Wednesday Briefs: Rose and Thorne 6 #21 (4.7)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day ! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts. 

The Hamilton Arms is on fire? What's going on? See what's happening with Vinnie and Ethan and Uncle Benny in this week's chapter of Rose and Thorne 6. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they're up to. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Rose and Thorne 6 #21 (4.7)

The staff and guests of the Hamilton Arms milled about outside of the hotel, congregating in groups as they speculated as to what was going on inside. A light drizzle had begun to fall, which only added to everyone’s discomfort at being unceremoniously rousted in the middle of the night. Emergency vehicles were already onsite, their flashing lights adding an eerie glow to the scene.

As late as it was, most businesses had closed for the night. Passing traffic was sparse. Even so, vehicles slowed to gawk before moving on.

“Think we could get an umbrella?” I muttered to Ethan. He and Benny and I stood together on the sidewalk. Benny didn’t seem unduly inconvenienced by the weather. He seemed to welcome the wetness, his face upturned to the sky, appearing quite content to be out in the fresh air. Maybe he was.

“I don’t think so,” Ethan said. “Here, get under here.” He opened up his coat and beckoned me to huddle inside. Who was I to argue? Any excuse to get closer to my Ethan. I’m not ashamed to admit it. Taking advantage of our proximity to enjoy his warmth, I closed my eyes and released a contented sigh. Much better. I relaxed for a moment before belatedly remembering we were on a case and I should probably be more aware of my surroundings, I reluctantly opened my eyes again, only to find Ethan’s uncle regarding us with a very fond smile.

“You two are cute,” was all he said. He glanced back toward the hotel. “I don’t see any smoke or flames or anything. Think it might have been a false alarm?”

That thought hadn’t occurred to me, to be honest, and I had to admit I didn’t like it. The very notion that there was no fire to begin with, and we were all standing out here getting wet for no reason, was definitely rubbing me the wrong way. Not just for what we were having to go through but because the alarm had interrupted a very intimate moment between Ethan and myself, one we would probably find difficult to get back considering the lateness of the hour. Never mind that we would have plenty of time for all of that later, and in a more comfortable location, I just wasn’t in a mood to be reasonable at the moment.

A rather bedraggled looking man in a suit caught my attention. He was talking to some of the hotel employees, huddled together not far from where we stood, and he looked far from happy. He must be someone, I surmised. Someone other than a guest. It was far too soon for this guy to be an insurance adjuster. I supposed he could be from the arson squad, but I dismissed that idea as there was no visible sign of fire, much less one that reeked of deliberation. My best guess was this was the hotel’s general manager, dragged out of bed to deal with the situation. Maybe we could get some answers from him.

I straightened up with the intent of confronting the man. Ethan caught my eye, glancing between me and the man in my line of sight. He latched onto my arm before I could stalk off in that direction. But before he could say anything, Benny spoke up.

“Looks like he might be the guy in charge,” he commented. Great minds think alike.

“Why don’t I go ask for an update?” Ethan injected smoothly. “Keep an eye on Benny, will you? Just be a minute.”

If I’d had any objections to make, those were forgotten the next moment when he kissed me lightly and gave me his best I’m counting on you look. I knew he was probably right to do this himself as I was feeling rather irascible and might not be very polite in my approach. Note that I said might. I could play nice when I had a mind to. Ethan, on the other hand, was always very diplomatic and knew just what to say under most circumstances.

“You know, I really would like to meet little Benny,” Benny was saying, probably to distract me from my impending anger. You could see where Ethan acquired his charm. It ran in the family. Even his father was full of it… and yes, pun intended.

I released a long breath before turning to Benny. “I know he would love—”

I quickly lost my train of thought at the sight of a red dot bouncing across Benny. No time for a warning. I flung myself at him, catching him off guard as I tackled him to the ground. Just seconds later, a shot rang out.

 to be continued

Now go see what's up with the other Briefers!

Cia Nordwell

J Ray Lamb

 

 

 

 

Wednesday Briefs: Rose and Thorne 6 #20 (4.6)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day ! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts. 

As you'll recall, Vinnie and Ethan had said good night to Uncle Benny and were engaged in serious... conversation in their room when all hell broke loose. See what's happening in this week's chapter of Rose and Thorne 6. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Rose and Thorne 6 #20 (4.6)

“Guys, come on, fire alarm!” Benny continued to pound on our closed door, his voice rising above the sound of the alarm. Ethan and I pulled on our clothes in record time. We holstered our weapons as well and emerged fully dressed to find Benny had had the presence of mind to do the same.

“You get used to dressing quickly in prison,” he explained as we three bolted toward the exit. “You never know when you’ll be turned out for something.”

One of the first things I remember being taught in training in Illinois was that in any given situation Don’t panic. Keeping a level head could mean the difference between life and death. I imagine that had been ingrained into Ethan as well during his similar training in Georgia. To be honest, though, my boy didn’t tend to panic no matter what. Being by his side was an inspiration to me to stay calm as well.

We moved cautiously into the hallway, unsure of what we might find. There was no visible sign of a fire, neither smoke nor flames. Maybe a dozen or so guests were in the hall, most of them staying close to their rooms, as if unsure what they should to, as if they wanted someone to take charge and give them direction. When I noticed a few of the guests had broken away from the others and were headed toward the elevator, I yelled out, “Take the stairs!” One of the worst places to be during a fire was an elevator, for a number of reasons. What if the power went out? You’d be stuck inside an immobile metal box, with no way out, and you could very possibly die. Stairs, although more work because you had to climb them, were safer and didn’t require electricity.

Ethan and I automatically took charge. We began to herd everyone toward the stairs in as orderly a fashion as possible. An old man in his pajamas grumbled about people making a fuss in the middle of the night, moaning that he wanted to go back to sleep, but his feisty little old wife smacked him and told him to get his skinny ass down the stairs before it got roasted. He mumbled something that might have been yes dear and meekly followed her out.

I glanced at Ethan, whose glance was fixed on me. I knew just what he was thinking, without having to ask, and I shook my head vehemently. “That is not us!” I protested. “Never will be.” That produced a smile from him.

“That is exactly us, in fifty or sixty years, Vinnie.”

“You have a high opinion of yourself, Mr. Thorne, if you think I intend to put up with you for the next fifty or sixty years.” The last of the guests on our floor had just disappeared down the stairwell, and Benny held the fire door open, waiting on us.

Ethan’s smile only grew bigger. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna love your skinny ass forever,” he swore before giving that same ass a quick swat. “Even if it gets fat.”

“Get fat? What?” I complained. “I’ll have you know—”

But whatever I’d intended to have him know was lost in the kiss he laid on me, just before he slung his arm about my waist and we made a quick exit of our own.

 to be continued

Now go see what's up with the other Briefers!

Cia Nordwell

J Ray Lamb