“She’s at the logging site.”
“The logging site? It’s already been overcome with flames,” Trace mumbled.
Logan shook his head. “She’s right in front of the fire. Running. Sawyer knows where she is. He’s heading toward her.”
Seconds ticked by. Long excruciating seconds that made Logan’s lungs ache in sympathy to his mates out there in the smoke.
∙•∙
Sawyer dropped his equipment where he stood and motioned to his squad leader pointing in the direction he was already running.
The man whirled around as Sawyer ran by. “Someone’s alive up there?”
Sawyer didn’t answer. He needed every second to get to Amanda. At least his squad leader had understood his signals. That would have to do for now. It would be hell trying to explain how he knew about Amanda’s location later, but he’d figure something out. All that mattered was getting to her before the flames.
He sprinted as fast as he could toward the group of trees where they’d left the red rope markers. Thank God they’d taken the time to do that.
His lungs heaved for oxygen. It was difficult to see clearly through the thick smoke. His eyes burned. Visibility was short. For once he wished one of those spirits would appear to guide him, but he realized in the current conditions he wouldn’t be able to see one anyway.
Finally, after the longest few minutes of his life, he saw something moving up ahead. Something pink…
Thank God the woman had left the house wearing light colors.
“Amanda,” he screamed.
She couldn’t hear him over the cacophony of sounds coming from the flames, the falling debris, and the chainsaws at his back. Her hand landed on a tree where Logan had tied a red rope. She grabbed the ends as if they were a lifeline that had the capability of saving her on their own.
He ran faster, impossibly so. Even in as good a shape as he was in, this was a test of his strength. Adrenaline drove him. Just as he reached her, her eyes rolled back in her head, and her body gave out. He lurched forward, caught her in his arms, and turned around to head back down the mountain without losing a beat.
Flames licked at his heels, too close for him to ponder. If he took the time to turn around and look over his shoulder, he would lose precious seconds he didn’t have. But he could feel the intense heat.
He lowered his ear to her mouth as soon as he thought he had enough distance between him and the fire to take the risk. She was breathing. Faintly, but breathing. She was overcome with too much smoke inhalation. And God only knew what else was in her system…
“Sawyer.” Logan’s one word into his head was terse. Frantic.
“I have her,” Sawyer shouted through their connection. “Hon. God. Please. Stay with me.”
“Is she okay?”
“So much smoke. I don’t know how she managed. I’m heading down to the service road now. There are paramedics there. She passed out cold the moment I grabbed her. Two seconds longer and she might have collapsed to the forest floor, and I never would have found her.”
“Thank God. I’ll meet the ambulance at the hospital.”
Sawyer kept running.
When he reached the spot he’d been working, his squad leader dropped his own gear and raced forward. “Jesus. How did you know someone was up there?” Luckily the man didn’t require a response. He grabbed his radio from his pocket and yelled instructions into it. “Civilian female headed your way. Approximately twenty-five. Looks like smoke inhalation.” He nodded toward the service road, and Sawyer kept going.
“Please, Amanda. Be okay,” he muttered. He was running on empty by now, but he could see the ambulance in front of him.
Two paramedics waited at the bottom of a steep incline for Sawyer to arrive. He sat on his ass for the last several yards, hugged Amanda against his chest, and slid down to the service road.
Neither paramedic said a word. It wasn’t necessary. One of them rolled a gurney toward the spot where Sawyer emerged.
Sawyer gingerly set Amanda on the clean white sheet, shockingly pristine in the surroundings. He drew in a breath and managed to tell the men everything they needed to know. “Amanda Williams. Twenty-five years old. Smoke inhalation.”
“Any sign of burns?” one man asked.
“Not that I’m aware of.” He prayed that was the case.
A third paramedic made his way toward them. A shifter. Thank God. The man was tall with blond hair that he brushed out of his eyes. He nodded at Sawyer and then leaned over Amanda with an oxygen mask.
