The Bravest Hero (A Curvy Girls Club Novel Book 2) Page 20

  “And it looks like she posted an ‘I’m sorry’ video where she’s boohooing and snotting all over the place, but no one’s hearing it,” Kennedy said.

  “I hate that it had to come to this. But she left me no choice. I wasn’t about to let my career go to shit for her.”

  “You did the right thing,” Payton wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed.

  “Thanks, Payton.”

  Royal’s phone started ringing. She looked at the screen and it was Sebastian. She pressed the green button.

  “Sebastian, hey!” She grinned at her friends and McKennon.

  McKennon winked at her.

  “Hey, Royal. I’m so sorry I bailed on you yesterday. I should’ve never even cancelled.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have.”

  “What can I do to get you back?”

  “Let’s talk compensation for money lost yesterday. Time is money, my friend. And I have to rearrange my schedule to add you back in.”

  The girls held up their hands. Royal silently high-fived them as they danced a jig.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  “Right there,” the gallery owner said to Royal as she adjusted a giant forty by sixty portrait of McKennon on the wall.

  The gallery was in Mission District and owned by Abigail Brown. A sweet older black woman who dressed more stylish than anyone half her age.

  “That’s one gorgeous man right there. Prosthetic leg and all.” The older woman admired him.

  “That’s the reason why I started this project.” Royal grinned as she climbed down the ladder.

  The portrait was of him naked and appearing to run. His most important bits were hidden by his raised leg. His body glistened with the baby oil and water. She’d made it black and white to pick up on all his light and shadows.

  “Well, you’ve only got two more nights. You nervous?” Abigail asked.

  “Yeah. Excited too though.”

  “That’s to be expected.” Abigail looked around the room at all the portraits. “You’ll probably sell out. These are stunning. I know good art when I see it.”

  Royal’s cheeks hurt she grinned so hard.

  “Thank you.”

  “No thank yous needed. That’s facts.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Ma’am! I swear I never feel old enough to be called that.”

  “Sorry! Yes, Miss Abigail.”

  “That’s better.”

  Royal chuckled and headed for the door.

  “See ya Saturday.” She called back to Abigail.

  Royal walked out into the evening air. It was a balmy end of August night. She’d taken the top to her Jeep off. The wind fluttered her hair as she drove home.

  A smile stretched across Royal’s face. McKennon was back at work. Royal had more clients than she knew what to do with. And their fundraiser had exploded with requests for invites after the debacle with Ainsley.

  Matt Matthews, the reporter, had even shared their story with Channel 5’s larger affiliates. Now, all the major news outlets across the country wanted to share their story. They were currently deciding on if they wanted to go to NYC for an interview on some of the morning shows that aired across the country.

  Life felt too good. But Royal decided to go with it, instead of thinking the rug was going to be pulled out from under them.

  She pulled into the garage, and took the elevator upstairs. Royal grabbed her memory card out of her camera and went straight to her laptop to work on the photos she’d taken earlier. While the files were uploading to her laptop, she grabbed a glass of wine.

  Royal was deep into her work when a strange sound like glass popping vibrated through her loft. The sound had come from downstairs.

  She got up and walked towards the elevator. The acrid smell of smoke burned her nostrils as she came closer. Through the wooden slats of her elevator she could see yellow and orange flames licking at it.

  “Oh my God!”

  Royal turned to run for her phone to call 911.

  BOOM!

  An explosion below sent flames, intense heat, and a blast of debris from the elevator that struck Royal’s head and sent her flying through the air. She landed unconscious in a heap on the floor next to the couch.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  “Damn, Mack! Your chili is fire!” One of the guys said with a mouthful of said chili.

  “Yeah, no one else is allowed to make the chili from now on,” Nick agreed.

  “Thanks guys. Not much to it. You just gotta know how to read and follow basic instructions.”

  McKennon ducked to dodge the towel someone threw at his head. He chuckled happily.

  The alarm blared through the station and red lights flashed. All the guys jumped up. The voice of the dispatcher came through the speakers in the station loud and canned.

  “We have a fire at 7th and King St. All units proceed to 7th and King.”

  “That’s Royal’s building,” McKennon said his eyes wide and fearful.

  “Let’s go!”

  McKennon stood frozen for a moment.

  “Mack! Let’s go!” Nick shouted.

  Mack ran towards his gear. He pulled up his pant leg, removed the screw to his knee joint, then placed his socket onto the knee joint of the prosthetic leg already waiting for him in his left boot. He put the screw in, placed his good leg into his other boot and lifted his suspenders up over his shoulders. He shrugged on his jacket and grabbed his helmet. He was on the truck just as fast as the other guys.

  The truck took off down the road, sirens blaring. They made it to Royal’s building in five minutes. Almost the entire bottom of the building was on fire. The guys jumped off the truck. They pulled the hose bundles from the rack and ran to the fire hydrants.

  McKennon looked up at the building. He knew in his gut that Royal was there.

  “I have to get in there.” McKennon said to Nick.

  “Mack, the entrances are blocked. I know you want to make sure she’s alright, but you can’t take stupid risks.”

