Hot for You (24 page)

Cody looked at Reese who gave a slight nod.
“Tell him without giving the details we’re keeping from the press.”
Which meant Cody wasn’t to tell Sam about the Barbie dolls.

Starting at the beginning, Cody gave Sam the
Cliff Notes version of the case and what had been happening to
Carilyn. He didn’t mention Janice’s burnt body or the videos of her
being burned alive.

“Dear God,” Sam said again when Cody finished
telling him the pertinent information.

“We’re getting closer to her.” Cody glanced
at the phone, his heart throbbing painfully in his chest. “The app
says we’re within five miles.”

Reese turned off the siren and lights as they
got closer. Backup was four or five miles behind them.

Cody was afraid the phone’s app wouldn’t get
them far in the mountains, just like the mapping app gave them
problems once they got to rural areas. However the Find My iPhone
app seemed to be more powerful than the mapping application.

When they came to a fork in the road, Cody
told Reese to turn left. A little ways further, the app told him
they needed to make a right. The phone was within half a mile if
the app was correct.

Cody’s heart beat faster as they approached.
“We should stop here,” he said as they came within two hundred feet
of the location. They couldn’t see anything ahead, but didn’t want
to be spotted.

“Stay with the car,” Reese said to Sam. “I
need you to tell my men which way we went. If you follow, I have to
I’ll cuff you and lock you in. Understand?”

Sam set his jaw but nodded.

Reese and Cody climbed out of the car. “You
stay back,” Reese said. “I’m breaking the damned rules letting you
come with me.”

Cody nodded, with no intention of staying
back at all.

They headed through the brush, careful to
stay out of sight. Finally, up ahead they saw a cabin through the
trees. Reese started to step forward when Cody grabbed his arm,
stopping Reese. Cody pointed down at a silver wire that glinted in
the little bit of sunlight that filtered through the pines.

“A trip wire,” Reese said grimly, echoing
Cody’s thoughts.

Cody nodded. “Looks like it.”

While Cody marked a tree, Reese took out his
cell phone and called the dispatcher to have her let backup know
about the trip wire.

“We’ll wait a few minutes ’til a couple of my
men get here to show them where the wire is.” Reese was holding his
mutilated left hand close to his side. The spots of blood were
bigger now. “I’ll also have backup then.”

Cody gritted his teeth, not wanting to wait,
but knowing they had to in order to make sure no one tripped the
wire. God knew if it would trigger a bomb or something alerting
Morris to their presence. He figured Reese was probably missing his
partner, Detective Petrova. They were one hell of a team.

It was only a few minutes before two
officers, one of whom was John McBride, met up with Reese and
Cody.

“Stay here,” Reese said to Cody as he stepped
over the wire.

Cody ignored him and stepped over it, too.
John followed but said nothing.

“Damn it, Cody,” Reese muttered. “Just make
sure you stay clear. I don’t want you getting harmed.”

They eased through the brush, closer and
closer to the cabin. An older model white Corolla was parked in
front of it. When they reached the edge of the brush, Reese and
John drew their weapons and made sure it was clear.

“Stay here, Cody,” Reese growled. “Wait until
I tell you it’s safe.” He looked at the cabin. “If it’s safe.”

Cody prayed Morris didn’t have any
surveillance cameras set up as Reese and John crouched low and made
their way to the cabin.

In spite of what Reese had ordered him to do,
Cody started to follow—and then he smelled something burning.

His gut clenched as he saw smoke coming
through a partially open window.

* * * * *

Nathan laughed as the fire started to burn
hotter in a ring around Carilyn, and terror ripped through her. The
circle smoked where the water had been spilled on the chalk line
he’d put around her and he coughed as the smoke streamed past his
face. The smoke made her cough, too.

“I’m going to have to leave soon,” he said in
between coughs, “but I want to watch you go up in flames.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she struggled
harder against her bonds, knowing it would do no good. She couldn’t
help the tears, but damn it, she wasn’t going to scream. She didn’t
want to give him the satisfaction.

But as the flames grew higher on the chalk
line, the heat becoming oppressive, she couldn’t stop herself. She
let out a scream of fear so loud that her throat hurt. She was
going to be burned alive.

