Even though she was seeing the man from his backside, this guy seemed to have a different bearing, a different walk, than anyone she’d met—that she could remember. He was hunched over, his hands shoved into his pockets.
She moved her gaze away from the retreating man and searched the street for a sign of anyone else. No one.
A hand gripped her upper arm and she startled. She looked to see Cody as he smiled and slid his arm around her shoulders. “Ready to go back to the ranch, sunshine?”
The limo was pulling away from the curb as she let out her breath and nodded. “You didn’t swallow much, so you’re all right to drive?”
He gently tugged on a strand of her hair and gave her a smile. “Exactly. The last bit I had was a couple of hours ago.”
She rested her head against him as they walked to where he’d parked his truck. “I think I had enough for both of us today,” she said. “You could say that I’m feeling very relaxed right now.”
Even as they walked off together, she still felt unnerved despite being relaxed. She had no reason to feel that way, but she did.
Yet, then again, her car had been torched, she had received a threatening email, and Leigh’s house had been tossed. So yeah, she did have a reason to feel that way. With their day in the wine country, she’d let all that worry slide away and she had just enjoyed herself. Now it was back to reality.
She frowned to herself as she thought about the fact that she hadn’t tracked down the guy who’d threatened her via email. He’d covered his tracks very well. She was going to have to call in favors if she didn’t find him soon.
“What’s wrong?” Cody’s concerned voice jerked her out of her thoughts. “You look like something’s bothering you.”
She gave him a bright smile. “Like I said, I’m relaxed from all of that wine.”
There was no need to bring up the arsonist and whoever was threatening her and the person or persons who had ransacked Leigh’s home. She wondered if they could all be the same person. It would make sense if it were.
Cody helped her into the passenger side before closing the door and going to the driver’s side and climbing in. The drive to his home didn’t seem to take too long. For most of the drive she was lost in her own thoughts and was glad that he didn’t press her to talk.
It was early evening when they arrived at the ranch. Cody left to take care of the chores while Carilyn headed into the house.
The moment she stepped into Cody’s darkened home and closed the front door behind her, her skin crawled. Something wasn’t right.
She froze, her breath catching in her throat. She backed up against the door and fumbled for the door handle behind her.
No one was here—she was being stupid. She thought of turning on the lights and checking the house, but remained right where she was. If someone was in the house, she could be walking right into a trap.
Jeez, she was being so dramatic. She’d seen way too much TV, that’s for sure. There wasn’t an ax murderer waiting in the cellar.
But there might just be an arsonist hiding in the house.
Something creaked. She had to get out of there. She gripped the door handle behind her and it clicked as she opened it. Her heart pounded as she tried to pull the door open without putting her back to the room. As soon as she had the door wide enough, she turned and ran out of the house, into the growing darkness.
It felt as if someone was chasing her, but when she looked over the shoulder no one was there.
She looked forward just in time to smack into something solid. She nearly screamed as hands grabbed her by her upper arms.
“Carilyn.” It was Cody who had a grip on her. “What’s wrong?”
Her whole body felt weak, as if only his hold kept her knees from going out. “I—” She took a deep breath. “It’s nothing. I just got spooked is all.”
He frowned. “What spooked you?”
She looked over her shoulder at the house again before meeting his gaze again. “I had the feeling that someone’s in the house. Or at least someone was.”
Cody’s features hardened. “Are you certain?”
She shook her head. “I had just set foot in the house before I turned and ran. I thought I heard a noise but it could just have been the wind or something.”
“The wind isn’t blowing, it’s only a breeze.” Cody looked grim. “I’m going to check it out.”
“What if someone is in there?” Carilyn felt panic crawling up her throat. It was irrational, but she couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. “Don’t go.”
“I’ll be fine, sweetheart.” He squeezed her shoulders before taking her by one arm and steering her toward the passenger door of his vehicle. “Get in the truck, lock the doors, and wait for me.”
He opened the door and helped her inside. When she was seated, he reached into the glove compartment and she caught her breath as he pulled out a handgun. He gave her a quick look before shutting the door and using the remote in his pocket to lock her in the truck.
She gripped her hands into fists and watched him walk toward the house.
Satisfied that Carilyn was safe for now, Cody gripped his pistol in both hands like his cousin Reese had showed him years ago when Cody had been twelve and Reese had taught Cody how to shoot. He walked up to the front door and opened it, letting the door swing open and stepping to the side. He reached in, flipped on the lights, and waited a moment before clearing the room.
He systematically searched each room in the house but found nothing until he reached the master bedroom.
On the bed was a glass wool tube like the ones they’d found at the first three fires—the tubes that contained Barbies.
“Shit.” Cody’s heart slammed in his chest as he saw the black box with wires next to the tube.
Adrenaline pumped through his body as he turned and bolted out of the bedroom. He yanked the front door wide, tore through the opening, and ran.
He had almost reached the truck when the world exploded.
Heat rushed toward him. Debris pelted his body.
Something slammed against his head and he dropped. The brilliant orange sky faded and went dark.
***
Chapter 18
Carilyn screamed as the house exploded.