  “What would you do if the woman you loved was in there?” McKennon turned to look at him.

  “Take stupid risks.”

  McKennon ran towards the section of the truck that held ropes and gear for repelling.

  “But that still doesn’t mean I think you should do it or disobey my direct orders.”

  “I’ll deal with the repercussions later. I wasn’t able to save my parents, but I’ll be damned if I let Royal die.” McKennon said as he put the gear over his shoulder.

  “Damnit, Mack! Well, I’m not letting you go up there alone.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  McKennon ran towards the entrance. The door had been blown off. And the inside was too dangerous to attempt to walk through.

  “Come on,” McKennon gestured to Nick.

  “Get the ladder ready, we may need it,” Nick shouted to his other men before following McKennon.

  McKennon started around the side of the building. He figured there had to be a fire escape somewhere. He turned the next corner at the back of her building. He looked up and saw the escape.

  McKennon lifted his ax up in the air, hooked it around the ladder, and gave it a pull. It came down with a metallic thud. It took a little effort, but McKennon was able to climb the ladder.

  He wasn’t sure if there was a way into her loft from the backside since she hadn’t renovated the whole building yet, and he didn’t want to waste time trying to find an opening. So, he ran up the stairs until he reached the roof. Nick was right behind him.

  They ran across the roof to Royal’s side of the building. They quickly tied off two separate ropes. Then they stepped into their harnesses, and fed the rope through their carabiners. McKennon shoved the handle of his ax under the strap of the harness and pulled down his oxygen mask.

  McKennon took a deep breath and stepped over the side. He slowly fed the rope through the carabiner, easing himself down inch by inch.

  Please be okay, bab
y. Please!

  They slowly made their way down side by side. They reached the windows and continued down until they reached the bottom panes. McKennon pulled out his ax. He only needed to tap the glass and it shattered easily. Nick did the same for his window.

  McKennon lowered himself to the ledge. He was able to grab hold of the windowsill and pull himself in. He jumped inside and Nick followed.

  Royal’s loft was filled with smoke. McKennon could barely see through it. He pulled out his flashlight for any assistance he could get.

  “Get your oxygen on.” Nick said as he came up to him.

  Nick turned the nozzle to open McKennon’s tank for him, and then turned for McKennon to do the same. Much needed oxygen filled the mask, and then his lungs.

  “Do you have any idea where she might be? Or if she’s even here?”

  “I know she’s here. Royal! Royal!” McKennon shouted through his mask.

  “Royal!” Nick started shouting with him.