Nathan smiled. “Good, good.” He backed away
from the fire, a look of rapture on his face. “I like that. Scream
again.”

Sweat dripped down the sides of her face, as
it grew hotter. She clenched her teeth to hold back any more
screams, but she knew it was going to be impossible to hold them
back once her flesh started to burn.

A crash echoed through the cabin and she
startled. Through the flames she saw Nathan whirl around.

“No!” he shouted as he held out his arms as
if to keep anyone from passing him. He backed up to the flame. “You
can’t have her!”

“Hands over your head and get away now or
I’ll shoot,” came a voice she knew and her heart leapt.

“No!” Nathan took another step back.

His clothes caught fire.

He shrieked as he went up in flames. The next
thing she knew he’d dropped on the floor and was rolling
around.

Through the flames she saw a figure rush
forward. In the next moment, Cody was in the circle of fire with
her.

“Cody!” Relief flooded her but she felt a
burst of fear for him. What if he caught fire?

“Get the bag of C-4 and get the hell out of
here,” she heard Reese McBride shouting to someone. “There might be
more explosives that we can’t see. Cody, hurry!”

Cody grabbed her, chair and all over his
shoulder. Carilyn screamed as he leapt back through the flames with
her.

She felt a flash of intense heat and then
he’d set the chair down. His gaze swept over her and she saw that
his clothes were on fire. Hers were not. He dropped on the floor
and rolled to put out the flames where his T-shirt had started to
burn. He surged back to his feet, grabbed her and the chair again,
flinging her over his shoulder, and he rushed for the door. Police
officers were clearing out of the cabin, too, and one of them had
Nathan.

Cody jogged down the porch steps with her and
didn’t stop running. She saw others tearing away from the flames,
too. As they ran through the trees, an explosion came from behind
them. Cody stumbled forward and she screamed as they both went
down.

They hit the ground hard, knocking the breath
from her, the chair bruising her flesh and her head landing on a
soft patch of ground. Another explosion ripped through the air and
Cody flung himself over her to protect her from any falling
debris.

After a moment he got to his knees and
reached into his pocket. “Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked as he
pulled out a pocketknife.

She stared up at the face that she’d thought
she’d never see again. A face so dear to her that she couldn’t
imagine being away from him ever again. “I don’t think so. I feel
okay.”

He sliced through her bonds, then grabbed her
again. “We’ve got to get out of here. The whole damned forest might
go up.”

“I can run,” she said as he flung her over
his shoulder again, this time minus the chair, which he left
behind.

He didn’t listen to her, as if he didn’t want
to let go of her. His feet pounded on leaves and rocks as he tore
through the brush and trees. It felt like he was running
forever.

She heard the roar of fire, along with the
crackle, hiss, and popping sounds of the fire burning the forest.
She could feel the fire rushing down on them.

From her side vision, she saw Nathan cuffed
and being dragged along by his arm, through the forest. Despite the
dire circumstances, she felt a rush of satisfaction to see Nathan
in custody.

She saw that portions of his clothes were
burned off and angry blistered patches of skin were showing through
the large holes. She felt no sympathy toward him, none at all.

They burst through the trees to where several
cars were parked. All but one of the vehicles were marked police
cars.

Cody adjusted her in his arms. Someone had
jerked open a car door and he thrust her inside the back seat and
climbed in after her. Reese was in the driver’s seat and someone
else was sitting in the front passenger seat.

Reese started the car, backed up, then turned
the car around and shot out onto the road. She saw the police
cruisers doing the same thing. When she looked over her shoulder,
through the back window she saw that the forest was on fire.

Cody swept her up in his arms and gave her a
fierce, hard kiss. “I was so afraid for you,” he said and kissed
her again.

“Thank God,” came another familiar male voice
from the front passenger seat. She shot a look at him and saw that
it was Sam.

“Sam.” She stared at him in surprise. “What
are you doing here?”

“The iPhone app.” He nodded to Cody. “He got
hold of me just as I was getting ready to leave town and we used it
to find you.”

