looking at the both of us. We thank her again before walking back home.

Marie and I make chicken parmesan for supper, and I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I write down the recipe and put it into our recipe box. It’s grown quite a bit over the past few weeks. I shower and do my hair for the morning, pulling on one of my new nighties before climbing into bed.

I, Brynn Vincent, am now a free woman. I never thought I’d see this day. At least not alive
.

Blaze pops into my head, and I feel a pang of loss. I wish I had never sent him away. He promised he wouldn’t leave me alone, but he hasn’t been in the café since, which means he has forgotten about me, too. In all likelihood, he probably has a new girlfriend and at least has the decency to bring her to a different coffee shop. I push him out of my mind and toss and turn for the next hour before finally finding asleep.
 

I awake to the sound of the fire alarm blaring through my bedroom. I quickly grab the mace from my nightstand and rush into Marie’s room.

She’s sleeping right through it.

“Marie, wake up, love. I think it’s the fire alarm,” I say, hearing people move through the hallway.

She still doesn’t budge.

I shake her back and forth, but she still doesn’t wake up.

I do the only thing I can think of and start tickling her until she gets annoyed enough to crack her eyes open.

“Marie, the fire alarm is going off. We need to get out of here,” I say, worried.

“All right, I’m coming,” she says groggily.

I rush her out the door and down the stairs with a few dozen others. There’s smoke in the hallway, and through the staircase, but it’s not too heavy. I have rarely seen my neighbors, but now notice that most are quite elderly and move incredibly slow.

We make it to the exit door and are greeted with a gust of cold air. I instantly regret not grabbing my shoes or a sweater. I look over to a still half asleep Marie and notice the fire truck behind her. Not even a second later, I feel someone move beside me.
Blaze
.

“As much as I love that little nightie of yours, I want to be the only one who sees you in it,” he whispers, pulling a blanket around my shoulders. I may be warmer with the blanket around me, but the goose bumps are only now appearing. He opens another blanket and places it around Marie’s shoulders, as well.

“Thanks,” I manage to choke out. “What happened?”

“Miss Rose again on the first floor. She left her candles burning, and her table caught fire. This is the third time in the past year it’s happened. She’s on a list to be moved into a home, but there’s just no space right now. She’s really forgetful and falls asleep. The time before this, her cat caught fire. That was an interesting smell. The fat old cat survived, though; she beat him with a pillow when she woke up. Anyway, there’s a whole lot of smoke, but luckily not a lot of damage. We’re just airing it out now, but you should be able to go up again soon,” he says. “What’s with the mace?”

I drink him in while he speaks, not even caring if he notices. He’s in full fireman’s gear with his helmet in his hands and a few more blankets, which I’m assuming he’s supposed to be passing out. I’m not sure if it’s the blanket, or the heat from being this close to Blaze, but I’m suddenly warmed to the core.

“Safety,” I mutter, hoping that’s enough of an answer. He nods.

“I’ve gotta finish passing these out, don’t go anywhere, all right?” he pleads.

“I’m in a nearly see-through nightie and a blanket with no shoes on. Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn’t,” I say, unsure where the anger in my voice is coming from. Am I honestly mad that I’m attracted to him?

He nods, a little confused before moving on. He updates everyone and continues to hand out blankets, wrapping them around the old ladies and fellas with ease. He’s kind and gentle, and I wonder if maybe he’s not such a bad guy after all. Is that a chance I really want to take this soon, though? Why couldn’t I have met him years from now? None of it matters, as I probably would have never seen him again if it weren’t for the fire.

Marie and I huddle together. She still hasn’t said a word, and I’m starting to wonder if she’s sleepwalking.

“Can I get everyone’s attention please? The building is now safe to re-enter. It’s still a little smoky, so open your windows if your apartment is affected. If anyone needs assistance getting back inside just let me, or any of the other firemen know, and we would be happy to assist you,” Blaze hollers from the front steps.

A swarm of people begin to re-enter the building, and I see several firemen help some of the less mobile inside. Blaze disappears through the door with an elderly lady so I make my way inside with Marie, whose eyes are closed as she moves. She has got to be asleep!

“Where are you going?” Blaze asks as we move through the lobby.

“Back to our apartment. Marie’s really tired,” I say nodding my head toward her.

“Did you lock the door on your way out?”

“No,” I say, confused. It was a fire alarm. Who thinks about that stuff?

“Just wait here one second,” Blaze says, and continues to guide the elderly lady down the hall and into her apartment. He comes back a minute later.

“Let me help you upstairs with her,” he offers.

Before I can even form a response, he sweeps Marie up into his arms with ease and carries her up the stairs. I fall in behind him, not minding the view in the slightest. “Which floor?” he asks.

“Third. Apartment twelve.”

We arrive at our front door, but instead of setting her down, he enters our apartment.

“Which room?”

“Ahh, behind the living room and down the hall, second door,” I say, glancing around nervously. I can’t believe he’s here, inside our apartment. I’m instantly thankful I cleaned up before bed. I close the door since our apartment isn’t smoky. I should be terrified, but I’m strangely at ease.

I see the lights turn on in Marie’s room and then the bathroom. What on Earth is he doing? He comes out of the hall, and doesn’t stop there, checking the living room and opening closet doors.

“Make yourself at home, why don’t you?” I say sarcastically.

“You left your apartment unlocked. I understand why, but I’d just like to make sure it’s safe. I love New York, but just like anywhere, we have some scary people,” he says, opening my bedroom door, and I cringe. He checks in the closet and under my bed while I keep the blanket wrapped tightly around my shoulders.

“Brynn, I found something,” he yells out. I rush into my room fearing the worst.

“What is it?” I ask, starting to panic, before I notice his shit-eating grin.

“I think this is the sexiest monster I’ve ever seen,” he says pulling the calendar from under my bed.

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to melt into the floor more than I do at this very moment.
You are such an idiot, Brynn
! But honestly, in my defense, I really didn’t expect him in my room in the middle of the night, checking under my bed.

“Please, it’s for charity. I use it to scare the mice away,” I retort, feigning disinterest. I stomp back into the kitchen, more embarrassed than I have ever been in my life.

He comes out of my room and into the kitchen where he opens some cupboards and the broom closet. “I think you missed the silverware drawer,” I say, goading him. I mean, it’s really sweet he’s checking, but the cupboards? He’s just prolonging my torture.

“When it comes to you, Brynn, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make sure you’re safe,” he says with a wink, opening the utensil drawer. “Hell, I’ll even sleep under your bed—give you the real thing,” he says in that sexy drawl of his.

Damn him. I will
never
live that down.

I realize I still have his blanket, so I take it off my shoulders and fold it up. I’m absolutely desperate at this point to change the subject.

“Thanks for carrying Marie up. I’m not even sure if she woke up at all. She sleeps like the dead. Thanks for the blanket, too,” I say, handing it back to him. He looks my body over from head to toe and stops at my chest. I suddenly feel naked. He walks toward me and envelopes me into a hug.