Page 72 of Forever Only Once

I got there and almost fell to my knees.

The whole place was on fire, flames licking at the sky. I just looked around, wondering what the hell I was going to do. We had insurance, but who the fuck cared about that right now?

“Macon!”

I coughed as I move forward, the heat searing my skin as I looked around.

“Macon!”

“Cops are on their way, son,” Frank said, and I turned to see a group of people.

“Did you see my brother? He might have been here.”

Frank’s eyes turned somber, and he shook his head.

“I’ll help you look, son. I’ll help you look.”

I moved forward. I knew this was stupid, but I had to find my brother. I had to find Macon.

I went around to the back parking lot, and my knees shook because I recognized the car parked there.

Hazel. Hazel was here, too.

Oh my God.

I kept going to the back door—it didn’t seem the flames had reached there yet—but I couldn’t open it, I couldn’t get closer. Then I saw the pile of clothes and the lump on the other side of the porch. I leapt over it, fell to my knees, and turned over my brother’s body.

Blood covered his chest, and my whole body shook. I put my hands over the wound, blood seeping through my fingers.

But his blood was still pumping, which meant, he was alive.

“Macon? Macon.”

“Hazel,” Macon ground out.

“What?” My hands shook as I put pressure on my brother’s chest. “Where’s Hazel, Macon? What happened? Who did this?”

“They took her. They took Hazel. Find her.”

And then Frank was there, on his knees next to me, his hands over mine.

“They took your girl? Is that what I heard?” Frank said.

“Where?” I asked Macon, my hands trembling under Frank’s.

Macon pointed weakly. “Trees. I’ll be fine. Find her.”

I couldn’t choose. Tears stung my eyes. I didn’t want to leave my baby brother. There was blood on my hands, swaths of red everywhere, and he was coughing.

And someone had taken Hazel.

I didn’t know what to do.

“I’m good,” Macon said and smiled, an expression that reached his eyes like it always did. I was going to throw up.

“I’ll be right back,” I whispered, then leaned down and kissed my brother on the cheek because he wasn’t going to die. This wouldn’t be the last time I saw him.

Macon’s hand slid up, his whole arm shaking as he touched my cheek.

“Find her. I’m fine.”

And then Frank pushed me out of the way and gave me a tight nod.

“Find your girl. I’ve got this. Cops are almost here.”

Frank had been saying that over and over, and I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe both of them. So I got to my feet, staggering a little, and looked down at my little brother. Then, I turned away.

Because I had to find Hazel.

No matter what.