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We needed the fire department and emergency services.
Damn. The guests. Manon.
As I made the call, tears already welled up in my eyes. With one hand, I dressed, using the other to relay the needed information to dispatch.
Then I dropped the phone and bolted out the door, down the stairs. There was no sign of Gray, but the front door was wide open.
Before I headed over, I activated the garden's sprinkler system. As soon as I stood on the stone steps in front of the house, a wave of heat hit me. And that smell…
I flew toward the fire and then veered off into the woods to reach the parking lot. Someone needed to take care of the guests who were hopefully gathering there. I needed the list of the people currently vacationing here so I could make sure everyone had safely escaped their cabins.
I heard a dog barking.
Cookie.
Halfway there, I stopped, spun on my heels, and dashed toward the source of the barking. The closer I got, the louder it became. The smoke made my eyes water, but I managed to spot the dog near the cabin I had once occupied. Now Declan lived there.
I called out to the dog, but he stubbornly stayed put in front of the steps leading up to the door. The roof was ablaze.
Even though it was the last thing I should do, I rushed toward Cookie, ready to scoop him up and carry him to the parking lot. But just as I was about to grab him, he took off. I grasped at thin air and watched in shock as he ran back inside.
Barking.
Now it wasn't just the dog I was calling for. "Declan?"
I paced back and forth. I couldn't just… "DECLAN!"
I paused for a moment to listen. But I heard neither his response nor the wail of sirens announcing the arrival of the firefighters. All I could hear was Cookie's increasingly shrill barking.
The bed in that cabin was right under the roof.
I took a step toward the door. Then another. I lifted my arm to protect my head and took the first step up onto the porch.
The next moment, a heavy hand landed on my shoulder and jerked me back so forcefully I almost landed on my behind. Gray glared down at me, but only one word escaped my lips.
"Declan."
His gaze shifted from me to the cabin. Then Gray was gone, and I closed my eyes. Immediately after, I felt a cold nose press against my leg. This time, I grabbed Cookie and didn't let go, putting some distance between us and the cabin.
The seconds dragged until Gray's large silhouette appeared in the doorway. Behind him, everything was ablaze, and smoke rose around him into the brightly lit night.
The young man lay unconscious in his arms, apparently unharmed. Both were smeared with soot, and their clothes were tattered and scorched at the edges.
"What's wrong with him?" I blurted out, even though my first instinct was to make sure Gray was okay.
Gray hurried past me. "Smoke inhalation, if I had to guess," he replied gruffly.
By now, we were running toward the parking lot, taking a wide detour around the two other cabins engulfed in flames. The others were out of sight, but if I interpreted the clamor correctly…
The parking lot came into view, with the intact assembly hall next to it. I rushed inside and grabbed the guest list.
Meanwhile, the parking lot was swarming with vehicles, their flashing lights illuminating the night even further.
Sergeant Williams approached me. "This is the guest list," I said breathlessly, handing her the paper before looking at her expectantly, hoping she would tell me what to do next.
Then it hit me.
Manon.
