by Chrys Fey
“Shit,” Beth whispered after a moment. “Are we to blame for the fires?” She looked at them. “Are we to blame for the houses that have been burned down? Lori’s house?”
“No,” Thorn said. “This is Viper. If it’s true, he committed arson, not you.”
They stared out the window, and none of them spoke. Donovan knew that if it was true and Viper was responsible for the fires, Beth would forever feel guilty for all the houses lost, all the acres burned.
They were rolling up to their street when a black car sped through the stop sign and swerved in front of them. Thorn jabbed the brake. “Son-of-a-bitch!” In the next instant, he flipped a switch and the red and white lights flashed on the dash. The car picked up speed. “What are the fucking odds of that?” The car’s engine roared as Thorn took chase.
There was no mistaking it; the car in front of them was the car Donovan had chased after. The idiots had cut off a cop car searching for them. Little did they know Beth and Donovan were in that car.
“Buckle up,” Thorn spat as he edged closer to the Camaro. “This isn’t going to end gently.”
As Beth clicked her seatbelt into place, Donovan pulled the lap belt across him, tightened it, and gripped the handles on the back of the seats.
Thorn urged the car forward. When the tires ate up the distance, he maneuvered the car to the other lane. “Hold on,” he said through clenched teeth and made contact with the side of the Camaro. Performing a Precision Immobilization Technique, Thorn made a sharp right turn, forcing the Camaro to turn to the left. The Camaro lost control and spun into the grass, facing the opposite direction. As soon as the Camaro cleared Thorn’s car, Thorn shot their car around in a wide U-turn. The Camaro continued to bump along in the grass. The right-side tires were in a ditch. Low-hanging tree branches smacked the Camaro. It hopped onto the road and swerved a moment before straightening out.
“Damn it. That’s why there’s usually a second car,” Thorn said. “I had called for backup when you two went to get your guns, but they’re ten minutes away. If I can stay on their tail, we’ll be able to corner them.” He picked up his radio and spoke into it, giving a location and direction to the units listening to the channel.
The Camaro floored it around a turn. Tires squealed.
Thorn stayed close behind it.
In the backseat, Donovan couldn’t stop his right foot from digging into the floor, as if he was the one controlling the car’s speed. His arm muscles flinched whenever Thorn turned the wheel. He wanted to catch the car. He wanted to get his hands on Viper.
The Camaro stayed ahead of them, driving wildly. Both cars raced down the middle of the road. Thorn didn’t let up, though. He kept his foot on the gas pedal and road on the Camaro’s ass. When the Camaro swerved onto another street, Thorn followed it.
They were now back in the area where the fire was burning. To their right were burned trees and a few patches of fire still feasting on nature. At the end of the road, the Camaro didn’t turn but shot across the road and leapt into a flaming patch of woods.
“I’d let you guys out but—” The car accelerated. “—I can’t stop now.”
They were going in after the Camaro.
Beth braced her right hand on the dash and gripped the bar above her door. Donovan clenched his jaw and planted his feet. In seconds, the car zoomed across the road and dove into the woods. Flames flashed on either side of the car. Ahead of them, the Camaro’s tires were throwing ash into the air. Thorn drove the car over burning earth. The chase became more dangerous as the two cars snaked in and out of trees.
Donovan looked at the woods with a fresh dose of fear. The treetops were bursting with fire. Fiery pieces dropped from the trees to the ground.
Thorn stayed close behind the Camaro. Flames licked the side of the car as they tore through the woods. Then something slammed onto the hood. Beth let out a yelp as sparks showered over the windshield. A burning branch blocked Donovan’s view.
“I can’t see a fucking thing,” Thorn shouted. “If I stop, we’ll lose them.”
“I can get it,” Beth said.
Donovan lurched and caught her arm when she sat forward. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Donovan, I can reach it. Look.” She pointed. “The end of the branch is sticking out, and it’s not on fire. I just have to open my window and reach for it. It’s right there.” She tugged her hair into fast bun.
“You could get burned.”
“I won’t if Thorn stays away from the flames.”
“Thanks for the pressure,” Thorn muttered. “I can see through that side. There’s no fire.”
