Don’t get me wrong, Jack has the perfect body and he’s strong, but he’s still growing and healing. The other day he was right when he pointed out that I was treating him like a child, because in some ways he’s still that little boy who never got to grow up – and that makes me feel like a pervert for wanting him. It’s a huge obstacle that I’m not quite sure I can get over.
Jack might be all man on the outside, but inside he’s still finding himself. I think he closed himself off over all the years he was forced to be a slave, and now that he’s free to just be himself he’s finally let that part free that he closed off, and that part is still nine years old.
I hold Jack tight and press my ear to his heart. I’ll have to be so careful with him, but one things for sure – no more sex.
~*~
It’s a nice evening. Everyone is having fun and the heat of the day is dying down.
Jack straddled the bench again and then pulled me down too. With my back against his chest and my legs stretched out in front of me, I keep drifting off. His arms are tightly around me, his breath stirring my hair.
This moment feels perfect. Just sitting here with Jack and having him hold me is all I need.
“Fire!” Someone screams from somewhere behind us. I sit up and look behind us and sure enough it looks like the stables are on fire.
“The horses!” I scream and then I’m up and running. “Get water!”
There’s a lot of screaming and shouting, and even Miss Ella runs towards the fire at her high age. Jack darts past me at one hell of a speed, dragging the hose behind him. He already opened it and water is spouting everywhere.
Jack is the first one there and he sprays the water right into the heart of the fire. Adam, Tristan, Christopher and the others work to get the horses out and to safety. I feel useless and thrust my hands into my hair. My eyes are stinging from the heat.
The air around us thins quickly as if the fire is sucking all the oxygen from it.
A loud crashing sound comes from the side of the stables as the building starts to crumble under the destruction of the flames - and then we hear a piercing scream from somewhere inside.
Jack drops the hose and it’s with an icy horror that I watch him run towards the fire. “Jack!” I scream, but he doesn’t listen. Miss Ella grabs the hose and she goes after Jack, wetting him as he runs, and then he disappears into the inferno.
It almost looks like Miss Ella is about to go into the burning building too. The panic and horror of the night rips a scream from my aching chest. “No, Miss Ella!” What the hell is wrong with everyone! They can’t just run into the fire!
I run to her and I grab her arm so I can pull her back to where it’s safe. I start to cough and it feels as if the flames are trying to find their way into the heart of me. We’re too close to the fire! Miss Ella bends over and she coughs until her legs give way. I do my best to help her away from the burning stables. “Jack,” she wheezes in between coughs.
Tears blur my sight and I wipe quickly at my stinging eyes. I help Miss Ella to sit and then run back to where the hose is lying. I pick it up and spray water where I last saw Jack run in. The seconds are long and agonizing while we wait for some sign of Jack. My heart pounds faster and faster, and fear sharpens all my senses.
I see movement and for a moment hope spikes sharply in my chest. Colby stumbles from the burning building and although I’m glad to see that he’s okay, I’m still worried for Jack. What’s taking him so long?
Finally, Jack comes out and it feels as if the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders! He’s carrying someone. As he gets closer to me I recognize Beverly. What is she doing back here? How did she find the plantation? Colby said he blind … Colby!
“Adam!” I scream hoarsely.
He swings around, his face black with soot.
“Get Colby! He’s got something to do with this!”
I point to where Colby is stumbling away. He’s heading for the trucks. Adam runs and he quickly catches up with Colby. A slither of relief eases some more of the tension. We’ll deal with Colby and Beverly after the fire has been contained.
I look over my shoulder and then my heart stops. Miss Ella is lying in a small bundle. She’s not moving! I grab the person nearest to me who turns out to be Diane. “Just keep hosing the fire!” I shove the hose into her hands and then I run for Miss Ella.
“Miss Ella!” I fall to my knees next to her. She’s out cold. I can hear her wheezing. Glancing around for help, I can’t find anyone. I tuck my arm under her shoulders and try to lift her, but I’m not that strong. As if a prayer is answered, Jack appears next to me.
“Where’s Beverly?” I ask him as he gently picks Miss Ella up.
“I left her with Adam.” His voice sounds dead, as if the fire sucked the life from it. He walks fast towards the house and I run ahead of them so I can phone Doc.
After I’ve phoned Doc and he promised that he’d be over in a few minutes, we place Miss Ella on one of the couches. I go get a cloth and some cold water, but before I do anything with it Jack takes it all from me. “I’ll stay with her, go check on the others.” His voice is firm, there’s still no emotion. My mouth drops open and I watch as he gently wipes Miss Ella’s face. I’ve never seen this side of Jack. “Fuck, River! Just go,” he suddenly snaps at me.
He’s never talked that way to me before and it hurts like hell. I run back outside, scared to death of what just happened with Jack.
It takes us over and hour to make sure the fire is out and everyone is accounted for. I saw Doc’s car pull up a while ago. He waved and then rushed into the house. I know he’ll take good care of Miss Ella.
I go to where Adam is busy interrogating Beverly and Colby. I’d rather face them than Jack. I still can’t believe that was him shouting at me.
“What’s going on here?” I ask Adam.
He points at the two sitting on the floor. “Well, from what I can understand Beverly and Colby are in some sort of relationship. Apparently he’s been sneaking her in and out whenever she felt like she wanted go to town. It’s been going on for months. That’s how she knows where the plantation is.” Adam shoves his hands through his hair, looking angry as hell. “I’m sorry, River, I was so caught up in Sophia, I never saw this coming.”
“Just let us go,” Beverly starts to grovel, “we won’t tell a soul where you are.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and then turn my back to them. I whisper to Adam, “You know what we have to do. They can’t talk. We have too many lives that depend on us.”
Adam gives a firm nod. This is the part that sucks. As much as we want to save every life we possibly can, some just can’t be saved. It’s either Beverly and Colby or the rest of the people living here. It’s sad but they have to be silenced to protect the others. I should have seen that Beverly was past the point of being saved before I brought her here. Now I’m losing a guard, as well. If I had just left her to be a slave Colby might never have turned on us. This is all my fault for not doing my job properly.
“You can’t just off us!” Colby screams as I start to walk away. “River! I swear it’s all her. She made me do it! The fire was her idea! I never wanted to hurt anyone!”
“We gave you the choice! This is all on you,” Adam snaps, his tone ice cold. “You knew what would happen if you turned on us. I told you that the day you started working here. You knew! Don’t blame her for your mistakes.”
I’m a coward for walking away and not doing it myself. I say I don’t want to be like my father but at the end of the day I am. I started all of this to save lives and tonight I ordered two deaths.
I’m a monster just like Steward Sinclair.
~*~
Chapter Nineteen
Jack~
The fire, the screams and Miss Ella just lying there on the ground - it’s bringing it all back - the nightmare that’s been my life for so long.