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“I’ll check with Tessa and take care of it Don’t worry about it”

“Thank you,” she said, her mind already back to the apartment

As she grabbed a box and looked to see what she could use for old clothes, her chest tightened at the thought of having to go alone Asher would go if she asked, but she kneas at his parents’ house, helping his mom direct their hired creith last minute party setup, and she didn’t want to take him away from his family

Out of the blue, Loyal’s surprisingly concerned “Are you okay?” theafter the fire popped into her head It had been her first non-hostile experience with hi so she didn’t have to walk She had a fleeting urge to ask for his support now, but it was quickly doused with the memory of his expression when she’d thrown his half-brother in his face

If she called Loyal—which she couldn’t because she didn’t even have his nuo to hell And justifiably so

She ell and truly on her own

Roxanna found an old srabbed a e, threw in a couple garbage bags for good measure, and headed out

When she parked her old Jeep behind the blackened building, she saw a couple of her fellow tenants athered her things froer, and cautiouslyin the air outside enty-tier inside, and she pressed the back of her hand up to her nose as her stomach churned

Gried with anyone she met in the hall, and then she slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor Shock halted her steps when she saw the extent of the dae Walls were burned down to the studs, and as left resembled charred prison bars She could see into every roo outside light into the powerless building

When she e was snuffed out in one stolance Footsteps and voices drew her shell-shocked gaze as two fireear—boots, pants, T-shirt, and suspenders—appeared at the top of the stairs

“We have gloves and a mask that we recommend you wear”

She accepted the supplies the taller, dark-haired guy handed over “Thank you”

“If you need anything lifted out of the way, or carried out to your vehicle, let us know, okay?”

She nodded, and they moved on to check the other apartments

Finally, Roxanna took a deep breath and stepped into the only space she’d called hos in Wisconsin and moved to Colorado She hadn’t looked back—there wasn’t much to look at—but this loss here, pretty ut punch