When Lupin returned to the house that she and Mahou had been staying in with Jigen, it was in flames.
This was probably one of the most frightening things she’d ever laid eyes on. Not that she was unfamiliar with fire- no. Her son and best friend were nowhere to be seen.
There were two options here, Jigen took the baby and ran, but he would’ve called, right? Dread filled her entire being when the thought of them being inside hit her.
And without thinking- she ran into the house.
The heat was intense. It’d be crazy to think it wouldn’t be. Flames licked the walls and the smoke was so thick she could barely breathe. But with a stroke of luck, she found Jigen immediately.
The gunman was laying in the hallway leading to the living room, laying face-down and his arms sprawled above his head. It looked as if he had tried to crawl into the main living space.
She was at his side in a flash, turning on his back, and trying to check to see if he still had a pulse. As it turned out, it wasn’t necessary, as the gunman stirred briefly and coughed.
“Jigen! We need to get out of here!” she choked out. “Where’s Mahou?”
“Pycal” he wheezed. “Took ‘im.”
The dread Lupin had felt before doubled, weighing heavily in her gut. But now, there wasn’t time for that. She needed to get Jigen out and to safety.
She would deal with Pycal later.