  “Come on! Answer me, baby.”

  ~~~

  Pain shot through Royal’s skull. That and the smoke that stung her eyes made her cringe. She coughed hard.

  “Help,” she croaked. “Help!”

  The second one was a little louder but still not enough to be heard. If anyone was even there to hear her anyway. The roar of the fire burning her life down was loud enough to drown out the loudest voice.

  Royal had no idea how she was going to make it out alive. The exits were blocked. She couldn’t see anything. And what little fresh air there was to breathe was down where she was at. If she stood up, she’d surely be overcome from the smoke and die of smoke inhalation.

  Maybe if I could get to a window and bust it open.

  Royal began to army crawl in the direction she believed her windows were. Her hand hit something smooth and it moved. She reached for it and squeezed.

  “Royal!” She heard her muffled name.

  A man in fireman’s gear knelt down in front of her. He pulled off his hat and mask.

  “McKennon!” She cried out gruffly when his face appeared.

  He placed the mask to her face. Royal’s eyes closed in relief as she breathed in pure air.

  “Mack, you shouldn’t remove your mask. You know that,” she heard another voice.

  “Nick, please. Not now.”

  “Fine. Then let’s get her outta here.”

  “Do you think you can hold your breath for a little bit?” McKennon asked her.

  “Maybe.”

  “I’m going to carry you. So, I’m going to need the oxygen.”

  “Okay.”

  Royal took a deep breath of fresh air, and then McKennon put the mask and his helmet back on. He shoved an arm behind her back and under her knees. With Nick’s help, he lifted her without losing his balance. McKennon cradled her to his chest and hurried towards the windows.

  Once at the windows, Royal bent out the opening and gasped for fresh air.

  “I know it’s scary, but I need you to reach for the ladder and climb down.”

  Royal looked out the window to the white ladder that was attached to the top of the firetruck. She shook her head quickly.

  “You have to, baby,” McKennon coaxed. “Nick will go out first. Watch how he does it and follow what he does. He’ll be there to help you down.”

  “O-Okay,” Royal’s voice trembled.

  “You sure?” Nick said.

  “I was the one who got you up here. Go ahead.”

  Nick reached for the side of the top rung, gripped it, and then with one foot on the sill he stepped over onto the ladder with the other. He stepped down a few rungs and then reached out for Royal.

  “You can do it.” McKennon encouraged her.

  Royal got up onto the sill. McKennon steadied her with a gentle hand at her back. She reached out to Nick. He clutched her hand and she crawled over to him. Once she was securely on the ladder, they started climbing down.

  Royal continued to look up to make sure McKennon was following. He started to climb over and then a large blast from down below shook the building and sent an arc of flames up to the windows above. McKennon fell back into her building.

  “McKennon!” She screamed.

  “Keep moving, Royal. He’ll be fine. But we can’t stay on this ladder. The heat is too intense for the metal. It’s not safe.” Nick directed her.

  She followed his order and kept climbing down. Tears dripped down her face.

  “I can’t lose everything in one night,” she sobbed as she reached the bottom.

  The other firefighters helped her down from the truck. The moment her feet hit the ground Royal was looking up waiting to see McKennon.

  “Please, God. Please! Let him be okay.” Royal begged.

  “Royal, we need you to step back,” Nick said as he wrapped a heavy blanket around her shoulders like the night of the accident. “We need to get you on some oxygen.”

  “I can’t. I have to wait! Please, God, I have to wait.” Royal sobbed.

  She buckled over, and then fell to her knees.

  The tears wouldn’t stop flowing. Royal could no longer even see the window where everyone was watching, holding their collective breaths.

  “Woo!” Someone shouted and Royal flinched.

  A chorus of cheers went up through the firefighters and the crowd that had gathered to watch. Royal wiped at her eyes. When her vision cleared, she saw McKennon holding onto the rope that was hanging from the roof. He used it to help him lean out of the window and step across to the ladder.

  Royal held her breath until he was down onto the ladder. His descent was slow to accommodate his prosthetic leg. But Royal didn’t release her breath until his feet were back firmly on solid ground.

  She got up from the ground and ran to him. McKennon’s eyes swept the area looking for her. When he saw her coming, he ripped off his mask and helmet, and widened his stance to brace for her. She ran straight into the solid circle of his arms.

  “Thank God you’re okay.” Royal said into his chest.

  “Me? I was terrified. So terrified that I did stuff we’re not supposed to do to get to you. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nick wants to fire me after that.” McKennon said against the top of her head.

  “I’m not firing your ass,” Nick said as he came up behind them. “But I wanted to kick your ass a couple of times. Your instincts were right though. She’s alive because of you.”

  “Thanks, Nick,” he said before turning to Royal. “You need some oxygen and to get your lungs checked at the hospital. Come on.”

  McKennon wrapped his arm around her and guided her to the ambulance.

  “Shit! You have to call the girls,” Royal said.

  “Do you know their numbers? Do you have your phone?”

  “No, my phone along with everything else, is up there.” Royal held back her tears. “But I know their numbers. Payton forced us to learn each other’s number for this very reason.”

  McKennon reached inside his regular pants pocket and found his phone. Royal typed in Kennedy’s number. She was the best at breaking difficult news to people. Mia was too dramatic and Payton was too straightforward.

  “Hello?” Kennedy said hesitantly.

  “Ken, it’s Royal.”

  “Oh my God! What’s wrong. You sound raspier than normal. And what number are you calling from?”

  “There’s been a fire. I’m okay, but my building is destroyed. I’m on McKennon’s phone. Tell the girls. I’m on the way to the hospital.”

  “We’ll be there.”

  “Thank you. You guys have been so great with all my drama lately.”

  “You know we’ll be there no matter what.”

  “I know,” Royal croaked. “I gotta go.”

  “Let’s get going,” McKennon said.

  They climbed inside and they made Royal lay on the gurney with an oxygen mask covering her face. McKennon sat on the side and held her hand. Royal was sure she looked a hot mess. But she didn’t care. They
were both alive and she was grateful. Even if all of her material items were gone.

  “We’re even now.” Royal said after pulling down the mask enough to speak.

  “How so?”

  “You saved my life.”

  “What if I told you I selfishly saved you for myself. Because I can’t imagine living my life without you.”

  “Then I’d say that makes two of us.”

  McKennon leaned forward and they pressed their foreheads together as they swayed back and forth down the road.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  “You okay,” McKennon asked Royal two nights later as a limo took them to the gallery.

  “Yeah,” Royal rasped a bit.

  Her throat was still somewhat raw from the fire. It had been a long two days, but Royal refused to postpone the fundraiser.

  In the hospital, when the police had taken her statement, they told her that an eyewitness saw someone running from her building. CCTV cameras confirmed it. They were able to identify the car. It ended up being a man who was paid by Ainsley Prescott to get rid of Royal King for ruining her life. Both were in custody.

  Royal only suffered from a minor concussion and bump on the head and some smoke in her lungs. Other than being on some oxygen for a couple of hours in the hospital, an inhaler, and some pain pills; there was nothing else they could do for her and sent her home. Well, to McKennon’s home.

  Joy and thankfulness over them both making it out alive was Royal’s overriding feeling. But the pain of losing her beloved loft broke her heart. But what hurt the most was losing her camera and equipment. Even the thought of losing her killer, rocker chick wardrobe sent a stabbing through her soul.

  Luckily, everything was insured and it would all get replaced. Her home would be rebuilt. With the insurance money, she could get even nicer things and make it more perfect that it was before. But it was the slow accumulation of everything over the years as she could afford them and the pride she took in making the place her own that meant everything to Royal. She didn’t care about it being perfect. She just wanted it the way it was. And with all the memories that went with it.