Amanda moaned and turned her head to one side.
Sawyer set his gloved hand on her forehead and leaned down to kiss her smudged skin. “Take care of her,” he told the shifter.
The man nodded. “She’s in good hands. I promise.”
“I have to get back,” Sawyer said as if that weren’t obvious. The last thing he wanted to do was race back up the hill to fight this beast. His mate needed him.
The blond grabbed his shoulder. “She’ll be fine. I’ve got her.”
Sawyer swallowed. Walking away was incomprehensible. “Logan Masters will meet you at the hospital.”
The guy nodded again. “Masters. Got it.”
Thank the Lord one of the paramedics was a shifter. It cut down on the explanations and gave Sawyer a small peace of mind as he turned away. At least that man knew by scent that Amanda was human and that she was Sawyer’s mate. There was nothing else Sawyer could do at the moment.
As he raced back up to the firebreak, he spoke to Logan. “They’re putting her in an ambulance now. I have to get back. Fuck.”
“I’m almost at the hospital. I’ll beat her there. Stay focused, Sawyer. We need you.”
“On it.” He kept running, not as fast as before, but quickly. Leaving his team one man short for any length of time was not an option.
The moment he arrived back at his equipment and lifted his chainsaw off the ground, he went back to work. His arms shook. His legs burned from the effort. But he didn’t miss a beat. There was no other option.
For three more grueling hours he worked with his team. Relief over finding Amanda actually gave him more energy. And the occasional updates from Logan soothed his nerves. She was going to be fine. She wasn’t awake yet, and she needed rest and oxygen, but she would recover quickly. It seemed her biggest hurdle wasn’t smoke inhalation but ridding her body of whatever drug was used to subdue her so completely.
When his squad leader finally called it quits, Sawyer almost slumped to the ground. He was exhausted beyond anything he’d ever experienced. It was dark. He was wet and hungry and thirsty and bone tired.
As they made their way down the slope to the service road, turning over the final cleanup to a fresh team of wildland firefighters, Sawyer blew out a long breath.
His squad leader stepped up next to him. “Good work out there. I don’t know how you spotted that woman from such a distance, but thank God you did.”
Sawyer didn’t have the energy to do more than nod as he climbed into their transport vehicle, sat on one of the side benches, and closed his eyes. He didn’t even have the strength to communicate with Logan. He spent the next fifteen minutes trying to catch his breath and bring his adrenaline under control. He needed a shower and clean clothes, and then he would head to the hospital.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Amanda blinked her eyes several times. They felt like they had sandpaper in them. Why did they burn so badly?
She moaned and squeezed them closed.
“Amanda.” Logan’s voice penetrated her mind while his hand grasped hers and clenched.
“Hon, can you hear us?” Sawyer’s voice sounded rougher than normal, as though he had a sore throat.
“Mmm.” She couldn’t get her mouth to cooperate yet, but she tried to open her eyes again.
“You’re in the hospital, baby.” Logan leaned over her right side. He brushed a lock of hair off her forehead. “Do you remember what happened?”
&
nbsp; She stared at him, squinting. Her eyes watered and burned. “Fire,” she muttered as it came back to her.
Sawyer cleared his raspy throat. “You’re okay. You’re going to be fine.”
She turned her head in his direction. “Water…”
Sawyer grabbed a plastic cup next to her bed and tucked his hand behind her head to help lift her enough to get a sip.
It felt like her mouth was filled with sand. “More.”
Logan smiled at her. His hand trailed up her arm.
As she took longer swallows of the cool liquid, she watched his expression as it turned from relief to concern. His brow furrowed. “There are a few deputies that need a statement from you, baby. They’re waiting outside for you to wake up. How much do you remember?”
She closed her eyes as Sawyer lowered her head back to the pillow. “I think I remember.”
“Can Trace come in, hon?” Sawyer asked.
She nodded.
