Read Online Driven to the Limit by Alice Gaines - Free Book Online Page B

said. “He started the fire?”
    “When he found the bike in the file room, he flipped out,”
Steve said.
    “He thinks it’s trying to kill him,” Howie added.
    “The bike?” She grabbed Howie’s shoulders and shook him.
“The Mannhof?”
    “Someone put it in there,” Howie answered. “Picked the wrong
day to mess with Dagger’s head.”
    “Is he… it… still in there?”
    Howie shrugged. “I didn’t see it come out.”
    Shit. Jake was inside there, and the whole house would be on
fire in a few minutes. “I have to get him out.”
    “It’s just a machine,” Steve said.
    “You don’t understand,” she said.
    “It’s expensive, but it isn’t a person.”
    Damn, the man she loved was inside a burning building and
none of them understood. “I’m going in there.”
    Steve grabbed her. “I called the fire department.”
    “They won’t get here soon enough.”
    “You can’t go in there, Lauren.”
    “Try to stop me.” She kicked him in the shin, hard enough
that he bent to rub his leg. Before anyone else could grab her, she ran to the
front door of the cottage and let herself in.
    Outside, people shouted as more of the staff showed up.
Voices called to her, but she ignored them. Steve had said Jake was in the file
room, so she headed in that direction.
    The main control room had filled with smoke and heat. She
coughed and dropped to the floor in hopes of getting air. “Jake!”
    The sound of his engine came to life as he butted the file
room door again and again.
    “Stand back, Jake, I’ll open it.”
    Get out of here , Schatzie.
    “No way. I’m not leaving without you.”
    The smoke got thicker, choking her lungs. She pulled her
shirttail up over her nose and mouth, but she still couldn’t breathe. She had
to get them out of here. Now.
    Listen to me and then get out, Lauren. There are letters
in here for you .
    Her vision blurred and swam in the smoke as she crawled
toward Jake, using his mind to home in on him.
    Employers. Lots of them. They want you .
    “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming.”
    There’s one from your brother. Your family loves you.
They want you at home .
    Her hand hit something metal lying on the floor. Keys.
Someone had dropped his keys. One of them might unlock the file room. It had
better, or she and Jake were both dead. After another foot or two, she found
the door itself.
    “Get back, Jake. I have the key. I’m going to let you out.”
    Run, Lauren .
    “Shut the fuck up.” She coughed again, her lungs burning.
Reaching up, she found the knob and tried a key. Nothing. She tried another
one. Still locked. Shit. Finally, the third one worked, and the door opened.
    Smoke poured into the room, but not before she found Jake in
his cycle form, his engine revving. “Okay, let’s get out of here.”
    I swear, if we live through this I’m going to ream you a
new one .
    “Nice language.”
    Get on the floor, and get some breath .
    “You need oxygen too,” she said.
    I have enough.
    She got her face as close to the floor as it would go and
gasped in what little air she could get.
    Now, grab that plastic bag .
    “Plastic bag?”
    Just do it!
    Sure enough, she found a sack full of what felt like papers.
“Got it.”
    Now, get on my back and hang on!
    She took one more breath of hot air and smoke, rose, and
climbed onto Jake. The moment she did, he flew out of the file room. In the
main room, he hesitated as if assessing the situation. Walls of flame shot up
all around them. Lauren held her breath rather than breathe in the foul gasses,
and her lungs burned. How in hell were they going to get out of here?
    Then, Jake turned and revved his engine until the roar
drowned out even the sound of the flames. He put himself in gear and lurched
forward so fast she almost lost her seat. But she managed to hang on while they
charged right toward a curtain of flame. With no choice but to trust Jake, she
hunched over and clung to the handlebars for her very life. The fire burned her
as