A few months back, if Nate had been asked what he feared most, his answer would have been simple. Something along the lines of, Chuck taking over Vorche, or the stock market plummeting. But now he knew what real fear was. Fear was running out in the middle of the night, Rose's scream echoing in his mind. Fear was the lack of response from her end of the line no matter how many times he called her name.
Fear was the thought of someone hurting Rose. It was the realization that whatever was going on, he could lose her…forever.
He called the police on the way there, dropping his family name when it seemed like they would not send anyone to her place because he did not know what exactly was wrong. Only talking about how terrified she had sounded. He was the first to arrive, vaguely noting the car that sped off into the night, the plate number registering only because the flames were reflecting off of them.
Flames…fire, Rose's shop was on fire.
All around, the street was coming alive.