She watched in horror as Cody dropped to the ground.
An object slammed into the truck’s windshield, smashing it on the driver’s side and she screamed again.
Debris rained from the sky as the house was consumed by fire. She paused a moment as she waited for the worst of it to fall. She opened the vehicle’s passenger door, climbed out, and ran toward Cody who was sprawled face down on the ground just feet from the truck.
“Cody!” Blood pounded in her ears as she dropped beside him and shook his shoulder. “Are you all right? Cody, please.”
The fire lit up the night and she could see that his hair looked wet behind his head. With a trembling hand, she reached out and touched the wet spot. Her fingers came back coated in blood and she barely kept from screaming again. Forcing herself to breathe, she checked his throat for a pulse and found one. She didn’t have any medical training, but it seemed like a solid pulse and it had been easy to find.
Struggling to keep panic at bay, she looked at the fire eating up the night, felt the heat, and tried not to breathe in the acrid smoke. What had happened?
The answer came to her despite the fear clouding her mind. The arsonist had blown up Cody’s house. How could it be anything else?
Her skin went cold despite the heat of the fire. What if the arsonist was still here? She felt like she was going to hyperventilate and she forced herself to calm down. She had to think of Cody and not worry about shadows and what ifs.
She looked back at Cody and then at the truck. With no one there, she needed to take him to the hospital but the driver’s side of the windshield was smashed in. Leigh’s car was next to Cody’s truck. Somehow she was going to have to drag his body to the car and get him into
it.
How was she going to do that? He was over six feet and around two hundred pounds of dead weight.
She clenched her jaw. She was just going to have to do it.
The fire roared like a beast as she grabbed Cody beneath his arms and tried to drag him. He was too heavy. Clenching her teeth she tried again, and managed to move him a few feet. Her back strained, her arms ached. She grunted and dragged him closer to the car.
She lowered him as it occurred to her that she needed to dial 9-1-1. She’d been so freaked out, so intent on getting him away from there that she hadn’t been thinking straight.
Just as she reached for her phone, lights blinded her.
For a moment she was frozen in place, like a deer caught in headlights. What if it was the arsonist? She dodged beside the car so that it was between her and the bright lights.
Spots danced in front of her eyes as she regained her sight. What was happening?
Voices came from the other side of the car and she jerked her attention toward the sound.
“Do you think Cody’s in there, Clint?” a woman called out in a frantic voice.
“I saw someone over by the car, Ella,” the man named Clint shouted. “Let me have a look while you call 9-1-1.”
“All right,” Ella said. “Be careful.”
Clint—that was Cody’s brother’s name, and Ella was his fiancée. Her mind spun. Carilyn shook off the dazed feeling and scrambled to her feet. “Over here,” she called out. “Cody’s over here.”
A big form came toward her and then a man was kneeling beside Cody who was still facedown on the ground.
“Cody.” The man rested his hand on Cody’s neck as he looked up at Carilyn. “I’m Clint, Cody’s brother. What happened?”
“The house exploded and something hit him in the head.” Tears started flowing down her cheeks. “Is he going to be okay?”
“His pulse is strong.” Clint reaffirmed her conclusion. “But any damage beyond his head wound, I couldn’t tell you.”
She nodded, more tears flowing down her face. “I tried to get him to the car, but he’s too big.”
“Ella is calling emergency.” Clint looked grim. “We’re a good distance out of town so it’ll take a little longer for the paramedics to get here.”
“What if that’s too late?” Carilyn’s voice quivered.
Clint reached out and rested his hand on Carilyn’s shoulder. “He’s going to be all right. My little brother is one tough hombre.” He squeezed her shoulder. “What’s your name?”
She swallowed. “Carilyn. I’m—I’m staying with Cody.”
“We saw the explosion from the road when we were near.” Clint glanced at the fire. “Do you know what happened?”
She started to shake her head then paused. “It might have been an arsonist who’s been setting fires around town.”
Clint frowned. “Why do you think that?”
She pushed strands of hair from her eyes. “We think he’s after me.” She glanced toward the fire. “When I went into the house, I thought someone might be there. Cody had me wait in the truck while he went in to check it out.” More tears flooded her cheeks and she hiccupped a sob. “A few minutes later he came tearing out of the house right before it exploded.”
Clint looked grim then glanced down at Cody who was stirring. Clint tore off his western shirt, rolled it up, and laid it on the ground. “Let’s get him turned over.”
She swiped at her tears with the back of her hand then arranged the shirt behind Cody’s head like a pillow as they turned him onto his back.
Clint looked over his shoulder as a petite blonde in western jeans and a light blue blouse came toward them. “ETA, Ella?” he asked.
Ella knelt beside Cody. “Fifteen minutes.”
“Carilyn, this is Ella, my fiancée.” He nodded toward Carilyn. “This is Carilyn. She’s staying with Cody.”
Ella nodded. “Not exactly the best circumstances to meet.”
“No, definitely not,” Carilyn said.
Cody groaned and his eyes fluttered open. Nerves tickled Carilyn’s belly.
