Surrender (Cunningham Security Book 7) Read online

  Feeling refreshed and ready to start my movement practice, which consisted of a series of poses known as asana, I shifted my body from my seated position to standing. I’d barely just gotten myself upright and in tadasana, known as mountain pose, when I heard a loud crash at the front of my yoga studio.

  My body jolted at the unwelcome sound and snapped me out of my focused mental state. Feeling the nerves build up inside my belly, I hustled out of the back room and down to the front of my studio. And as I did, I heard the crackling sound. Instinct told me I knew what that sound was, but my fear had me telling myself I was wrong.

  My feet carried me those last few steps, and suddenly, I was assaulted by the sight, sound, and smell of my studio being consumed by flames.

  I couldn’t go out the front door, unless I was prepared to walk through fire.

  Unfortunately, there was no other way out. There was a door located at the back of the studio, but I wouldn’t be able to get out that way. The space I rented was in an old building. From the day I moved in a few years ago until now, I’d never been able to get the back door unlocked. Talking to my landlord about it had been on my list of things to do at one point, but I had forgotten about it until this very moment.

  I backed away from the fire, the heat becoming too intense and the flames engulfing more of the space. I couldn’t die in here. I couldn’t burn to death.

  Oh God.

  The sound of the fire. I’d never forget the sound.

  My nerves had thrown me right into full-blown panic mode.

  Breathe.

  I had to breathe.

  Breathe and move.

  That was the only way I’d survive this.

  I took in a deep breath, cleared my head, and focused. There was one option to get myself out of here alive. I ran over to the shelf behind my desk and grabbed the largest crystal I had in the bunch. Without any other choice, I hurled the crystal at the large picture window opposite the front door. The fire hadn’t quite filled that space, but I knew I didn’t have much time.

  The heavy crystal connected with the glass, shattering it. Seconds later, not caring that I was barefoot and in only a pair of tiny yoga shorts and a sports bra, I heaved my body out the open space. Pain seared through one of my feet as the shards of glass sliced into the flesh on the ball of my foot.

  I ignored the pain as I ran next door to Harvey’s Tool Box. Flinging the door open, I shouted, “Harvey!”

  Harvey was an older man, easily in his mid-sixties, but he still got around really well. Within seconds of me yelling for him, he appeared in front of me. Before he had the chance to say anything, I yelled, “The building is on fire! You have to get out!”

  Urging me out ahead of him, Harvey and I left his store. With the exception of Harvey and me, the only other business open this early was Tasha’s Café all the way at the opposite end of the block. The café was just one of two free-standing structures on the block. The other was Petals, the flower shop owned by my friend, Zara.

  “Yeah, I’m calling to report a fire.” Harvey’s voice broke into my thoughts. I looked over to see him on his cell phone.

  As he gave specifics of the location of the fire, I stood there and stared as my livelihood went up in flames. Even though I knew the Windsor Fire Department would be here within minutes, I had no doubt there’d be nothing left of my studio. There was already too much damage.

  This couldn’t be happening.

  What was I going to do? Where would I teach?

  Though it felt like hours had passed, I knew it hadn’t been more than a couple minutes when I heard the sirens. And it wasn’t more than a few seconds later when I saw the fleet of trucks race down the street.

  From that moment on, a bunch of activity swirled around me. But I couldn’t pay attention to any of it because my insides were shaking. Part of it was because it was early in the morning. It might have been late August, but we lived in the mountains. Early morning temperatures were cold and my current outfit was not exactly practical.

  But the shaking was mostly due to my panic and anxiety. I could feel it building inside me and knew it was only a matter of time before I completely lost it.

  As the firefighters battled the blaze, I stood there and watched, feeling the fear and uncertainty wash over me. My vision grew blurry as tears welled in my eyes.

  It was gone.

  My studio was gone.

  And with it went my safe place.

  One of only two constants I had in my life.

  I was just barely hanging on to my emotions when the last of the flames had been extinguished. While I stared at the open hole in the space where my studio used to be, I could no longer hold back what I was feeling. The tears flowed from my eyes, and it became harder and harder to breathe.

  I couldn’t believe it. No matter that it nearly killed me or that I’d watched it all happen, I was still in disbelief.

  There was nothing left.

  Something washed over me as the reality began to settle in. I had no way to escape it. The thought filled me with dread and panic gripped me.

  No longer able to hold myself upright, sobs poured out of me and my legs began to buckle. Before I hit the ground, I felt a pair of strong hands catch me under my arms, lift me to standing again, and pull me into a hug.

  I didn’t look up. I had no idea who was holding me. All I knew was that I needed the comfort being offered. My body trembled, but within seconds, I felt a warm sweatshirt being draped over my shoulders.

  “Shh, you’re okay now,” a gentle, masculine voice stated.

  The voice was so soothing I couldn’t help but tilt my head back. My eyes met the scrutiny of the most breathtaking man I’d ever seen. I swallowed hard, still gazing up at him, and saw the warmth in his eyes.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  No.

  No, I wasn’t.

  Not at all.

  I couldn’t speak, so I simply shook my head.

