Focus (The Crescent Chronicles, #2) (17 page)

“
Good point.” I smiled at
Tiffany. “Besides, I never said you guys can’t go, but I don’t feel
like it.”

“
Is this just because of
Nick?” Hailey turned in her desk chair.

“
Yes, if I show up, he’s
going to get the wrong idea. There’s no reason to encourage him.”
The party was at his Frat, and he’d made it a point to invite
me—twice.

“
Come on. Any guy who
thinks he’s got a shot at stealing you from Levi has to be crazy.”
Anne finally took a seat on the edge of Hailey’s bed.

“
Do you really care whether
I go or not?”

“
Yes! It’s more fun when we
all go together.”

Hailey pushed her playfully. “In other
words, she knows that Nick and his friends are going to give us all
special treatment if you go.”

“
That’s not true!” The look
of horror that crossed Anne’s face made it clear that’s definitely
not what she had in mind. “I just like hanging out with
you.”

“
Fine. I’ll go for a few
hours.”

“
Awesome! Now we just have
to find our outfits. It’s a prohibition theme so we can wear those
flapper dresses you wanted to wear for Halloween,
Allie.”

I laughed. Anne could be intense
sometimes, but I loved her. In some ways, she reminded me of Jess,
but I knew those similarities were really superficial. Both were so
much more than the boy crazy shells they appeared to be on the
outside.

“
I guess we can. I’m sorry
to run, but I really need to get to the gym.”

“
That’s fine. I’ll fill you
in later.” Anne gave me a hug.

“
Looking for these?” Hailey
tossed me the headphones I’d been digging in my desk
for.

“
Thanks. See ya
guys.”

I waved before I headed out the door. I
couldn’t slack on my next session with Jared.

***

“
You made it.” Nick smiled
when he noticed us. We’d just gotten drinks at the formal bar they
had setup. When the bartender asked what I wanted, my first thought
was that I wished Levi was there to order my drink. I really needed
to find out what it was.

“
Yeah, I guess I
did.”

“
You guess?” He
smiled.

I shrugged. “Yeah…”

“
I’d offer you a drink but
you already have one.”

“
Yup.” I held up the red
plastic cup.

“
I’m really glad you came.
It’s nice to see you outside of lab.”

“
Yeah, in the real
world.”

“
Exactly. You look great,
by the way.”

I looked down at my black flapper
dress. Leave it to Anne to find us all vintage dresses at the
Salvation Army. “Thanks. You look the part, too.”

“
Oh, yeah. Cool.” He
adjusted the brim of his hat.

“
Hey, Allie, I need your
help with something.” Hailey put a hand on my arm.

“
Okay, no problem. Sorry
Nick, but I need to help my friend.”

“
Oh, that’s cool. I’ll
catch up with you later.” He tried to play it off, but he was
disappointed.

“
The real world? Where’d
you come up with that line?”

“
Hey, I was grasping at
straws. The guy’s my lab partner. I’d rather not have to make
things more awkward than necessary.”

“
He’s already done that for
himself.”

I turned away to watch the Jazz Trio. I
knew these parties could be cool, but I didn’t expect actual live
music. Between the bar, music, and the costumes, it was a pretty
fun atmosphere. I enjoyed the music, and when I finished my second
drink, I decided not to get another.

I was ready to go home. “You guys want
to go?”

“
Definitely… but where’s
Tiffany?” Hailey glanced around.

“
I don’t know…” I surveyed
the room. “The last time I saw her she was talking to some guy with
a blue tie and matching fedora.”

We walked all over the house and yard
but couldn’t find her. I saw Nick and decided he could be of
help.

“
There you are. I’ve been
looking for you.” He grinned, taking my hand to pull me close to
him. I smelled his breath—he reeked of alcohol.

“
Have you seen my friend
Tiffany?”

“
Maybe…was she the one
talking to Carl earlier?”

“
She was talking to
someone.”

“
Blue hat?”

“
Yes.”

“
I think they went
upstairs.”

“
Upstairs?” I was sure I
hadn’t heard him right.

“
Yeah, it’s off limits at
parties unless you’re with one of the brothers.”

There was no way Tiffany would go up to
some guy’s room like that. Unless she was more drunk than I
thought. “I have to find her.”

“
Want me to help
you?”

“
Could you?”

“
Absolutely, come on.” He
took my hand again, pulling me through the crowd. Hailey and Anne
trailed after us.

When we reached the staircase, he
turned to my friends. “Sorry, just Allie.”

“
Is that a joke?” Hailey
asked.

“
No.”

Hailey glared at him. “Why not? Afraid
your brothers won’t believe you can handle three girls?”

Nick choked on his beer.

“
Let’s go.” Hailey pushed
past him.

He took a step forward, placing a hand
on her shoulder. “Hey, I told Allie I’d take her up, and my
brothers know I could handle it, but she’s the only one I
want.”

“
Good luck with that.”
Hailey easily brushed off his hand, and continued up.

We followed behind.

A guy with short, black hair blocked
Hailey at the top of the stairs.

“
Where’s Carl’s
room?”

“
Carl’s room? I think he’s
already busy, but I’m free, definitely free.” He grinned at
her.

“
Does Carl happen to be
busy with a blonde?”

“
Maybe, why do you ask? I
happen to love redheads.”

“
Okay, this is how it’s
going to work. You tell me where Carl’s room is now, or I kick your
ass.”

He didn’t have a chance to respond.
Even with the blaring music, the unmistakable sound of screaming
pierced through the air.

“
What the fuck was that?”
Nick asked, looking below us.

