Leaving Mick with a promise I wasn't sure I could keep tugged at my conscience. The villa was no less than an inferno. Going in without at least some measure of protection would be suicide. I tried to enter from the front, but it was impossible. I hurried to check the rear of the building. There was no door; however, there was a window. As I moved towards it, I came upon a lotus pond. Without thinking, I entered it. It was only a few feet deep. I had to crouch to get completely soaked.

A few seconds later, I had broken through the window and entered the villa's kitchen. It was mostly intact, at least for now. Hope flooded me, noticing the bag I had casually placed under its counter undamaged; retrieving it, I threw it out of the window and dashed to the first floor, where I expected to find Mick's bedroom. 

Even before entering the first room to the left, a wave of heat washed over me. I cursed under my breath and, shielding my face, stepped over the threshold. The wreckage left me in no doubt that this was where the first explosion had occurred, with the bed taking the biggest hit. Could this have been Mick's room? Confirmation presented itself a second later as I saw his duffel lying half crushed under the weight of the upended wardrobe. 'It will be a nightmare to pull it out,' I thought, just as a burning slab of wood (possibly the palmate that ran all along the walls) came down, missing me by inches. 

There was no time to waste. Taking a few steps back, I ran forward and jumped over the burning slab. Unfortunately, the bag had already caught fire. "Fucking hell!" I cried as embers landed on my thighs, burning holes through my jeans. Ignoring the sting, I reached for the bag and pulled. It tore, almost dashing my hope of retrieving it. Glancing back at the exit, I realized that any second now, the palmate that ran over the door could fall, trapping me inside. I couldn't afford to turn into a shish kebab yet, so I grabbed anything that wasn't damaged and flung it out the window, thinking that even if I couldn't make it out of here alive, the salvaged items might give Mick a fighting chance. The fire had almost reached the sound gun. Even if I got my hands on it, it was not strong enough to survive the fall. I made a daring decision. Removing my jacket, I threw it on the ground and wrapped it up. There was nothing more I could save here. Exactly as I had done with the other items, I flung the gun—cushioned by my jacket—out the window.

Alas, by the time I turned around, my exit was blocked. My fear had turned into reality. I could run at it and hulk it out of the way, but there was no way I could avoid incurring third-degree burns. 

I glanced back at the window. It was barely holding up. I could take my chance by jumping out, though I could survive if I did it right, there was no guarantee I would remain an asset to Mick at the end of the day. 

I knew Mick. He would never leave me behind; I wasn't going to be his baggage. There was only one way I could ensure it, but just as I decided to get chargrilled in Mick's room, I saw movement near the window. Maybe it was the Grim Reaper coming to drag my soul to hell. 

"Roooooob. Hey, asshole!"

Maybe not. I watched in horror as Mick's face came into view. “The fuck are you doing just standing there? Get your ass here.” He continued to spit out words, which I followed without a word of protest all the while contemplating if I had inhaled drugs stored in the villa, that is, if the Carltons were into drug trafficking and had some merchandise stored here that had gone up in flames due to the blasts. Why else was I seeing Mick at the window?

"Why are you acting high?"

The fog that had trapped my brain cleared. Mick was here. Oh shit, he was here. How was he here? Why was he here!? My eyes followed the rope he had used to climb into the room. The anchor at the end had latched on to the plumbing. 

"Fuck, it's hot," he said, covering his face, before yelling, "Rob, snap out of it and do as I say or we both will die!"

I couldn't let Mick die. I bobbed my head. "What do you want me to do?"

"That's the spirit!" he said, tying the other end of the rope around my waist. 'Climb down. I hope you remember how to do that."

No, I didn't; nonetheless, I bobbed my head and jumped, surprising myself as my body cooperated and I landed on solid ground. I concluded that my muscles must have remembered what my brain had forgotten. 

Shortly after, Mick joined me. By now, some sections of the backyard had caught fire as well. "Gather everything you threw out; I will be right back." With that, he removed the rope from around himself and threw it into the fire. Joining me, he gave the backyard a once-over. "I think that was all of it."

"Yes. I think so." I had never seen Mick so focused. It looked like he had a plan. After all, he had saved my sorry ass; I couldn't help but wonder what else he was capable of. "So, what's next?"

My boss sighed and patted my shoulder. "Now, Mr. Nanny, we have to get back in there."

And the winning streak was over. "Mick, see that?" I pointed at the villa. 

"Yaaa."

"There, unsafe." I turned him around; now facing the thicket that lay behind the ruined property, I said, "There, safe."

"Shut up and, for once, just trust me." The confidence in the statement had me nodding. "Great, just follow me."

Less than a minute later, we were back in the kitchen. The black granite countertop was now the only thing recognizable; Mick dropped down to his knees and pulled open one of the cabinets under it. 

"What are you looking for?" I asked, peeking over his shoulder. 

"The escape route." He moved around a few steel canisters, the kind used fifty years ago. "Yes!" he exclaimed. Then, "Shit. It's stuck. Lend me a hand, will you?" He scooted over and gestured to me to pull on a handle that lay flat on the ground, as he proceeded to pull on its twin on the left. 

A hidden basement. How ingenious! 

Within no time, we yanked open the shutters, revealing a tunnel. "Where does it lead?" I asked. 

"Somewhere safe."

I facepalmed myself (in my mind, of course). "Do you not know where it will take us?"

Mick shook his head. "No. But I know what I am doing, alright?"

He had asked me to trust him, just as I had. Not once had he forced me to come clean, displaying his confidence in me. It was now my turn to return the favor. "Okay. So let's do this."

*****
[Chapter word count: 1216]