Chicago Fire Book Novels & Stories

Charlotte stuck her tongue out awkwardly and replied, “That’s not necessary—” Before she could finish her sentence, Zachary had already thrown the lighter into the metal bucket. The moment the lighter touched the gasoline, a fire broke out, and the three photo books with more than 300 photos were reduced to ashes in a second. “Do you feel hurt now?”

he asked again “no, and what rumors?” “Good, then you shouldn’t have any problems in the afternoon. I’ll be back to talk you through it if you perhaps fear being poked with needles” he left with that not waiting for me to speak. I don’t fear syringes, I scoffed and what rumors was he talking about. I remained standing there until I had the sound of his car leave the parking lots and our automatic gates get shut.

Tears filled her eyes as she whispered against his chest, “Then burn it down. Burn the book. Please.” But when he reached for the pages, the blood hissed back like flames resisting him. The book laughed—a sharp, broken sound akin to paper tearing apart: “You can’t burn her story, fox; you can only read it…and reading means obeying.” Camela’s scream caught in her throat as she muttered, “It spoke…” Vincent bared his teeth in defiance as his fire flared even higher. “Then I’ll silence it,” he said fiercely. He slammed his hand down, his fire blazing but the pages didn’t burn. Instead, they bled harder and thicker, flooding the floor until it reached their ankles.

He set the untouched drink aside and reached for his coat. Fire had rules. Fire did not look back. Fire did not involve itself in accidents or strangers. But tonight, Fire had collided with something cold. And for reasons he couldn’t yet explain, Alexander Steele knew this was not just an incident. It was the beginning of something dangerous.

I frantically adjusted the signal transmitter, my throat raw as I spoke out. “Ben! The brakes and doors have been tampered with! Send someone now!” However, all that reached me was the static hiss of electricity. From the other side came the faint scrape of a chair and the tap of keys. Then Mandy’s anxious voice cut in. “Sigh, I really don’t know how far Jane wants to take this car. The fire is already huge, and she still won’t slow down or stop. “Are those empty honors really more important than her life?”

I didn’t touch it. I just sat there. Listening. Waiting. Like if I stayed close enough, I would hear her coming back sooner. I didn’t. Time moved slowly in that house. Too slowly. So I started walking around. Carefully. Like I didn’t want to break anything. Or make her regret bringing me. I didn’t go back into that room with the books. Even though I thought about it. A lot. Instead, I stayed in the main space. Sometimes I sat on the chair.

His expression was deadly serious. “Everyone out. Now.” The fire wasn’t huge yet. But it was spreading. Fast. Much too fast. My chest tightened. This wasn’t an accident. I knew it immediately. Someone had done this. Someone wanted something destroyed. Or someone wanted us scared. Outside, emergency vehicles arrived. Red and blue lights flashed everywhere. People gathered across the street. Watching. Whispering. Recording videos. The entire bookstore glowed behind us. Firefighters rushed inside. Smoke poured from broken windows.

**Chapter 98: Flames of Revenge** The guest house burned like a funeral pyre against the Miami night. I stood at the reinforced window of the safe wing, Julian tucked against my chest in a carrier while Hope slept fitfully in Lucian’s arms. Orange flames devoured the west wing where Chuck had been staying, roaring high into the sky. Black smoke billowed upward, carrying with it the acrid smell of scorched wood, fabric, and secrets.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Prologue CHAPTER ONE – ROAD TO RIYA CHAPTER TWO – APEX PREDATOR CHAPTER THREE – HUNTING PARTY CHAPTER FOUR – TRAPPED CHAPTER FIVE – CAPITAL’S TRUTH Bonus story  A BEAUTIFUL DAY TO DIE YOUNG * CHAPTER ONE – THE INVITE TO DEATH * CHAPTER TWO – BAD FRIENDS, BAD * CHAPTER THREE – CRUMBLING FLESH OF CHILDREN  THE BIRTH OF ERIC KANE