Chapter 7 - THE FIRE THAT BURIED THE TRUTH
The smoke came faster than they expected.
Within seconds, the old warehouse became a maze of flames and darkness.
Tessa covered her mouth with her sleeve.
“We’re trapped!”
Ronan grabbed the metal door handle.
It burned his hand instantly.
He pulled away.
Someone had locked them inside.
Someone planned this.
Tessa looked at him through the smoke.
“Whoever did this knew we would come here.”
Ronan didn’t answer.
Because he already knew.
Only a few people knew about the warehouse.
Only a few people knew about Eda’s connection to his mother.
And only one person had the resources to erase every piece of evidence.
“Damian.”
Tessa looked at him.
“You think he did this?”
“I think everyone is capable of betrayal.”
The ceiling cracked above them.
A burning piece of wood crashed down.
Ronan pushed Tessa out of the way.
The beam hit the floor between them.
For the first time, Tessa saw something she never expected.
Ronan Callahan was not afraid of death.
But he was afraid of losing someone else.
“Why are you helping me?” she asked.
Ronan looked at her.
“What?”
“You could have left.”
A pause.
“You’re Ronan Callahan. You have people everywhere.”
His expression hardened.
“You saved my life.”
“That was just food.”
“No.”
His voice became quieter.
“You gave me back something I thought was gone forever.”
Tessa didn’t know what to say.
The man everyone described as cold and ruthless was standing in a burning building because of a bowl of soup.
A sound came from above.
Another crack.
Ronan looked around.
“There.”
Behind several old shelves was a small window.
Too high.
Too narrow.
Tessa looked at him.
“You’re not seriously thinking—”
“Yes.”
“Ronan, that’s impossible.”
He moved the shelves.
“Impossible is just something people say before they quit.”
Tessa almost laughed.
Even now.
Even trapped in a fire.
He sounded like himself.
They climbed.
The smoke burned their lungs.
The heat was unbearable.
But just as Tessa reached the window…
A figure appeared outside.
Watching.
Waiting.
Tessa froze.
“Someone is out there.”
Ronan looked.
But the person disappeared into the darkness.
A few minutes later, firefighters broke through the entrance.
They dragged them out.
The warehouse burned for two hours.
Everything inside was destroyed.
Almost everything.
Because before leaving, Ronan reached into his coat.
And pulled out the photograph.
The one with Victor Voss.
Tessa stared.
“When did you take that?”
Ronan looked at the burning building.
“When I realized someone wanted us to find it.”
She frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means the fire wasn’t meant to destroy evidence.”
He looked at her.
“It was meant to scare us away.”
Tessa swallowed.
“And if we don’t stop?”
Ronan’s face became cold.
“Then the next fire won’t leave survivors.”
The next morning, Victor Voss woke up.
The news spread through Beaumont House within minutes.
The chef who collapsed before Ronan’s dinner was alive.
But nobody expected what happened next.
Ronan walked into the hospital room.
Victor looked surprised.
“You.”
Ronan stood beside the bed.
“You lied to me.”
Victor looked away.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Ronan placed the old photograph on the table.
Victor’s face changed.
Only for a second.
But Ronan saw it.
“You knew my mother.”
Silence.
Victor closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
Tessa stood behind Ronan.
“You worked for her.”
Victor sighed.
“Not exactly.”
“Then what were you?”
May you like
Victor looked at them.
“A man who failed to protect her.”