Logan released her to head for the door. Moments later she felt his presence return without opening her eyes.
When she blinked them open again, Trace was there. Another deputy was with him. “I’m so sorry, Amanda. We’re going to do everything we can to catch whoever did this to you.”
She nodded. Her eyes burned. She kept blinking, but that made it worse, so she resorted to squinting.
“What do you remember?” Trace asked.
Sawyer grasped her left hand, and Logan held her right. They made her feel safe. Secure.
“My fault,” she whispered. Tears came to her eyes.
“What was your fault, hon?” Sawyer asked.
“I shouldn’t have gone out of the condo alone. You told me not to. I’m so sorry.” Her voice grew stronger, but it hurt to speak.
“All that matters is you’re safe now, baby.” Logan lifted her hand and kissed the backs of her knuckles.
“Tell Trace what happened, hon.” Sawyer held her tighter, leaning closer.
“I went to the college to fill out some forms. The elevator wasn’t working, or at least it was slow. It took too long. I should have waited… But I took the stairs instead. I made it about halfway down, and then I ran into a man in the stairwell. It all happened so fast.” She felt her heart rate increase as her memory flooded back.
“It’s okay, Amanda. Take your time.” Trace held a pad of paper and was writing notes on it. “What happened next?”
“He grabbed my arm and stuck a needle in so fast I didn’t have time to process or react.”
“And then what?”
“And then I woke up in the shed at the logging site.”
“How well did you see the man? Was he someone you knew?” Trace asked.
She shook her head. “No. I’ve never seen him before.”
“What did he look like?”
She closed her eyes again and transported herself back to the stairwell. “Dark hair. Thick. Glasses. Black rims.”
“How tall was he?”
“I’m not sure. He was standing on a lower step, making us closer to eye level.”
“Skin tone? Darker, lighter, any particular obvious nationality?”
“No. Average guy. Caucasian, but with some coloring.”
“Eyes?”
“Lord, I don’t know. I didn’t catch that detail.”
“What was he wearing?”
“Mmm, something nice. He was too old to be a student and had on khakis and a light blue dress shirt. Not your average student. He looked more like a professor.”
“Did he say anything to you?”
“No. Just said my name. But he was gentle. He eased me into his arms as I went unconscious and held me against his body. Even after I could no longer move, I was aware of him carrying me for several more seconds.”
Trace glanced at Logan. “Toxicology reports back?”
Logan shook his head. “Not yet.”
Trace shut his notebook. “Amanda, again, I’m sorry this happened. If you think of anything at all that might help, please have Logan or Sawyer call me.”
“Okay.”
“I’m going to go through the database and put together a list of people in the area who fit that description. As soon as I have some photos, I’ll come see you.”
Amanda licked her lips and nodded again.
Trace turned to face Logan. “I’m heading to meet a team of people at Roger Barkley’s place now. He doesn’t fit that description, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t hire someone to kidnap her.”
“Who’s Roger Barkley?” Amanda rolled her head toward Trace again, trying to place the name.
Logan squeezed her hand. “Owns the logging company working that site.”
Amanda nodded. Why would this Roger guy have her kidnapped and leave her to die in a fire? It didn’t make sense. After all, if he wanted to make more money off the site by over-logging, what good would that do when the fire came?
She stiffened.
“What is it, baby?” Logan asked.
“Do you suppose he was holding me there and then abandoned me when the site got evacuated?”
Trace nodded. “That’s my thought.”
Logan stiffened at her side. “Could he have intentionally set the fire in order to dispose of Amanda?”
He backed toward the door. “Sure would be convenient.”
“Why?” Sawyer asked. “If his motive was greed and he was over-logging, why set himself back and lose all that potential income by burning his earnings and killing Amanda?”
“According to the logging inspector, Roger Barkley was not only taking more than his share but had several other safety infractions. It’s possible Roger knew he was caught. In order to save his ass and destroy the evidence, a fire would be convenient. That way no one could come out from the logging association and verify Jackson Wolf’s findings.”