He glanced at Beth and gave her a nod. “Do it.”
She removed her seat belt and pushed the button for the window. Heat and smoke swooped in through the opening. Donovan swallowed as she pressed her body into the door. She stuck out her head. With one hand on the door to keep herself steady, she reached for the branch. Donovan strained to see through the tiny section of the windshield that wasn’t blocked with flames. He couldn’t see any fire on that side. Yet. But he knew it was only a matter of time before they reached an area where the fire burned on the right, and then she’d be in trouble.
“Beth, hurry up,” he shouted.
She inched farther out the window. Her fingers curled around the end of the branch. The car bumped up and down, causing Beth to lose her footing and her hold on the branch. She reached again. The branch had slid farther down the windshield, so she had to squeeze farther out of the window. Her hand wrapped around the branch, and she tugged on it, but it didn’t budge.
“It’s stuck on a wiper,” she called into the car.
“Beth, watch out!” Thorn twisted the windshield wiper switch. The wipers squeaked loudly as they moved across the dry glass. Pieces of the branch broke off and flew through the air. Beth flinched away from the sparks. Then she grasped the branch and flung it off the hood. Donovan watched it soar past the car.
“Get back in now!”
Thorn’s shout had Donovan rotating back to look out the windshield. Two trees stood on either side of the path they charged down. Flames consumed a tangled mass of veins. If Beth wasn’t back inside the car in a few seconds, she’d get burned. Badly.
She tucked her arms close to her body and ducked back through the window. The second she was inside, the car rubbed against the fiery vines. Fire filled the opening. Beth fell to the side, shrinking away from the flames. Heat dominated the inside of the car. When they cleared the burning trees, Beth sat up and compressed the button until the window was back in place.
Donovan shoved his shoulder between the seats. He reached for Beth, turning her face to him with his hand. “Are you okay? Are you burned?”
“No. Not a lick. I’m okay.”
Despite her words, he turned her head from side to side, checking her cheeks and neck. He pulled her arms to him, making sure she didn’t have a single burn mark on her. His heart calmed a fraction. She was smudged with soot but not burned.
“Looks like Viper’s having trouble.”
Donovan looked to see the Camaro stuck. The wheels spun, kicking up dirt, but the car wasn’t going anywhere. And Thorn didn’t slow.
“I can’t fit them all in my car, yet I can’t leave the two of you here,” he said as they got closer. “And I don’t want the bastards to burn to death.”
Donovan bit his lip on that last one. If they were the ones responsible for the fires, he thought it was what they deserved. The car’s speed escalated, and Donovan knew just what Thorn meant to do. Heaven help them.
They slammed into the Camaro’s bumper, launching it free. The Camaro sped off, and Thorn followed it. The path snaked one way for a minute and then curved back. What Donovan saw before them made his breath catch. A wall of fire. There was no escaping it. He looked left and right, searching for a gap in the flames, but there wasn’t one.
The Camaro didn’t slow. It plunged right in. The flames closed around it, swallowing it wh
ole.
“Guys,” Thorn said. “We’re going in.”
“Oh shit.” Beth’s voice was a whisper.
Donovan braced. For all they knew, there was a tree directly in front of them. They could collide into it and die. Or die from the flames. His heart pounded. When the car dove into the flames, he captured his breath in his lungs. The fire was blinding. It was all around them. Time seemed to stand still. Then they erupted from the red, orange, and yellow storm, and a road appeared. Thorn whipped the wheel. The car swerved in the path of an oncoming vehicle. Donovan grasped Beth’s arm as Thorn jerked the wheel again to avoid the car. They careened into a ditch and took down a mailbox before coming to a jolting stop.
Thorn jumped out of the car with his gun in his hand. He aimed at the Camaro as it escaped. Two gunshots sounded. A back tire blew. The Camaro swayed from side to side but veered around the turn and disappeared. Thorn shouted into the radio, telling his backup where the Camaro was headed.
As Donovan got out and rushed to Beth’s side, Thorn hurried to the other car that had stopped after the near-collision. Donovan caught Beth’s hands and pulled her to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her, he tucked her close to his body.