“Thank you,” she said, her eyes filling with
tears from the smoke, the fact that she’d almost been burned alive,
and because of the men who’d saved her. “Thank you all.”

Cody held her tightly to his chest, drawing
her into his lap. “I am never letting you go, Carilyn. I love you
so damned much.”

Vaguely she was aware of Sam watching and the
pain in his expression, but she had to tell Cody how she felt.

“I love you, Cody.” She met his gaze. “You
mean everything to me.”

***

Carilyn took a long drink from a bottle of
spring water as she leaned up against a counter in Leigh’s kitchen.
Leigh was in her room taking a shower.

Will life ever feel normal again?
Carilyn wondered. She thought maybe it would now that Leigh was
back and they’d scrubbed the house from top to bottom, as if that
would eliminate every trace that the home had been ransacked. She
was still adjusting after her traumatic experience, but with every
day that passed, she felt more and more healed.

Of course when she’d returned, Leigh had been
shocked at everything Carilyn had been through and had supported
Carilyn in every way possible.

It had been three weeks since she’d almost
been murdered. Nathan Morris was still in a burn trauma unit from
third degree burns all over his body. Once the hospital released
him, Reese, who was back at work as soon as the doctor cleared him,
had assured her that Nathan would be sent directly to jail without
passing Go. There would be a trial of course, and she’d need to be
in Prescott to testify and see him go to prison, but she wasn’t
going to think about all of that just yet.

“When is Cody getting here?” Leigh asked as
she came into the kitchen while pushing her blonde hair behind her
ears.

Carilyn looked at the clock on the coffee
maker. Her stomach skipped with excitement. “Any time now.”

“I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that you
and Cody are together.” Leigh looked absolutely delighted. “I knew
you two would hit it off.”

The doorbell rang and Leigh smiled. “Looks
like your Prince Charming is right on time.”

Carilyn gave a quick grin. “He may not be a
prince, but he is a rather charming cowboy fireman, I have to
say.”

Leigh hooked her arm through Carilyn’s and
they walked through the kitchen and into the living room. “Any idea
what Cody has planned for you two this weekend?”

“Nope.” Carilyn shook her head. “But my bags
are packed just like he told me to, and I included everything he
suggested.”

“I love surprises.” Leigh smiled as she
released Carilyn and reached for the door handle. “Mike’s an
awesome guy but he needs a few lessons in that area.”

Leigh opened the door wide and waved Cody in.
Carilyn wanted to melt at the sight of him in his Wrangler jeans,
cowboy boots, and the Stetson he wore when he wasn’t on duty at the
fire station.

“Hi, Leigh,” he said before he grinned at
Carilyn and gave her a wonderful kiss that made her feel light as
air.

“Where are you off to?” Leigh asked brightly
when Cody and Carilyn parted.

“Good try.” Cody winked at Leigh before
glancing around her living room. “Your place looks great now that
you’re back and it’s set to rights. I have to say Mike is a lot
easier to get along with since you’ve come home. Especially now
that I’ve been living with him since my house was blown to
hell.”

Leigh gave a laugh. “I had a wonderful time
in Europe, but I’m happy to be back. I missed him, too.” She smiled
at Carilyn. “And I’m so happy to have you here.”

“Ditto on Carilyn being here,” Cody said with
a look at Carilyn that made butterflies dance in her belly. “As far
as Mike is concerned, I’ve never seen him like this before,” Cody
added. “I think he’s got it for you bad.”

Leigh grinned. “I like the sound of
that.”

Cody looked at Carilyn. “Ready?”

She gestured to her new pink suitcase.
“Yep.”

He picked up the suitcase. “See you, Leigh.”
He touched the brim of his hat and nodded to her before turning and
heading out the front door.

Carilyn gave Leigh a quick hug. “Have a great
time,” Leigh said as she drew away.

“Thanks.” Carilyn smiled at Leigh and
whispered so that Cody couldn’t hear. “Maybe you should plan a
surprise trip for you and Mike and show him how it’s done.
Sometimes men need a push.”

Leigh looked thoughtful. “Now there’s an
idea.”