Left.
God had never audibly spoken to Liam, but there had been times in his life that he’d known God was directing him. Like when he’d picked up and moved to Renegade with Sophia. This was one of those times.
He raced to the building.
Flames lined the hallway.
How long until the fire department arrived?
Liam looked over his shoulder. However long it was, it would be too long. Liam pulled his shirt over his nose and followed the trail of flames.
Where were they?
He could follow the trail and hope it led him to where Sam and the girls were being held. But the building was huge, and they could be anywhere. What if the trail had been deliberately set to take him away from the girls?
His gut told him to follow the trail—that and the still, small voice of God. He continued on until it opened up to an expansive room. The wall was lined with walk-in freezers that were all wedged closed with two-by-fours.
Fire separated him from the wall. The flames burned hot, but there were empty spots. He could follow a path to the freezers.Thank You, Lord.
He raced through the flames and made it to the other side. But now he had to figure out which freezer they were in.
“Sophia!” he screamed.
If they were still alive, hopefully they could hear him.
He heard something to his right and jogged down the row. “Sophia! Samantha!”
“We’re here.” Muffled cries could be heard just ahead.
“Sophia!”
“We’re here!” The screams were right next to him now. He kicked the two-by-four from where it was wedged under the handle and yanked the door open.
Sophia launched herself into his arms while cradling Blossom. “Uncle Liam.”
He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her as tight as he could. He looked past her to see Samantha and Isabella making their way to the door, holding on to each other. They all looked terrified.
Samantha said, “It was Dean.”
Liam inhaled sharply. Dean? A firefighter? Someone who was supposed to be a good guy had tried to kill everyone he cared about? Liam couldn’t process that right now. “Let’s get out of here. There’s fire everywhere.” He reached out to take Sophia’s hand. “Follow me.”
He pulled his niece behind him and led the way to safety. Every so often, he double-checked to make certain that Sam and Bella were following, but he didn’t slow his pace.
They emerged from the building to red and blue lights flickering everywhere. Firefighters and police were busy with the slaughterhouse. Paying no attention to the cold-storage facility.
“Over here!” Liam started waving his arms, trying to get the attention of anyone nearby.
Sam and the girls had collapsed into coughing fits on the ground of the parking lot.
“Liam,” Sam wheezed.
He looked to her. “I’m getting help.” He yelled again. This time a firefighter saw him and made his way to them.
Liam turned his attention to Sam. “Someone is on their way.”
Sam shook her head as a cough overcame her. “No.” She grabbed him, gasping for breath. “Dean.”
He knelt in front of her. “I know, he’s the one who did this.”
