The Chase by Amber Riel (books to read for self improvement TXT) 📖

were being followed…. Remember your taxicab driver who followed us back to the hotel?”

          Sam didn’t respond.  I took that as a way of her letting me know she was thinking.  I didn’t know what she was thinking about but I had a good feeling that it had to deal with the fire.

          I had a feeling the fire had been caused by one of the guys who broken in but I wasn’t going to tell Sam that.  At least not right away.  She didn’t need to know my thoughts yet.

 

 

          Within less than an hour we had arrived at the almost burst into flames mansion.  Sam kept her eyes on the mansion while she stepped out of the car.  I grabbed her hand, keeping her close just in case.  I led her over to a few of the firemen who had surrounded a fire truck.  They were grabbing the equipment they needed to put out the monstrous fire.  “Any ideas what happened, Thomas?” I asked one of my good friends who was preparing to head into the house of flames.

          “We’re assuming that it’s an arsonist.  We found foot prints of what appeared to be boots of some kind standing over by the tree,” the man answered.  “Do you know if Annie and Ron might have been home or anyone else like a maid or one of the cooks?”

          “Annie and Ron are in witness protection right now,” I explained.  “As for the maids or cooks….”  I shrugged and shook my head.  “I’m not sure….”

          “Annie and Ron are in witness protection?  Why?  What happened?”

          “Someone broke into their house about three or four days ago.  Annie and Ron were chased out of the house when it happened.  Lainie’s with Carmen right now and Annie’s sister,” I spoke while I gestured toward Sam, “wanted to come to see what any of us could find out?”

          “Hello.”  Thomas kind of nodded toward the American woman but then quickly moved his attention back toward me.  “We’re in bit of a hurry and right now kind of shorthanded.  Do you think you can help?”

          “Yea.”

          “Okay then suit up as soon as possible…. And thanks, man.”  Thomas headed over to the truck and picked up a hose.

          I began to head toward the big red fire truck when I felt someone grab my hand.  “Please don’t do this?” Sam’s voice begged.

          I turned my attention toward the woman whose beautiful dark brown eyes were beginning to fill up with tears.  “It’s okay, Sam.  I’ll be fine.”

          “But you could get hurt.”

          “Sam, I’ve done this before believe me…. I know what I’m doing….”

          “I don’t---”

          “Sam, I know how to handle this kind of situation.  I’ll be right back…. Just stay here and close to the fire truck…. I know these guys they’ll make sure that you’re safe and nothing will happen to me…. I’ll be back.”  I hurried off into the cabin of the truck before Sam could try to say to try and stop me.  I removed my shoes and quickly began suiting up.

          “There’s a person on the second floor!” I heard one of the fire fighters shout.

          Within seconds I jumped out of the truck wearing the yellow fire proof outfit and shoes.  I slid the helmet with a perfect clear plastic mask around my head and made sure it was tight then pulled down the mask while I ran past Sam.

          I hurried into the burning building.  There was no way I was going to let whoever was inside down.  I had to get him or her out of there whether or not they were part of the break in.

 

 

          “Hello?!” I called through the house as pieces of the building began falling.  I dodged the structure while I wondered through the house.  “Hello?!” I called again.  The staircase had almost clasped when I noticed a woman, trying to work her way through the building.  It wasn’t till I got close, I realized that the woman was Kathleen.

          She looked up at me and kind of smiled. It was a sad but hopeful smile.

          “It’s okay, Kathleen,” I told the woman.

          “Louis,” she said while tears filled her kind hearted eyes.

          “I’m here.  I’m going to get you out of here,” I told her while I picked her up the way a man would hold his bride on their wedding day.  “I’m---”

          The building began to burst and I had to get out of there.  I tightened my hold around the woman, pushing her head into my shoulder so the smoke wouldn’t get to her.  I hurried out of the building before the whole building finally clasped.  While I moved closer toward the firefighters, paramedics came over and took Kathleen from me, placing her on a stretcher.  “We got her,” one of the men told me.

          I nodded then hurried over to Sam.

          The woman had her hands burying her face.  I didn’t know what she had watched but I knew it must have been horrifying.  I carefully grabbed her shoulders so I wouldn’t startle her.  She began to break down into more tears and hadn’t bothered to look at me.  “Sam, it’s okay,” I spoke with reassurance.

          I watched while she slowly moved her hands from her face while she locked her beautiful sad and angry brown eyes with me.  “Why would you do that?  Why would you run into a building that was on fire?  Why would you put yourself into that kind of danger?” she continued to cry with tears streaming down her beautiful cheeks.  “Why would you do something that stupid?”

          I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug while I let her hide her face in my shoulders.  “It’s okay…. I was wearing protective gear….”

          “That doesn’t matter…. I thought you were going to die because…. Because….”

          “Sam,” I began while I used my pointer finger to lift up her chin, “I’m here now…. I’m safe…. There’s nothing for you to worry about….”

