Hot for You (17 page)

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.

***

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?”