“
I don’t know, but I have
to find Tiffany.” My body and common sense were yelling at me to
turn around and get the heck out of the house, but there was no way
I was leaving Tiffany behind.

“
Fine, I told you I’d
help.” Nick’s expression revealed genuine concern. “Come on, Sean,
they’re looking for their friend.”

“
I’m sure she’s fine.
Carl’s probably taking good care of her.”

“
Shut the hell up and help
us find her.” Anne put a hand on his chest. Hailey and I both
looked at each other. Anne had more nerve than we
expected.

Sean gave in, holding his hands up in
front of himself in defeat.

We had just pushed our way past the
guys when I heard the whoosh.

I turned around just in time to watch a
wave of fire engulf the stairs.

“
Shit, we have to get out
of here,” Nick yelled.

“
How? We can’t go back down
those stairs.” Sean glanced around him nervously.

“
We’re not leaving without
Tiffany. Where is Carl’s room?”

“
Upstairs,” Nick finally
answered. He was definitely starting to panic.

“
There’s another floor?”
Anne asked.

“
The stairs are down that
hall, but we can’t keep moving up. Let’s go out a
window.”

“
We’re not leaving
Tiffany,” Hailey and I said at the same time.

Anne leaned over wheezing.

“
Anne? Are you
okay?”

She shook her head.

“
Do you have your inhaler?”
Anne had asthma that was usually well controlled.

She shook her head again.

“
Let’s find Tiffany and
go.” I moved toward the stairs without checking to see if the guys
were following us. I felt the heat as the fire continued to spread
across the floor boards. Smoke gradually filled the small hallway,
and I fell to the floor. I crawled towards the wall. Anne was
wheezing so hard, I knew she probably couldn’t breathe.

I shook Hailey. “You have to get her
out of here.”

“
I can’t leave you and
Tiffany.”

“
You have to. Hopefully she
won’t remember your wings. Come back for Tiffany and me, or get
Levi.”

“
Allie, I
can’t.”

“
Do it, Hailey. Do
it.”

She nodded. “I’ll be right back.” She
pushed open a door into a bedroom. I followed with Nick and Sean
behind me. Hailey picked up Anne and jumped out. Her wings came out
and she disappeared into the night.

“
This smoke is making me
hallucinate,” Nick said to himself.

Sean looked out the window. “We have to
jump. There’s no other choice.”

I stuck my head out the window and
breathed in some fresh air before heading back into the hallway. “I
have to find her.”

I didn’t look behind me as I reached
the hallway. The heat was intense, and I could barely see through
the smoke. I looked toward the entryway to the second flight of
stairs but it was blocked by a large piece of wood. Objects fell
from the ceiling as the house appeared to be caving in. More
screams could be heard from downstairs. I turned around and saw
Nick trapped under fallen debris.

I crouched low and moved toward him. I
tried to pull the boards off him, but they wouldn’t
budge.

“
Nick, are you okay?” I
asked, praying he’d respond. I coughed, the smoke was getting
worse.

I saw the flames and knew it was over.
I was going to die in a frat house fire. I didn’t cry. I just
wished I’d been able to see my family and Levi one last
time.

The smoke was too much. I lay down,
trying to cover my face with my hands. There was nowhere to
go.

“
I’ve got you, Al. I’ve got
you.” Through the haze, I heard his voice.

“
Levi?” I choked out. I
opened my eyes, feeling his strong arms around me.

“
I’ve got you.”

I looked around me. “But Tiffany and
Nick.”

“
Jared has Tiffany. And
who’s Nick?”

“
The guy over there.” I
didn’t have the strength to point, but I knew he’d figure it
out.

“
We don’t have
time.”

“
Levi! Get him now or I
won’t ever talk to or look at you again.”

“
Fine.” He adjusted me so I
was in one arm and then moved the debris like it was nothing. He
picked up Nick like a ragdoll and carried us into the bedroom where
Hailey had left. Sean was gone. He must have jumped too. As Levi
jumped out, the deafening sound of sirens pierced my ears. Without
warning, Levi dropped Nick, before landing a few blocks over in the
shadows of a house.

“
Levi!”

“
You’re lucky I even
grabbed him. I can’t get slowed down again. I need to get you away
from here.”

“
Where is everyone?” I
tried to steady myself in Levi’s arms.

“
Your friends are already
at the hotel. We need to go. I need to make sure you’re
okay.”

I knew the tears were forming, so I let
him pull me closer. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there sooner. I’m so
sorry.”

“
It’s not your
fault.”

“
This wasn’t a random fire,
Allie, trust me.” He kissed my cheek. “Can you handle a longer
flight? We need to get downtown.”

“
Yes.” I could still feel
the heat across my body and the smoke in my lungs, but I wanted to
get away. I needed to make sure my friends were okay.

Levi wrapped his arms around me and
took off.

Chapter
Fourteen

Levi landed on my balcony at the hotel.
“We need to get downstairs, but Dr. Ellis is already waiting for us
here.”

He pushed open the door and carried me
inside. Sure enough, the doctor was sitting on the couch. Helen sat
next to him. I didn’t bother to ask how they got in.

“
Allie, oh my goodness.”
Helen moved to give me space on the couch. She took my
hand.

“
I’m fine,” I assured
her.

“
We just need to make
sure.”

Dr. Ellis listened carefully with his
stethoscope to my lungs. He then used a small penlight to look in
my mouth, and he closely examined my skin.

“
Are there any burns, other
than the redness on your legs?”

“
No. Nothing.”

Dr. Ellis turned to Levi. “She’s likely
fine. She’s very lucky you got to her when you did.” He turned back
to me. “Just keep the area clean and apply this antibiotic ointment
daily.” He handed me a tube.