A face blurred in and out of focus, but wasn’t clear enough for her to link it with a name, not in her condition.
The man grimaced as she stared back, but he didn’t stop. Dodging fallen debris, he disappeared into a wall of flames, leaving Sam alone. She pushed off the floor and sat back until her head cleared enough to stand. Her body had begun to fight her, but she ignored the pain and got to her feet.
Her confrontation had stolen precious time. Sam turned to run deeper into the fire shouting for Jessie between fits of coughing that had her doubled over. She heard another thunderous crash that roared through the old mansion and knew her chances of making it upstairs had run out. The place would soon come crashing down on her.
She’d stayed too long.
CHAPTER 27
“Jessie!” Sam cried. “Where are…you?”
One open door remained ahead, and she made a run for it, her last-ditch effort to find her friend. When she looked inside the room, she noticed a strange door. With a makeshift closure, it had a metal pipe lying across steel brackets and was bolted shut. Gaping holes of splintered wood were punched through the closed door. The source of the gunfire. And the blaze had enveloped the walls around the doorjamb.
“Jessie!” she yelled.
Sam raced for the bolted door, careful not to stand in front of it. If someone inside still had a gun, she’d make an easy target. She stood to one side and called out again.
“Jessie…you in there?”
“Sam, is that you?”
She heard the muffled voice, and answered, “I’m here. I’m gonna get you out.”
Sam wrapped her jacket around her hands and inspected the metal bolt that had them locked inside. It looked hot, but she had no choice. She positioned her hands on one end and shoved. Even through the wrapping on her hands, she felt the trauma of her skin burning, and it sent a jolt through her—searing heat fused with the stark chill of shock. But the metal pipe crashed to the floor at her feet. And the door swept open.
In a blur she felt Jessie rush to her. Barely able to stand, Sam pulled her friend close and drew from her strength.
“Oh Sammie. You did it.”
Jess felt Sam collapse in her arms as the others gathered around them. But as her gaze shifted into the larger room and beyond, Jess’s mouth opened in shock. Fire had engulfed the house and consumed any hope they had of walking out the way they’d come.
And Sam had risked everything to save her. She clutched her lifelong friend tight, and whispered in her ear, “You saved my life, little sister.”
Despite the futility of their predicament, Jess had to return the favor—or die trying. When Alexa joined them, she grabbed Sam by the shoulders to make sure her friend was strong enough.
“Can you walk?” she asked. When Sam nodded, she glanced at Alexa. “It doesn’t look like the front door is an option out.”
“No way,” Sam agreed. “The ceiling caved in. And I’d guess anything upstairs is out, too.”
“This shit hole is comin’ down,” Jake shouted, “…and we’re gonna die. I can’t—”
“Shut up, Jake. You’re not helping.” Jess turned toward Alexa. “Max and Seth will need a hand. I’ve got an idea, but you’ll have to trust me. We gotta go now.”
What she had in mind would be a crapshoot at best, but she didn’t have the heart to tell them the truth.
Some people can sit on a sideline content to watch the drama of a game played out, but Ray Garza had never been like that. He had to get involved and make a difference—his way. That was why he’d joined the police force.
He knew that he should have let the tactical team do their thing. And the fire department would have their hands full once they got the go-ahead to move in. But leaving Sam to deal with a full-blown fire and a killer with hostages was too much to ask of a guy—especially a cop.
Ray waited until heads were turned and opened the trunk of his vehicle. A crowbar was the kind of passkey he needed to gain access fast. He headed down the block, away from the action, then doubled back toward the rear of the burning mansion through an adjoining property.
“Hang on, Coop,” he whispered. “Please.”
All he could think about was Sam’s sweet face—her crooked smile, the way her brow furrowed when she was deep in thought, and the underlying compassion in her eyes that was never far from the surface. And the woman was gutsy, too. Real gutsy.
Even though he had taken issue with her close friendship with Jessica Beckett, he knew that was something he would never change or want to. She cared deeply for those she loved. And her loyalty was steadfast, another quality he admired.
The woman had gotten under his skin in a big way, but damned if he didn’t like it.
Ray had hopes for more time with her. He’d never been in love. The possibility of it had always scared him…until now. But Sam had opened his eyes to a life outside the job. And he wanted one with her.
“You’re not getting out of our bet, Sam.”
He forced a smile and picked up his pace. And as he ran through the shadows toward the fireball lighting the night sky, he prayed it wasn’t already too late.
“You won’t be needing this anymore.” Jess pulled the gun Jake carried next to his belly. The bartender looked as if he would object, but backed off. “And since you carried him in here, you’re taking Max out. Pick him up.”
“No, I don’t want him touching my dad,” Seth protested. “I’ll take him.”
Jess was about to put up an argument, but seeing the look in Harper’s eyes, she knew better. He tried to mask his pain with a stern expression that she’d never seen before. If there was ever a time that Seth had meant business, this was it.
She pulled him aside, away from the others.
“Take my jacket and cover Max’s face. The smoke will be bad where we’re going.” She squeezed his arm. “And if you can’t do this, don’t be the hero. Ask for help, or you’ll both die.”
“Got it.” He nodded. “I trust you, Jessie. Lead the way.”
She knew what a concussion felt like firsthand, and Harper was doing a pretty good job covering up. But with the extra load and in his shaky condition, he’d be pushed to his limits. He wouldn’t be able to stay low where his chances were better. Carrying Max would put them both at risk for smoke inhalation, but she didn’t see an alternative that Harper would tolerate.
“Don’t worry. I’ll look after him,” Alexa reassured her and turned toward Seth, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get your father.”
In seconds, they were ready to go, with Jess in front, standing at the door.
“Stay as low as you can and stick close,” she said. “If you lose sight of the person in front of you…yell. We’re heading for the kitchen.” She waved her hand to show them the direction. “There’s a door to the basement below.”
“The basement?” Jake questioned, shaking his head. “Goin’ deeper into hell is crazy.”
“There’s a way out down there…but we’ll have to work at it. If that’s not good enough, Jake, there’s the door. You feelin’ lucky?” She glared at the man who had put them in this situation. When he avoided her eyes and kept his mouth shut, she added, “I didn’t think so. Now let’s move out.”
Jess looked into the eyes of her friends one last time, but when her gaze found Jake, she clenched her jaw and didn’t hide her resentment. She didn’t trust him, but like it or not, he was part of the group and would need her help out of Millstone’s inferno.
Sometimes it sucked to have a conscience.
After they cleared the room, the heat was unbearable. Staying low only made it marginally better. The conditions made her more worried for Seth and his father. She covered her mouth with her forearm and took shallow breaths, dodging fiery obstacles in her path, careful not to lose Harper. He followed her, but the smoke made it nearly impossible to see him. She felt his presence and kept moving. And she prayed the others were close behind. She had underestimated the noise. If one of them got lost now, she wasn’t sure she could hear their call for help.