Her legs buckled, and he had to support her weight.

Above us, the ceiling creaked ominously.

The fire had reached the old stage curtains, which were now falling in burning sheets.

“The window!” I pointed to the boarded-up archway along the side wall.

“We can break the wood.”

Liam nodded, guiding Chloe toward the side stairs.

I turned back to look at the crate.

The phone was still on it, its screen flashing through the smoke.

And beside it, the ledger was untouched, though the wood of the crate was beginning to char.

“Audrey, no!” Liam yelled.

But I was already moving.

I couldn’t leave the only proof of my survival.

I lunged across the stage, my boots sliding on the soot.

I grabbed the heavy, leather-bound book just as a burning piece of timber crashed down onto the crate.

Sparks showered over my face, stinging my skin.

I cradled the ledger to my chest and turned back.

The path to Liam and Chloe was blocked by a falling rafter.

“Audrey!” Liam’s voice sounded distant through the roar of the fire.