So he focused, fired off a few more shots, let the car swerve wildly, then aimed them directly at the glass door.
“I love you, Mateo,” Ally whispered, a split second before tires screeched loudly behind him, signaling that the Delta Force team was causing their distraction.
“Love you, too, little mouse,” he said as he shoved on her hand that was holding the door, swinging it open, and rolling them both from the vehicle right as the car made contact with the door.
There was no time for him to hesitate, so he snatched Ally up and threw her over his shoulder, then prayed that they didn't get too badly scratched up by the glass as he jumped over the hood of the car and through the broken door. Tucking his girl behind him, he fired at the smoking hood of the car, knowing he had to get it to blow up quickly, or he was going to give away that they had gotten out of the car alive.
One shot turned out to be all it took.
Rolling his body over Ally’s, the car exploded, sending shards of glass, metal, brick, and wood flying through the air. Flames sprang to life, quickly burning through anything in their path.
Grabbing Ally’s hand, he pulled her to her feet and ran down the wide corridor toward one of the stores further from the now ruined door, to try to take cover in there. There were no interior doors installed yet, and no way to stop the encroaching flames, but Trigger and the guys were coming for them. All they had to do was get far enough away from the spreading fire and wait. If he was positive Azure had only one vehicle following them, he’d take Ally all the way through the mall and out the back.
Other than some tools, and piles of wood that looked like shelving, the room was empty, but so far there were no flames in here, and he guided Ally toward the back of the store. Tucking them into a corner, he aimed his weapon toward the door just in case whoever had been following them had been ordered to confirm their deaths. Then there was nothing else to do but wait.
The orangey-red glow of the flames grew brighter.
The heat grew stronger.
Sweat dotted his brow, partly from the growing strength of the fire, and partly from the fear that he’d messed up and putAlly in more danger. The fire was spreading more quickly than he’d anticipated. Quick enough to consume them if the others didn't get here soon.
Smoke filled the room, making it harder to draw a breath. Ally was tucked against his side, leaning more heavily against him by the second. They’d die of smoke inhalation before the flames reached them, but with how rapidly the fire had consumed the foyer of the mall, Mateo knew there was no way the two of them could find their way through all the smoke on their own.
He’d failed.
They were going to die right here in this room, and all he could do was think of all the small things he could have done differently so they never got to this point.
“I'm sorry, baby,” he whispered, pressing his face into Ally’s hair, tears burning the backs of his eyes, and not because of the thickening smoke.
“Not your fault,” she whispered back. “I mean it, Mateo. I love you. I wish you’d gotten me out as soon as you realized they’d taken me, but I do understand that you were in an impossible situation, and you made what you thought was the best decision under the circumstances. I still love you, and I don’t want us to die with regret or anger or guilt between us.”
“You're more than I deserve, little mouse,” he told her, capturing her chin between his thumb and forefinger and angling her head so that he could press his lips to hers. If he was dying, he was doing it with his girl in his arms.
“Here we were, thinking we were saving lives, and instead we’re interrupting a make-out session.”
The voice caught him completely by surprise, and Mateo was already swinging his weapon in its direction and shoving his girl behind him, as it registered.
Trigger.
Somehow, the guys were here. They’d found them.
“You have the best timing,” he said, the last word ending on a cough as the smoke began to affect him.
“Or the worst,” Lucky added cheerfully.
“Definitely the best,” Ally said from behind him.
“We have extra oxygen masks for you,” Doc said, holding one up. “Can you walk out, or do you need to be carried?”
“Carry Ally,” Mateo said before she could answer. If the smoke was affecting him, then it was affecting her much smaller frame faster, and he wanted her out of here now.
Lefty handed him a mask while Doc fitted the other one to Ally’s face then lifted her into his arms. A protest died on his lips as he watched the other man cradle Ally. It was pure selfishness that made Mateo want to be the one to carry his girl out of what had almost become their fiery tomb, but his body was starting to tremble as he neared the metaphorical brick wall. Since he wanted Ally out of here ASAP, it was better if Doc carried her.
With the oxygen masks on and the guys carving a path through the flames with fire extinguishers, it didn't take long for them to make their way through the burning building.
The second they stepped out into the fresh air, Mateo reached for Ally. She came willingly, and although there were flashes of lights and the screech of sirens as emergency vehicles approached, he blocked it all out. They’d need to be checked over by a doctor at some point, but it would only be one he trusted, not some stranger. Until then, he wanted his girl in his arms and nowhere else.
Tugging away the oxygen mask, he reached for hers and pulled it off as well. They were both breathing raggedly, but their smoke inhalation was mild, they hadn't been in there long enough for it to get bad.