  His arms got a little tighter around me.

  “What’s your name, sweetheart?” he pressed, asking a question that would force me to speak.

  “Lennox. Lennox Ford. But everyone calls me Leni,” I managed to get out.

  “I’m Holden.”

  I gave him a nod and remained quiet. Maybe I should have been freaked out by how comforting it felt to be in the arms of a man I didn’t know, but for some reason, I wasn’t.

  “Detective Baines told me you were inside when it happened,” he stated.

  I didn’t know who Detective Baines was, nor did I know how he knew I was inside considering I hadn’t spoken with anyone about it.

  The confusion must have been written all over my face because Holden explained, “Harvey told him you ran into his place to get him out.”

  “Can you tell me what happened?” he asked.

  I nervously bit my lip, relatively certain I wasn’t going to be able to handle recounting this.

  “I come in early to get my morning yoga practice in before my classes start,” I began. “I’d just finished my meditation and was about to start the movement part of my practice when I heard a loud crash at the front of the studio. Being at the back of the studio, I walked toward the front and found the entire area in front of the door was engulfed in flames. I panicked because that was the only way out.”

  I stopped and closed my eyes, the sound of the fire flooding my mind.

  Shaking my head in an effort to rid myself of the horrible thoughts of what could have happened, I looked back at Holden and continued, “I ran over behind my desk and got my largest, heaviest crystal to throw at the picture window. I didn’t have much time or space left because the fire was spreading so quickly, so I ran out the small opening.”

  Holden glanced over at the sidewalk in front of the where the window used to be before he took a step back from me and looked down. “You’re barefoot,” he pointed out.

  I looked down at my feet and back up at him. “Yeah.”

  “Are your
feet okay?” he asked. There was an edge of concern and worry in his tone.

  I had my weight on my right foot, my left barely touching the ground. To answer Holden’s question, I simply shook my head.

  He shifted his body, slid an arm around my waist at the front of me, and lowered to the ground behind me. In the next second, the fingers of his opposite hand curled around my left ankle and lifted it.

  The next thing I knew, I was no longer standing. I was lifted in Holden’s arms and he was carrying me out into the street.

  Slightly panicked, I looked up at him for an explanation as to what he was doing, but he never looked down at me. The look on his face was one of concentration and determination.

  “Her foot’s been cut on the glass from the window,” he finally declared.

  I turned my attention in the direction he was looking and saw he had stopped at the back of an ambulance and was speaking to a medic. After the medic opened the door, Holden immediately stepped inside and settled me on the gurney. I expected him to take off, but he stood there by my side as the paramedic began assessing the state of my foot.

  As I sat there, I tried to take some settling breaths. The last thing I needed was to have a complete meltdown right now. I managed to hold it together until, after some time passed, the medic stated, “You’re bandaged up right now, but you need to be seen by a doctor to make sure you don’t need any stitches. With the location of the cut, you might need to be off it for a few days.”

  My body tensed.

  Oh God.

  Oh no.

  I couldn’t be still.

  There was no way.

  Holden seemed to have sensed I was struggling because he asked the medic, “Can you give us a minute?”

  The paramedic nodded and stepped out.

  Holden took my hand in his, crouched down beside me, and wondered, “Is there something I can do to help you?”

  Other than his name, I didn’t even know who he was.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Why what?”

  “I don’t even know you,” I stated the obvious.

  He took in a deep breath. “My name is Holden Locke, and I work for a private investigation and security firm called Cunningham Security. I’m part of a team that’s helping the Windsor Police Department to investigate the countless fires that have hit the town over the last couple of months. If there’s something I can do for you, I will.”

  He had no idea how what he was offering made me feel. He was the kind of man that would step up and do something for a woman he didn’t know when the people who should have been here for me at a time like this wouldn’t ever give me a second glance. “That’s really kind of you. Thank you.”

  Holden flashed me a smile. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  Before I could respond, I heard a familiar female voice shout, “Leni!”

  My head snapped to the side where I saw Zara standing at the entrance to the back of the ambulance. She was out of breath and looked as devastated as I felt. Wasting no time, she climbed up into the ambulance and pulled me into her arms. Holden slipped his hand out of mine. I missed the connection but embraced my friend instead.

  While Zara comforted me, I felt Holden’s movement beside us. He placed his hand on the top of my head, held it there a moment, and moved out of the ambulance.

  “What happened?” Zara asked once we were alone. “Are you okay?”

  Just as I was about to tell her the story, Tasha—the owner of Tasha’s Café—had hopped in. She sat down with us, and I told them how my morning had gone. Right when I was in the middle of giving them the details about what happened, Zara’s boyfriend stuck his head inside and asked for the keys to her flower shop. She handed them off. Once he was gone, I gave the girls the rest of the story.

  Then, I met Detective Baines. He asked me about what happened, and I recounted everything that I’d relayed to Holden already.

  “How about I take you to get your foot checked out?” Zara suggested after Detective Baines left the ambulance.

  “You don’t mind?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Let’s just go into the shop first so I can let Pierce know what’s happening.”

