Fool Me Once | T. Drake ✔

[22] In Flames

The heat was closing in on her as the flames spread rapidly. She looked around for an escape, knowing that as she was being kept in a basement, there was hardly any option for her to find a vent or window to get to.

The smoke and fumes clouded her vision as she pushed her chair back, trying to get to the back of the wall, as far away from the flames as possible. But the fire was spreading due to the gasoline poured in already and she had no possible way of escape.

A jerk sent her chair toppling backward, stopping as she hit the wall. Mustering all her strength, she rammed the chair backward again and again in hopes of breaking free.

Her bones ached and the tears filled up her eyes due to the burning heat of the fire closing in on her. But she was determined not to give up without a fight.

The betrayal dealt to her by the two people she cared about most fired up her heart as she continued to smash the chair, bearing the jolts of pain wracking through her body.

At last, the wooden chair snapped and she fell out of the binds, gasping for breath. But it was too late as the fire had spread and it was impossible for her to reach the exit. The smoke made it hard to breathe and she coughed, her hands burning as the floor underneath had turned hot like lava.

She was going to die trapped there, she thought, there was no escape.

The thick fumes blocked her vision as everything was a mix of orange, red, and black. It also didn't let her see that the door was being pounded on and close to collapsing. The sound of the fire brigades outside was also drowned in the clamor of the basement collapsing due to the fire licking its way through the walls.

Roxanne tried to stay conscious, to fight against the unbearable burns that were wrapping her up the red of her blood swirling with the orange of the flames around her. She had backed herself against the wall as a last effort to keep herself away from the fire but by then, she was losing the strength to resist.

Her eyes had watered so much that she could no longer see the fiery hues, a swirling black engulfed her. It felt as if she was falling through a scorching black hole, her skin being ripped apart as the fire reached her at last.

But aside from the roar of the flames, a hissing sound of foam spreading through the area could be heard. Someone had finally reached that basement to put out the fire.

However, she couldn't keep herself conscious anymore. She gave in to the darkness engulfing her, not realizing that the fire was being put out and someone had rushed inside, gathering her burnt-up body in his arms.

"Roxanne," her name itself sounded very distant and the last thing she remembered was the voice sounding unbelievably similar to Tim.

And then just like the fire around her was extinguished, everything else faded, making her fall into a lifeless state.

***

She had almost gotten burnt to death.

If they had gotten even a minute late in reaching her, there would have been nothing left but ashes.

Tim carried her out of the basement, her charred body appearing quite damaged and fragile in his arms. The paramedics were waiting outside and Colin was with them as the Outlaws hadn't permitted the boy to go any further in.

Jason's team had started to put out the fire, joined shortly by the fire brigades that Colin had called for assistance. The police had also shown up at the crime scene by then, their cars closing in on the burning house that was a private property of the elder Donnelley heir.

By the time Tim came out, Colin was being questioned by the police and he had informed them about everything that had taken place there. The boy looked scared at having to tell that his mother and uncle were responsible for that attack but seeing Roxanne brought out in such a terrible state made his face go livid further.

"Auntie Rox," he breathed, quickly coming close but Tim shook his head, silently asking him to step back. 

The paramedics took over, placing Roxanne on a stretcher and rushing her inside the ambulance that was waiting to take her to the hospital immediately. Everyone else that was there had to be questioned by the police so Tim had informed Jason to go to the hospital while the Outlaws left to make sure that Anya and Adrian did not escape. 

Tim stayed with Colin, providing the police with whatever information he could without risking their own identities as the Bat vigilantes.

He requested the officer to let him go to the hospital right then and assured him that he wasn't going to use that as an excuse to escape the investigation. He would fully cooperate with them but first, he had to make sure that Roxanne was out of life-threatening danger.

By the time Tim and Colin reached the hospital, Jason was already there and informed them that the Outlaws had gotten to Anya and Adrian who would be turned over to police custody. He also told them that Roxanne had suffered major burns and was being kept at the hospital for treatment.

"Is she going to be alright?" Colin asked, torn at who to worry for as he knew his mother would also be panicking in the police custody.

Jason shrugged but his eyes narrowed in on the youngest Donnelley, "we don't know. But listen here, kid, if I find out that you too were involved in all this plan and only changed sides at the last minute to escape the police I will make you pay."

He looked genuinely terrified so Tim took his side, "Jay, go easy on him. If he hadn't told us, we wouldn't have found Roxanne."

"I'm sorry," Colin mumbled, eyes welling up with tears that he roughly brushed away, "I had no idea things would come to this, or else I would have helped Auntie Rox sooner."

"Your mother and that Castellan dude have a lot to answer to," Jason remarked, turning his attention to his wristwatch. Turning to Tim, he asked, "you're staying here?"

He nodded, knowing that there was no other place he could be at the moment. He was keeping up a calm front but deep down he was worried immensely for Roxanne.

He had seen the extent of the burns she had sustained and it was very difficult to say for certain that she would survive. He trusted Jason and the Outlaws to handle the case for the time being as he couldn't possibly focus on anything else.

At least not until he could be certain that Roxanne would get better.

"Alright, I will go check up on those two," Jason decided to leave.

"May I come with you?" Colin asked, wanting to see his mother.

"Alright. Go ahead," Jason nodded, gesturing him to go up front. He paused to give Tim a last look of assurance before leaving as well, following Colin out of the hospital.

Anya and Adrian Castellan were the last keys to that complicated case he had been chasing for a month. He couldn't let them slip from his fingers at the last moment.

***