“What the hell?” Cody’s gaze met Carilyn’s and he frowned and tried to get up. “Are you okay?”
“Don’t move.” She sniffled. “You’re the one who’s hurt.”
Clint rested his hand on Cody’s shoulder, keeping him from getting up and drawing his attention. “Settle on down, little brother.”
“Clint?” Cody’s expression changed to one of anger as he shoved off his brother’s hand. “That bastard. He could still be here.”
“So it was the arsonist?” Carilyn asked as Cody sat up. “You’re sure?”
He looked a little unsteady but nodded. “Positive.” Both Cody and Clint looked at the burning house. “There goes everything we had left from Mom and Dad,” Cody said.
“You’ve still got the rest of the ranch,” Ella said.
Clint squeezed Cody’s shoulder. “Material possessions are all that were lost. What’s important is that you and Carilyn are alive.”
Cody looked at Carilyn. “If something had happened to you—” His words cut off, his voice sounding broken.
“Nothing did.” She put her hand over his. “We’re both okay.”
He narrowed his gaze at the fire. “That was laptop number three.”
“I don’t care about that.” She shook her head. “I’m just grateful you’re alive.”
He turned his hand up and linked his fingers with hers. “I’m going to get him, Carilyn. He’s not going to get away with this.”
“Shhh.” She pushed hair from Cody’s brow. “Don’t worry about that for now.”
Sirens cut the air in the distance. “Calvary is almost here,” Clint said as he looked in the direction of the road.
It didn’t take long before two fire trucks, three sheriff’s department vehicles, and an ambulance arrived at the house. Carilyn couldn’t tell if she’d met any of the firefighters before, with it being dark and with their fire gear on.
Soon the scene was well-organized chaos.
Ella directed the paramedics to Cody as the firefighters started battling the blaze.
“I’m okay.” At first Cody tried to brush off the paramedics’ attention but Carilyn and Clint managed to get Cody to sit still for them.
“They’re just doing their job,” Clint said. “You remember how that goes?”
“It’s true that doctors make the worst patients,” Ella said. “I think that goes for firefighters and paramedics, too.”
Cody scowled. “We don’t have time for this. That bastard is out there.”
Carilyn reached out and touched his hand. “We’ll find him.” She gave him a determined look. “I’ll track him down once I get another laptop.”
“Bastard,” Cody muttered again as the paramedics helped him to the ambulance where he sat and let them attend to his injuries. In the darkness, Carilyn hadn’t noticed all of the cuts and splinters in his skin from the explosion.
Like Carilyn had, Cody refused to go to the hospital, insisting it was just a mild concussion and a bump on the head.
“You were out for a while,” Clint said.
“A good ten minutes.” Carilyn wiped a smudge of dirt from his cheek. “Now we have matching concussions and head wounds.”
Cody put his palm on her back and gently rubbed it as he looked into her eyes. “Thank God the explosives didn’t go off when you were in the house. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”
“I feel that way about you, too.” She swallowed. “We were both fortunate.”
He leaned forward and kissed her, a gentle kiss, before he drew away again. For a long moment they looked into each other’s eyes, neither of them saying a word.
Ella drew their attention. “You can both stay with Clint and me.”
Cody shook his head. “I’m not going to put you into danger like that. As long as that arsonist is out there, he could come after us again.”
El
la frowned as Clint came up to her side. “What will you do?”
“We’ll check into a hotel.” Cody dragged his hand down his face.
“That would cost a fortune over the long term,” Ella said.
“Not if we find him soon.” He had a determined expression. “And we will find him.”
Reese joined the group gathered around Cody. Reese looked angry. “How are you doing?” He cut his gaze from Cody to Carilyn.
“Fine.” Cody got up from his seat and swayed.
Clint pushed Cody back down. “Isn’t this the sheriff department’s jurisdiction, not Prescott PD’s, cousin?” Clint asked Reese.
“We’ll be working together on this one,” Reese said. “I’m going to put this bastard behind bars.”
Carilyn looked around them. The ground was muddy—the firefighters had apparently used hoses from the stock tanks and they’d managed to keep the fire from spreading to the one nearby structure, a storage shed. The other structures, including the barn and corrals, were a good distance away.
Her throat worked and she swallowed down a lump as she stared at the fire that was still raging. It looked eerie in the night, like some great, fiery beast.
She and Cody could have been in there. The thought that they could have died kept whirling through her mind.
Her knees wobbled and the next thing she knew Cody was drawing her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest. He held her close and all she knew was that she never wanted to let go.
***
Chapter 19
By the time Cody and Carilyn had checked into a hotel, it was early morning and they hadn’t had any sleep. They collapsed on the bed after undressing and taking showers.
Carilyn passed out from exhaustion. She hadn’t planned to sleep because someone needed to check on Cody every hour and she was that person.
When she woke, she blinked and stared around the darkened room in confusion. Where she was gradually eased into her consciousness as she noticed a sliver of light peeking through a gap in the hotel room’s blackout shades.
Horror drained the blood from her body as the memory of last night slammed into her. The explosion, fire, Cody.
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