          “But…. But…. You could have---”

          It was time.  I kissed the woman before she could continue.  It was the best thing I had ever done.  The feeling from the kiss was one of the best I had ever had.  There were no words to describe the feeling but it was wonderful and I wondered why I had put it off the last couple of times.  Once I pulled away from her, she was lost in what I assume was surprise and amazement.  Her eyes stared with surprise at me.  “Better?” I asked.

          She nodded.  I assumed the kiss took her breath away.

          I grabbed her hands and kind of smiled.  “Sorry about that…. I’ve kind of been waiting for the right moment….”

          I watched while she kind of began to blush and then return the smile.  “I’ve been wondering when you were going to actually go through with it.”

          “We need to go out on a date…. This isn’t exactly romantic.”

          She kind of laughed.  “It might not be romantic but at the moment you have a job to do….”

          My mind jumped back to the person who had wound up in the mansion.  “Kathleen?  I have to find out if she’s okay.”  I grabbed Sam’s hand and led her around to the other side of the fire truck where the ambulance sat with the two back doors wide open.

          Kathleen was still on the stretcher and kind of smiled at us.  It wasn’t hard to tell she was in pain and she was covered with ash and burnt marks.  Her clothes revealed how she was trapped in the mansion during the fire.  “Hello, there Samantha right?”

          Sam nodded.

          The woman kept a smile, despite the fact she was in pain.  “Louis, thank you for saving me.”

          “No problem,” I replied with a soft tone.

          Her smile grew when she noticed our hands were together.  “You two make a cute couple…. I’m sure that Annie will be proud to see that.”

          Sam kind of smiled but the tears began filling her eyes.

          “Well, now I guess I’ll be going home soon.  It’s about that time for me anyways.”

          “Ron and Annie would want to see you first though,” I spoke with encouragement.  “Not only that but Lainie will need you around…. She loves you like a grandmother….”

          The maid sighed, locking eyes with me.  “I know but my time is up.  They’ll understand and Lainie will too one day.  Samantha, it was good meeting you and a joy helping you find your room.”

          Sam nodded while the tears fell from her beautiful eyes.

          I removed my hand from her and wrapped my arm around her.  I knew she needed comfort more than anything at that moment.

          The two paramedics carried the stretcher and fixed it to where they could get it into the ambulance.  Once the driver was in the vehicle and the doors were shut and locked, the small ambulance sped off.  E-er-e-er-e-er….

          The building was smoke black from the fire and damp from the water the firemen had shot the fire down with.  The place my best friend and his wife called their home had been destroyed.  “What are Annie and Ron going to say?” Sam asked, staring at what use to be a beautiful mansion.

          “There’s no telling.  Come on, I have to go talk to my boss.  You can meet him.”

          Sam kind of nodded and we locked hands again.  I led her toward the path where the mansion had been before the fire broke it.  “Are you a fireman?” she asked.

          I shook my head.  “No but if I’m around and they need help then I will.”  I brought her toward a bunch of cars.  A few of them were cop cars which appeared to be similar.  The small black cars and even a few of the minivans pretty much were the same.

          My boss, George, a tall man with brown hair worked his way over to us.  He was about fifty-five.  The grey in his hair wasn’t exactly noticeable but it was there.  “Louis, good to see you,” he spoke while he stopped in front of us.

          I nodded.  “Good to see you too, sir.  How are Annie and Ron?”

          “They’re good.  We already have them waiting for you, Lainie, and Annie’s sister.”  His gaze moved over to Sam and smiled.  “Why hello, miss?  Who might this be?”

          “Believe it or not this is Annie’s sister, Samantha.”

          “Samantha?” he asked, nodding.  “That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful young lady.”

          “Thank you, sir,” Sam replied.

          “So are you two together?”

          I looked at Sam for a moment, letting a smile grow on my face then I turned my attention back toward my boss.  “I believe so or we’d look pretty strange holding hands.”

          George chuckled.  “That’s true.  You better hold on to her, Louis, because I might steal her from you,” he joked.  I knew he was nothing to worry about.  For one he was happily married and two he flirted with women out of a joking manner, unless of course the woman was his wife.

          “I’m not planning on that happening, sir.”

          “Good then.”

          “Sam, this is George Mann my boss.”

          “It’s nice to meet you,” Sam told George.

          “Nice to meet you too,” the man replied.  “Now, back to business,” George wasn’t one to joke around too much when it came to the job and quickly returned to his serious manner while he spoke, “we’re assuming that whoever broke in is the cause of this.”

          I nodded.  He said what had been on my mind when he had called to tell me about the fire.  “I agreed.  Thomas told me that they found foot prints around here somewhere making them believe that it was arsonist.”

          Then George nodded.  “That’s why we believe that whoever it was to set the fire had to deal with the break in.  Oh and that taxicab driver you told us about well