Chapter 32

A bright fire lit up in the hands of a man. James clenched his jaw, confidently moving even closer, his fingers digging deeper into the black pistol, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.

'Was that your goddamn gift? You can't burn down your own house, where your family was until the damn moment you killed my mother, your wife. Destroying everything you had! And it was absolutely your fault!' The guy gradually moved from hissing to screaming, losing his own control.

'It wasn't my fault!'

'Indeed, whose is it?' The young man asked quietly and simply.

He wanted to know what caused Williams to destroy himself and those close to him.

'I was only protecting my family, James.'

'How? By killing my mother? Where is the family that you protected it so much?'

'She climbed under my arm herself, little man.'

The last words were painfully reflected in the heart. James was always called that by his mother as a child.

'Give me just one reason. Why did everything fail at some point?'

'Life in the criminal world, when you have power, is not so easy, James. Okay, I'll tell you. I started having serious problems. I was supposed to be strong, be a man, not be a nice boy. First of all, to protect you. That evening, I came in drunk. I agree, too drunk. We again had a scandal, because I wanted to make a real man out of you, to bring up that strong core since childhood. What she didn't want, because you were her little man. You were still a child. I don't remember anything else from what we talked about. All that hurt me then was that she called me weak. Weak, damn it! The time I became a man! After saying that, I hit her. She pissed me off, I couldn't control myself anymore. I was just tired of all this then. From the fact that I was not considered a protector, they did not consider me something more. I'm tired. My hands went to her neck to show all the strength that I had, and then to the gun to prove that I was strong.'

'You're not tired, Williams, you're just broken,' James said with disgust in his voice.

'In any case, a surprise awaits you,' the brown-haired man threw the lighter on the ground without warning, and the kerosene instantly burst into flames, leaving the path to the house. 'and it is inside, or rather she.'

'Hailey?! She is there?' The man laughed, seeing the alarm and fear in the eyes of the young man.

The guy rushed to the house, forgetting about everything in the world, the most important thought in his head, so that only he could save her.

The blond man pressed the stereo headset to his ear, announcing an important message:

'Miller, kill him at all costs. He is near the house.'

The young man went in search of the girl. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the guy began to shout her name in the house, wishing that she would just give some kind of sound or signal. He ran to the second floor, his eyes scanning the room like a scanner. Her belongings were found in the guest room, indicating that she was definitely there, but the young lady was not found upstairs.

The young man went down to the first floor, examining every corner, looking into every crack.

'Hailey! Lord, help me find her,' he drew attention to the kitchen table, where there was a mug of cold tea, which someone had not finished drinking.

All rooms were empty, including absolutely all the bathrooms and utility rooms.

An explosion was heard from the living room, indicating that the fire had already made its way into the house. The boy cursed as he rushed into the room. He ripped the soft cover off the couch to throw it over the TV, which was on fire.

The bedspread is tight and easy on the equipment, not allowing air access. The smell of burning began to eat into his lungs, and the guy went to the kitchen for a towel, after which he wetted it and leaned it against the lower part of his face.

He ran through the smoke, running around the fire, looking for the girl of his heart.

Hailey coughed from the smoke in her lungs as she struggled to free herself from the tight rope shackles that were so close to her body.

A crackling sound was heard from each side, and already thick smoke poured from the crack from under the door.

The thought that the girl was alone in a burning house, tied up, unable to get out, stirred her heart.

'Hey?' The brown-haired woman cleared her voice, on the one hand realizing that it was pointless to scream, because there was no one here. 'Let me out!'

But there is always hope.

She looked around again, trying to see anything that could cut the rope or fray it. Some boxes stood under the wall, in the corner there was an old simulator and nothing that could help.

'Help! Release me!' Panic washed over the young lady. 'Please, I don't want to die!'

Tears flowed from my eyes as it became harder to breathe. The head began to crack from the smoke.

'Hailey!' A familiar voice was heard somewhere in the distance, and the girl thought that she began to hallucinate.

She closed her eyes and relaxed her body, completely surrendering.

'Hailey! Just call back or give some kind of sign, please!'

'James? Jay, I'm here! James!'

They shouted loudly to each other.

One to save.

Another to be saved.

Finally, the door swung open, and the guy burst into the basement, leaving behind a bright fire.

The girl smiled through her tears, and the dumbfounded young man rushed to Mackenzie's help, pulling out a knife and talking soothingly with the brown-haired woman:

'I'm here, Hailey, here. Hold it,' he held out a damp cloth so that the girl could breathe through it. 'I'll deal with it quickly, just wait a bit.'

'God, James, I'm so glad you're here. I was afraid that no one would help me. I thought I would burn down like this house.'

Foster quickly worked with a sharp object, cutting the thick rope, gradually freeing the body. Every minute was on the alert, because the house could soon stop into a burning hell from which it would be impossible to leave.

'Run, follow me strictly. Not a step left or right.'

The blond man grabbed the young lady by the hand, running into the burning house from the basement. There was fire everywhere, things fell with a fiery light, every careless movement could be deplorable.

The front door was on fire, blowing its hot tongues into the corridor. The exit was blocked.

'James, there!' The brown-haired woman pointed with her hand to the place where there was less fire.

'Perhaps there was a window?'

'That's right, Hailey, you're smart.'

They moved to the servants' room, but were instantly disappointed, because inside, due to the wiring, another TV was on fire, smoothly firing all over the area.

'To the bathroom,' the boy commanded.

There was a burning creak, indicating that something was about to collapse. The blond man turned back, raising his head up to open his mouth in fright. The tall, narrow bookcase began to lose its balance, about to fall right on top of Mackenzie.

'Be careful,' Foster yelled, grabbing Hailey's arm with lightning speed and pulling her close, away from the spot.

And at the same instant the cupboard fell piece by piece, continuing to burn like wood in a fireplace.

They just got lucky.

'Thank you,' the young lady tightly hugged the young man, realizing that he saved her life.

'I told you, follow only on my heels and keep up.'

James shook his head as he walked back to the bathroom. It was still intact, only the wiring on the right side was on fire, but since the room was large, it did not matter. The guy took a heavy marble glass for toothbrushes from the sink, throwing them away.

'Get down and cover your head with your hands, Hailey!'

The girl stepped aside, turning to the wall covered with white tiles.

Jay tossed the glass out the window, turning away sharply so the glass couldn't hit the body.

The loud sound of a broken window made the brown-haired woman with a red tint of hair jump on the spot in surprise.

Shards rained down on the floor, but the glass still remained on the sides of the frame. The young man turned sideways, kicking out the remaining glass to clear the passageway.

'Hailey, I'll jump first, after which you'll have to jump yourself. I'll get you, understand?'