“That was close, too close.” He wasn’t just talking about the fire or the accident, but that he had almost lost her. Cradling her face in his hands, he drew her into a kiss. She leaned into him, as if her knees had dissolved. Her body was pliant against his solid chest. One of his hands slid down her side and molded around her ribs. His thumb rubbed the fleshy curve of her breast. His other hand cupped the back of her head. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss. Desire clouded his mind. He wanted to carry Beth into the shower, wash away the soot on her body, and make love to her against the slick, tiled wall. He eased back before his urges could grow to proportions that would be impossible to hide. He held her to him a moment longer, though, not wanting to let her go. Finally, he released her.
He ran a finger down her cheek. “We need a vacation.”
Beth laughed. “Our vacations tend to be deadly.”
Despite the morbid truth of that, he smiled. “One day, we’ll have a normal vacation.”
She nodded and pressed her lips to his. “One day.”
After Thorn made sure the driver of the other vehicle was unharmed and helped the home owner to put his mailbox back in the ground, he drove Beth and Donovan home. Except, they wouldn’t be staying there. They unpacked their vehicles, put a few items back into the house, and moved the duffel bags and backpack of important documents into the trunk of Thorn’s car. Once they were sure the fire wasn’t a threat to their home anymore, they left.
Thorn took them to a motel. While he paid for a room with cash, they sat in the car. With Viper on the loose, they couldn’t stay at home. No matter how exceptional their alarm system was, it wasn’t safe for them there.
Thorn came back with a room key. He drove the car to 4F. He checked to make sure the coast was clear before ushering them inside. The walls were white. The comforter on the bed was a hideous blue and pink. A small, box TV sat on the dresser. Behind a small wall was a tiny kitchen, a plastic table, and four metal chairs. It was a crappy motel room, but as Thorn would remind them, the police department was paying for it, and it was clean.
They dumped their belongings on the floor. The three of them stood in the cramped room, unsure of what to do next.
“There’s going to be a police car keeping an eye on your room every second you’re here.” Thorn hauled one of the metal chairs over to the window. He placed it in the corner. “But, for tonight, you’ll have me for company.” He set his gun on the AC, shut the blinds, and sat down so he could see through the crack between the blinds and the window frame.
Having Thorn in the motel room all night wasn’t what Donovan had in mind. Donovan wanted to make love to Beth as if they had never been together before, but he couldn’t do that with Thorn there. However, given the threat Viper posed, Donovan wouldn’t feel comfortable unless there was a high level of protection for Beth. If that meant Thorn would stay with them, then he’d just have to rein in his libido.
Beth dropped onto the edge of the bed. “A slumber party. How fun.”
From the window, Thorn snorted. “Just pretend I’m not here.” He paused. “Wait. Never mind. I take that back. Please, remember I’m here.”
Donovan shot him a look. “Believe me, I wouldn’t be able to forget. You’ve already ruined my plans for the night.” He tweaked Beth’s chin. Her cheeks turned pink.
She got up. “I’m going to take a shower. I smell like smoke.” She rooted through her duffle bag, pulled out clean clothes, and hid her bra and panties under her T-shirt on the pile. “I wish I had been smart enough to grab the shampoo and conditioner. Now I’m going to have to use the hotel’s tiny bottles of crap.” She stepped toward the bathroom door. “I won’t be long.”
She closed herself into the bathroom. A moment later, the shower turned on. Donovan turned to Thorn who hadn’t moved in his chair. “No visualizing what’s happening in that bathroom,” he said.
Although Thorn didn’t look at him, he could see Thorn’s cheeks lift with a grin. “Or what, Goldwyn?”
Ten minutes later, Beth came out of the bathroom. She had on jeans, a black T-shirt, and socks. Beneath her shirt, Donovan could tell she had on a bra. At home, if it was the two of them, she’d forgo the restriction, and he’d be able to see the shape of her naked breasts and the points of her nipples. Thank God, she had the forethought to include her bra when she selected her clothes. No way would he let her walk around bra-less with Thorn in the room.
“I feel a lot better.”