“Why add Amanda to the mix?” Logan asked.
“Spite? That’s what I’m going to find out now.”
“And what about Sandhouse?” Logan asked. “Sounds like that guy has a hard-on for our entire family. Did Corbin or his boss get anything else out of him?”
Trace shook his head. “Nope. He’s a vindictive asshole, but it doesn’t seem like we have anything on him this time. His alibis checked out. He was indeed on patrol this morning. Veronica will get a slap on the wrist for following Amanda, but it’s unlikely she had the ability to kidnap her and hide her at the logging site.”
“Veronica was following me?” Amanda couldn’t believe how many people seemed to want her dead.
Sawyer spoke next. “You’re popular.” He was smiling when she glanced at him.
Trace looked at his watch. “I gotta go. My team is getting into position now. Not sure what Pete and Veronica are up to, but they didn’t kidnap Amanda.” He glanced at Logan as he backed toward the door.
»»•««
“Sheriff’s department. Open up.” The shouting outside the front door had Roger jumping out of his skin.
“Fuck,” he muttered, glancing at the back door from where he sat at his kitchen table. Two men were in position out back, guns drawn, vests on. “Fuck,” he repeated, hauling himself from his seat and heading to open the door. He felt confident at least two more deputies would be at the front. Any attempt to run would be futile.
The men burst into his small house the second he opened the door. “Hands in the air. Legs spread.”
“What’s this about?” he asked as he lifted his arms in compliance. The blood flooded from his face.
“You’re under arrest,” one man yelled as he patted down Roger’s leg and then up the other. “For kidnapping, murder, and arson.”
“What?” Roger screamed. “What are you talking about? I haven’t done anything.”
A man stepped forward and flashed his badge. “Deputy Trace Masters,” he stated. “Do you have an alibi for this entire day?”
Roger swallowed. He’d broken a number of laws in the past few weeks, all of them inane rules about the number of trees
he was permitted to cut, the grade of fuel he was allowed to use in his trucks, even the frequency of his vehicle safety inspections. None of the laws he’d broken pertained to murder, kidnapping, or arson.
“You think I started that fire?” He began to shake violently.
Trace nodded. “After you kidnapped Amanda Williams and left her for dead, yes.”
Roger’s eyes bugged out as more of the blood drained from his face. “Amanda Williams? Somebody killed her?” Holy fuck.
“Stop acting coy, Barkley.”
“But I didn’t do it. I’ve never hurt anyone in my life,” Roger stammered.
“You going to tell me you haven’t been watching Amanda for the past week?”
Roger shook his head. “No. I mean yes. Shit.” Sweat ran down his back. “I had her followed. Yes. I wanted to get your brother to back the fuck off so I could finish my job at that site. I didn’t kill her.”
“Really?” Trace Masters chuckled sardonically. He took small strides to circle Roger in the middle of the kitchen.
When the deputy who patted him down yanked his hands behind his back and slapped cuffs on him, he started to panic in earnest. He needed to think. If someone killed Amanda Williams and the sheriff’s department believed Roger did it in the fire, then… “Shit.” That could only mean one thing. Only one person besides Roger knew he was hunting Amanda.
“What? Sudden revelation? Maybe if you cooperate and confess, you’ll get life instead of the death penalty.”
Roger’s knees started to buckle. “I swear it wasn’t me. But I bet I know who it was…”
»»•««
Mike Darsky was stuffing the last of his personal belongings into a box in his office when the door flew open and four armed deputies stormed inside. He didn’t bother to say a word. Instead he dropped the stack of papers he was holding and turned to face the wall, placing his hands high and stepping out with both legs.
Defeated, he set his forehead on the cool drywall and listened while one of the deputies read him his rights.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Amanda snuggled deeper under the covers between her men. She couldn’t stop shaking. No matter how tight they held her, she was an emotional mess.
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