  Pierce was Zara’s boyfriend. The two of them had gotten together shortly after the fires had started.

  “I’ll get some food made up for when you two get back,” Tasha announced.

  “That’s perfect. Thanks, Tash.”

  The girls helped me out of the ambulance so I could hobble over to Zara’s shop. Once inside, we found that Pierce was there with Holden and another guy they worked with. My friend explained that she was going to be taking me to have my foot checked out. I did my best to avoid everyone’s gaze because I knew if I saw sympathetic looks, I’d lose it.

  “Did you find anything on the cameras?” Zara asked.

  Pierce answered, “Yeah. We were able to see how it happened. And we’ve got a lead now that we can follow up on, too. We might have a possible suspect.”

  “That’s great news,” Zara exclaimed. “Do you think it’s going to amount to anything? Will you find this guy?”

  The menacing tone of Holden’s voice filled the room. “Oh, we’re going to find him,” he promised. “And we’re getting started on it right now.”

  I closed my eyes and let out a breath.

  Pierce and Zara continued to talk, but I wasn’t paying attention. It wasn’t until I heard Holden’s voice calling my name that I looked up.

  “Do you need anything, sweetheart?” His voice was so gentle and full of concern. I was a bit thrown by how he’d gone from being so angry to so sweet in a matter of seconds.

  Tears filled my eyes as I stared at him. “I need a place to work,” I told him.

  I’m sure it came across as urgency because I truly did need to work, but the truth was that I was feeling so overwhelmed by him and everything I’d been through over the last couple hours.

  “We’ll get you up and running again. It’s just going to take a little bit of time,” he assured me.

  I wasn’t sure what he meant when he said ‘we’. Even still, I gave him a nod.

  At that, Zara took off upstairs. I was still in incredibly tiny shorts, a bra, and Holden’s hoodie, so she was going to loan me a pair of sandals and a t-shirt.

  Pierce and the other guy walked toward the front door and out of the shop. Holden stayed with me.

  I shrugged his sweatshirt off and held it out to him. “Thank you for letting me borrow this,” I said.

  He put his hand to my wrist and urged it away from him. “Keep it for now. It’s cold out. I can grab it from you later.”

  Later? I thought. Am I going to see him later?

  “What about you?” I asked.

  His eyes roamed briefly over my body. “Leni, I’ll be fine. Keep the hoodie.”

  The sound of his voice saying my name was something I liked a whole lot. And for that reason, I slipped my arms back through the sleeves of the sweatshirt.

  Moments later, Zara returned.

  When she did, Holden lifted me up in his arms and carried me out to her car. After he closed my door, Zara and I took off.

  “I can’t believe I have to be on crutches for three days and I have no place to work.”

  Zara and I returned to her loft a couple hours ago.

  My landlord had arrived while I was getting my foot checked out. When we got back, I had the chance to chat with him and discuss what the plan was moving forward. If nothing else, I was grateful that he was such a good man. He assured me that he had every intention of getting to work immediately and would do whatever he could to see to it that I wasn’t down a long time.

  As promised, Tasha had joined us not long afterward with food. The girls couldn’t help but notice my despondency.

  “It’s only three days,” Tasha reasoned. “Enjoy the time off to relax.”

  Easier said than done.

  I knew most people might welcome doctor’s orders for stillness, but I
wasn’t one of them. I had to move. I craved it.

  It was as crucial to my well-being as eating or breathing.

  Not wanting to get my mind swirling with a million other dreadful thoughts, I did my best to perk up. It was mostly useless, though. Zara and Tasha did their best to help distract me from my thoughts but also listened when I felt the need to talk. I didn’t share any deep, dark secrets, but I did give them a hint about how bad I was handling the situation. Luckily, Zara’s cat, Callie, sensed my mood and offered up some cuddles to comfort me.

  “Would it help to stay here with me tonight?” Zara asked.

  “No. Thank you, though. I think I need to get back home and try to sort some things out. I have to try to see if I can find a place to work out of in the meantime,” I returned. “Thanks for being here for me today.”

  “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me,” she insisted.

  I gave her a nod and moved toward the door when it suddenly hit me. My body froze.

  “Is something wrong?” Zara asked.

  I dropped my head. “I just realized that my car keys were in the studio. I can’t even drive myself home now,” I told her.

  Before Zara could reply, her phone rang.

  She answered and listened to whoever was on the other end.

  “We’re okay; however, Leni has an issue,” she began. “She was going to head home, but she just realized that her car keys were in the studio.”

  Zara listened for the response I assumed had to be coming from Pierce.

  “Really?” she asked.

  Silence again.

  “Okay. Are you on your way here or are you still working?” she wondered.

  A pause before she disconnected.

  “If you want me to take you home, I can,” she started. “Or if you’d prefer, Holden and Pierce are on their way here now. Holden won’t mind giving you a ride either. If you aren’t comfortable with that, though, I’m happy to take you.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. It was the first I could remember doing it all day.

  “And there’s the silver lining,” I declared. “My studio burns down, but there’s a great-looking guy standing by to help me through my nightmare.”