Donovan went to her. He secured his arms around her waist and smelled the soap on her skin. “You look it,” he whispered in her ear. On impulse, he caught her earlobe between his teeth. Her hands gripped his hips. They needed a release, but they couldn’t have it.
She pushed him away. “You should shower. It’ll help.” She brought her lips to his ear. “But maybe for you, it should be a cold one.”
Grinning, he picked out clean clothes and went into the bathroom. Taking Beth’s advice, he iced his lust with a cold shower. He came out after a fast rub down with the bar of soup and found Beth stretched out on the bed watching TV. She had stripped the bed of the questionable sheets and comforter and replaced them with their own. Donovan sat down next to her and put his arm around her. She nestled into his side. Together, they watched the news. There was no mention of her near-kidnapping or the car chase, because the three of them were good at keeping secrets. The only ones outside of the motel room who knew the details were the Orlando Police Department and Viper.
A knock on the door made Donovan flinch. His hand fell on the gun he had set next to him on the bed. He started to slip it out of its holder, but Beth put her hand on his. “It’s okay. I called for pizza while you were taking your shower.”
“Oh.” He rose to answer the door.
“Wait,” Thorn hissed. He held up a hand. “One of the officers is checking him.”
Donovan froze. He hadn’t thought about Viper intercepting the pizza delivery person, killing him, and putting someone else in his place to kill them. The thought twisted his gut.
“Okay. It’s clear,” Thorn said. “But I’ll open it. If Viper is watching, I don’t want him to see you. Get out of sight.”
Donovan took Beth’s hand and tugged her into the kitchenette. They listened to Thorn open the door, pay for the pizzas, shut the door again, and lock it. Donovan didn’t budge until the chain clattered into place, and Thorn told them it was okay to come out. The three of them ate pizza—Thorn ate with his eyes trained out the window—until they were stuffed.
Sitting on the bed, Beth leaned against the wall and yawned. Her face was pale with exhaustion. Her eyes were ringed with dark circles. He laid a hand on her cheek. “You should get some rest.”
She looked at him. “So should you.”
He shook his head. �
��I want to keep an eye on things.”
“That’s what Thorn is here for,” she said in a low voice.
He touched his forehead to hers so he could talk to her without Thorn listening in on their conversation. “I need to make sure you’re safe.”
“I am safe.” She put her hands around his neck. “We both are. We’ve had a long day. Neither of us will be able to do much if Viper comes, unless we get some sleep.”
“I’ll sleep later.” He traced a fingertip over the dark smudge under her eye. “I want to watch you sleep for a while.”
She pressed her lips to his. “Okay.” She crawled beneath the covers and glanced at Thorn before turning her back to him. “This is so awkward,” she muttered.
Next to her, above the covers, Donovan leaned his back against the wall. Her hand rested on his thigh. While staring down at her, he watched her eyelids drift close. She let out a slow breath. He thought she was drifting off to sleep when she called out, “Night, Thorn.”
Thorn chuckled. “Nighty-night.”
Chapter Twenty
Beth stirred a few hours later. She rolled over, and her eyes drifted open. A low light lit the room. Donovan sat upright next to her. She looked up at him, expecting to see his chin down on his chest as he dozed, but his eyes were open, alert. She sat up and put her head on his shoulder. His hand reached over and caressed her cheek.
“You didn’t sleep a wink, did you?” she asked.
He shook his head.
She sighed. “Donovan, you have to get some sleep.”
“I’ll sleep when I’m—”
“Don’t,” she cut him off. “Don’t say that. Everything’s going to be fine while you sleep. A cop car is outside, and Thorn is ever vigilant.” She stole a glance at Thorn. He was in the same position. Silent. Watchful. He didn’t even peek at them. “Just lie down with me.” She patted the mattress. “Let yourself go.”
He exhaled. “Okay, but only for a little bit.”
She nodded, though she had no intention of waking him if he did fall asleep. She scooted back down, and he lay flat on his back. Her fingers combed through his hair, gently massaging. His brown hair was feather-soft against her fingers. She moved her fingertips in swirls along his scalp. Each time she swept her fingers through his hair, he fought to keep his eyes open.
